Harlan Estate Wine at Flickinger Wines

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USA Red

Harlan Estate

1991

Proprietary Blend

$2,100

WA 98 (12/1995): I had the privilege of tasting the exquisite 1991 from barrel. Finally, 938 cases of the 1991 have been bottled unfiltered and released. Produced from a rocky, terraced vineyard on the western hillsides of Napa, looking down on Martha's Vineyard and the Oakville Grade area, this wine is one of the most promising and profound Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines made in California. Bill Harlan, proprietor of the luxurious Meadowood Country Club and Resort, has dreamed of producing a classic California Cabernet for years, and he experimented with small micro-vinifications from the mid-eighties. The 1991 will finally bring to the world's attention what Bill Harlan, along with his two wine-makers, Bob Levy of Merryvale and Michel Rolland of France, has achieved. The 1991, two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon with the balance Cabernet Franc and Merlot, is even more impressive now than it was earlier. The wine boasts an opaque purple/dark ruby color, followed by an extraordinarily profound bouquet of sweet cassis, vanilla, minerals, toast, chocolate, and tobacco. Remarkably rich, full-bodied, and layered, with thrilling extract levels, yet soft tannin, this wine continues to remind me of a California fantasy blend of La Mission-Haut-Brion and Cheval Blanc. Strikingly powerful and intense, as well as unequivocally graceful, it is a compelling wine that propels Harlan Estate into the upper echelon of Cabernet Sauvignon wine producers.

VM 90 (7/2018): Healthy dark red. Sexy aromas of plum, raspberry and mocha. A tad tart but nicely concentrated and distinctly claret-like, with its red fruit flavors joined by a strong herbal element. Still, this wine – or at least this bottle – shows modest sweetness and thickness and is a bit past its peak and lacks expansiveness. Juicy and alive but the tannins are a bit dry and the finish a touch sour. Incidentally, 1991 was just the second commercial vintage for Harlan Estate; it was released at the same time as the 1990. (1,000 cases were made, vs. just 300 in 1990) (Drink between 2018-2023). Stephen Tanzer.

2005

Proprietary Blend

$975

JD 99 (12/2017): A big step up over the 2003, the 2015 Harlan Estate is still youthful and vibrant with incredible purity and elegance, as well as a huge, opulent, sweetly fruited, irresistible style. Blackberries, blueberries, violets, spring flowers, lead pencil and a remarkable minerality all emerge from this sensational wine that has sweet, present tannin, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. It’s certainly a joy to drink today but will keep for another two to three decades.

WA 98+ (6/2015): Its bigger brother, or sister, depending on the point of view, is the extremely young, fresh, vigorous, yet still exuberant and promising 2005 Harlan Estate. Normally, the blends on these wines tend to be 85%-90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and possibly some Petit Verdot, although I don’t recall that being a very important part of the estate vineyard. The 2005 is incredibly youthful at age ten, although certainly drinkable. And who wouldn’t consume it if they had the opportunity? It will benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring and certainly has 30 or more years left in its evolutionary curve. Gorgeous, and tasting akin to a hypothetical Pauillac blended with a great Pessac-Leognan from Bordeaux comes to mind because of the smoky, subtle barbecue notes, fruitcake, forest floor, graphite and minerality. The wine has stunning fruit and a full-bodied, powerful richness, yet is still nimble on its feet. This is a classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from an absolutely magnificent hillside vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Oakville corridor on the valley floor. This opaque, garnet/purple wine is another tour de force and, once again, proves that Harlan Estate is not only one of the greatest wines of California, but of the world.

JS 96 (2/2011): This is very, very floral with sage, black currants, black berries, and hot stones. Full bodied, with blackberry, black olives, and cashmere like tannins. It finishes broad and is completely captivating. This is starting to come around, but be patient for another two years. Pull the cork in 2012.

VM 95 (9/2017): Open-knit, sensual and perfumed, the 2005 Harlan Estate is super-expressive today. Like so many 2005s, the Harlan is a bit lacking in intensity and overall structure relative to the very best years. The 2005 is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. At some point during that arc of time, the 2005 is likely to become a bit frail, but that does not appear to be imminent. Even after thinning to a cluster per shoot, the clusters and berries were large, which required some bleeding in the tanks, a technique that is not often used at Harlan Estate. Antonio Galloni.