Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

PinExt Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

Harlan Stone Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

Harlan Estate, California Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, a history of the property, plus information on their wine making techniques and their soils, along with wine reviews and links.

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Harlan Estate has over the years become a mythical California Cabernet. Only Screaming Eagle is held is higher esteem. How did this happen and how are some of the wines showing today?

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Bill Harlan created Harlan Estate in 1984. Prior to starting Harlan Estate, Bill Harlan earned his money investing in real estate. He has a myriad of real estate investments including the number one hotel and resort in the Napa Valley, Meadowood.

The 36 acre vineyards of Harlan Estate are located on some of the better elevations and soils in the Oakville appellation. From the vineyards, you get great views of the Napa Valley. One of the keys to the terroir of Harlan Estate is the elevation. This ranges from a low of 225 feet to an impressive 1225 feet above sea level. Harlan Estate vineyards are in truth, just one piece of a bigger estate. In total, the property of Harlan Estate includes more than 240 acres of land! Everything is not planted. A lot of the surface area is relegated to the picturesque hills, valleys and amazing views from various overlooks.

Harlan estate vineyards 300x181 Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

According to Bill Harlan, his goal was to produce a Bordeaux First Growth equivalent in California. He’s achieved that in spades with Harlan Estate based on the quality, price and status his wine has in the marketplace. All that, and they sell futures too!

Harlan Head shot 300x181 Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon

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Harlan Estate dates back almost three decades. The project first took hold in 1984. That year, Harlan began planting the vines for what would later become Harlan Estate. They started with only 6 acres, which of course expanded with time. The vineyard plantings consist of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. That varietal combination would be at home in Bordeaux in any First Growth property located in the Meodc.

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All great wines share a common thread, they are produced in the vineyard. At Harlan Estate, that starts with a policy of severe selection in the vines and in the cellars. To insure the elegant textures, freshness and complexity Harlan Estate is known for, they completely desteem the grapes. The fruit is whole berry fermented and they avoid pumping over. Harlan Estate wines are fermented in small, open top vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in 100% new French oak. The wine remains in barrel for 24-36 months, depending on the vintage. With time, the oak fades as it becomes integrated into the wine.
Harlan Estate Vats 300x181 Harlan Estate California Wine Cabernet Sauvignon
The first commercial vintage of Harlan Estate was released in 1990. Prior years were made for friends and family. The team at Harlan Estate has remained relatively consistent over the years. The team starts with Don Weaver, estate director, Bill Levy, wine growing director, Mary Maher, vineyard manager, winemaker, Cory Empting and Michel Rolland, who is their consultant.

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The average annual production of Harlan estate varies from vintage to vintage. It ranges from a low of 1,200 cases to slightly over 2,000 cases. Harlan Estate also produced a second wine. The Maiden made its debut in 1995. The wine is a different blend than you find in Harlan Estate. The average annual production is about 900 cases.

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Harlan Estate is expensive. The wine is sold direct to customers on Harlan’s mailing list. The current release costs over $500 per bottle. Is it worth it? That depends on your income level and desire to drink one of the best wines made from California Cabernet Sauvignon. From a quality point of view, you’re going to have a hard time finding a better expression of California Cabernet.

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What do they taste like?
Harlan Estate produces a unique expression of California Cabernet Sauvignon. With a powerful perfume, the wines are rich, deep, concentrated and intense. Yet there is a sense of elegance and purity that meshes perfectly with all the power. When it’s young, the wine can seem over the top, but with time, those sensations mature allowing the wine to deliver one of the best tasting experiences found in modern California Cabernet Sauvignon wine. It’s truly a world class wine, with prices to match.

Wine Tasting Notes

Displaying 12 notes | 77489 Views Sorted by vintage

  1. 2010 Harlan Estate

    1. Licorice, espresso bean, earth, graphite, cassis, blackberry, fresh herbs, tobacco open the perfume. In the mouth, the wine is polished, soft and already open. The texture is lush and polished, but it lacks the level of density and concentration found in the best vintages. There is a touch of olive tapenade in the end notes.

