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Harlan Estate is one of Napa's most prominent wine producers, self-styled as a Napa "first growth". The vineyard is located in the Oakville AVA, in the hills above Martha's Vineyard (Heitz Cellar) and To Kalon (Robert Mondavi), just north of Napa town itself. Its Cabernet Sauvignon-based flagship wine is one of California's most sought-after wines, regularly commanding prices exceeding $1000 per bottle.
The estate was founded in 1984 by property developer William Harlan, who had cut his teeth at the Merryvale winery and Meadowood lodge before buying 240 acres (97 hectares) of land in the Oakville hills. Some 40 acres (16ha) of this was cleared for vineyards – mostly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, but with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Harlan Estate's first commercial vintage was the 1990, which was released in 1996 with a then-expensive price tag of $65 a bottle. Since then, the estate has cemented itself as a cult wine producer, with five vintages achieving 100-point scores from Robert Parker. In addition to the flagship red, Harlan Estate also makes a second wine, The Maiden.
| Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2001 |
| Rating | 100 RP/97 WS |
| Bottle Size | 3000 ml |
| Bottle Quantity | 1 |
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Location | North Coast |
| Producer | Harlan Estate |
| Color | Red |
| Wine Type | Table |
| Robert Parker | RP100 - No#9 - From a 40-acre hillside vineyard that looks down on such famed sites as the Martha's Vineyard and To-Kalon Vineyard comes the 2001 Harlan Estate a likely candidate for a three digit rating after bottling in several months. This effort has gone from strength to strength during its upbringing in wood where it spends 26-28 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Readers familiar with these wines should think of it as representing a hypothetical blend of the port-like 1997 and the more classic delineated 1994. The powerhouse 2001's complexity balance and concentration are impressive. This inky/plum/purple-colored 1600-case cuvee boasts spectacular aromas of roasted espresso creme de cassis new saddle leather licorice and hints of cedar as well as high quality cigar tobacco. Voluptuous and full-bodied with unreal levels of richness a profound concentrated mid-palate a multilayered texture and a spectacular finish that lasts over a minute this incredibly harmonious prodigious 2001 tastes like a New World version of La Mission-Haut-Brion blended with Mouton-Rothschild and Cheval Blanc ... and it doesn't get much better than that! Anticipated maturity: 2012-2035. Harlan Estate and its perfectionist owner Bill Harlan who is backed up by the peerless team of Michel Rolland and Bob Levy is truly an estate of monumental aspirations that more often than not hits the proverbial bull's eye. None of the wines produced since 1990 has yet reached full maturity. While the 2000 is their lightest vintage to date it is no wimpy wine. As I have written so many times before what makes Harlan such a singular tasting experience is that while it is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated offering from the hillsides above the Oakville Corridor and it obviously has the power and extraordinary ripeness afforded by Napa Valley's favorable viticultural climate it has a degree of complexity that is only shared by a handful of other California Cabernet-based wines and the finest Bordeaux. Harlan Estate represents exactly what a genius owner who suffers no fools and refuses to make any compromises is capable of achieving ... is that a surprise? |
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| Wine Spectator | WS97 - Firm and intense, with gripping tannins wrapped around dark berry, black licorice, graphite, cedar and tar. Slow to unfold but does so impressively, gaining strength, depth and vitality; appears a great candidate to go another 10 to 15 years with ease. |
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| Burghound |
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| Varietal | Proprietary Blend |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2001 |
| Rating | 100 RP/ 97 WS |
| Barrels |
French Oak |
| Style |
Bordeaux Blend |
| Owners |
Bill Harlan |
| Region | California |
| Location | North Coast |
| Producer | Harlan Estate |
| Winemaker |
Michel Rolland & Bob Levy |
| Production |
1,250 cases (approx) |
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