      96 points - Tasted
      1884 Views
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  2. 2009 Harlan Estate

    1. Lush, rich, concentrated and packed with notes of fresh, roasted espresso bean, earth, licorice, boysenberry and smoke, this is an elegant, fresh, silky wine of purity and intensity, that offers the difficult combination of refinement and power.

      98 points - Tasted
      3233 Views
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  3. 2008 Harlan Estate

    1. The wine opens with chocolate, fresh herbs, blackberries, truffle, oak, forest floor and cassis notes. Polished, soft, sweet and supple textured, with a chocolate coated, boysenberry finish.

      96 points - Tasted
      1635 Views
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  4. 2007 Harlan Estate

    1. Incredibly deep in color. The next thing you notice is the pungent aromas of truffle, coffee bean, blackberry jam, blue fruit, black cherry, spice box, caramel, chocolate and smoke. In the mouth, the wine coats your palate with waves of silky, pure fruit that fills every nook and cranny of your palate. Everything is perfectly balanced. This stunning expression of Harlan Estate is effortless is to drink. If you have the funds and the desire to experience California Cabernet Sauvignon at its decadent best, this is perfection in a glass.

      100 points - Tasted
      2713 Views
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  5. 2004 Harlan Estate

    1. Deep in color with a flamboyant, expressive nose packed with licorice, black cherry, blackberry, coffee, smoke, earth, truffle and ripe, no make that very ripe berries. Powerful, rich, intense and packed with layers of ripe, juicy, mouth filling fruit, no hard edges and seamless, plush textures, this large scaled vintage of Harlan Estate is still young and demands more time in the cellar before it softens and fleshes out.

      98 points - Tasted
      4814 Views
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  6. 2002 Harlan Estate

    1. Inky in color, with pungent aromas of coffee, smoke, blackberries, cassis, earth, 5 spice, herbs and incense. Powerful and concentrated with mouth filling layers of fresh, ripe berries, this California Cabernet Sauvignon ends with an intense licorice, black cherry, oak, vanilla, smoke and olive filled finish. I am enjoying how this wine is developing. I wish I had more than one bottle left.

      99 points - Tasted
      5998 Views

    2. With its explosive nose of licorice, blackberry, blue fruit, jammy berries, oak, fresh herbs, oak and caramel grabs your attention. Thick, juicy, dense and concentrated, with layers of creamy, polished jammy blackberries and coffee flavors, this made a solid impression. I tasted this on release and thought it was over the top. This tasting changed my mind, I was surprised by how much I liked it. It's truly a world class wine.

      99 points - Tasted
      6212 Views

    3. Incredibly rich and concentrated with layers of ripe black and blue fruit, chocolate and jam, this Napa Cabernet was almost too much of a good thing.

      97 points - Tasted
      1776 Views
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  7. 2001 Harlan Estate

    1. Some wines are so good, they leave you speechless. 2001 Harlan Estate is one of those wines! With between 30 to 60 minutes of decanting, this incredible wine explodes with licorice, smoke, coffee, black cherry liqueur, blue fruit, truffle, chocolate and incense aromatics. Concentrated with incredible layers of juicy, sweet, polished fruits, the wine is pure silk, velvet and power that expands in your mouth. The finish seems to last at least 60 seconds! It's scary to think, this could get even better over the next few years. Looking back at my tasting note from about 18 months ago, the wine seems to have improved and blossomed to an entirely new level!

      100 points - Tasted
      1660 Views

    2. With prices where they are, opening a First Growth, Screaming Eagle or bottle of Harlan is a rare treat. Quite often, these tremendously, expensive wines do not offer an experience close to their cost. For lovers of California Cabernet Sauvignon, this was about as good as it gets. The first thing you notice is how young, fresh and vibrant the wine is. For the tasters who think high alcohol wines do not age, this wine refutes that argument. With an explosive nose of licorice, coffee bean, earth, blackberry, spice and cigar box, the wine coats your mouth with flavor. Rich, plush, round and palate filling, there is a beautiful sense of purity to the fruit. There is no sensation of heat, even though the wine could be above its stated 14.5% alcohol level. Everything is in balance. the wine is not an over the top tasting experience. This has morphed into an elegant, sophisticated, California Cabernet.

      98 points - Tasted
      2635 Views
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  8. 1997 Harlan Estate

    1. When this wine is on, it’s a majestic experience. On other occasions, the wine is marred by excessive VA, robbing the wine of its purity and exotic quality. Sadly, this example was flawed.

      0 points - Tasted
      1715 Views

    2. This could be the most controversial California Cult Cabernet wine in existence. And for good reason. Several bottles have been marred by VA, while others are clean. The clean bottles offer a stunning tasting experience. Fortunately, this was one of the clean bottles! Coffee, coconut, chocolate, licorice, blackberry, blueberry, jam and smoke, along with a minor touch of VA. Enough VA to add complexity, but not enough to overpower the wine. Huge, intense, concentrated and packed with layers of sweet, ripe, fruit, this wine coats your palate and keeps your attention focused on the levels of fruit packed into a single bottle of this elixir.

      98 points - Tasted
      4966 Views

    3. Smoke, blackberry liqueur, blueberries, cassis, spice and toasty oak aromas were all over the place. Powerful, concentrated and intense, this mouth filling wine coats your palate with waves of juicy ripe berries. Like all the bottles from this evening, the Harlan Estate was served blind. I bring this up so that you know, out of a table with 8 people, not one taster mentioned finding VA in the this particular bottle. I am certain some bottles are not clean, but this specific botte was a compelling tasting experience!

      99 points - Tasted
      5399 Views
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  9. 1995 Harlan Estate

    1. When this was poured, I was told it was the 98 I was blown away by how good the wine was. I was convinced this was the California cabernet of the vintage. When I discovered it was the 95, I did not care, this was compelling. Filled with black cherry jam, licorice, smoke, herbs and truffle scents, this rich, dense wine was a treat for the senses. The wine ends with silky blackberry and chocolate flavors.

      97 points - Tasted
      4303 Views
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  10. 1994 Harlan Estate

    1. 1994 Harlan Estate kicks off with a powerful perfume filled with oak, vanilla, black cherries, blackberry, earth and spice. This full bodied, concentrated, powerful wine is balanced and harmonious. This is not overpowering. Everything comes together in an opulent, round, thick, ripe, fresh, fruit filled, polished finish. With today's prices hovering close to $1,000 per bottle, this was an honor to taste. This wine tasted like a wine with 5-10 years of age on it. I would never have guessed it was only days short of its 17th birthday. 99 Pts.

      99 points - Tasted
      8370 Views

    2. From the first sniff and taste, it was clear, this was out of this world! What more could you want from a wine? This wine was packed with so much elegant, concentrated, ripe, decadent layers of black fruit, it was off the charts! Still youthful. The seamless finish lasted over :60!

      100 points - Tasted
      5752 Views

    3. Spectacular nose with ripe cherries, cassis, blueberries, licorice and coffee notes. Full-bodied and very concentrated with gobs of perfectly ripe California fruit. The seamless finish was endless. This could easily be described as liquefied essence of California fruit.

      100 points - Tasted
      5781 Views
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  11. 1993 Harlan Estate

    1. This very balanced wine delivered a boatload of pleasure. Ripe black fruit, licorice, coffee and chocolate in the nose leads into an elegant style with layers of complex, ripe fruit.

      94 points - Tasted
      2421 Views
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  12. 1992 Harlan Estate

    1. Sadly, with prices that can compete with Lafite Rothschild, I seldom get to taste Harlan anymore. It's always a special treat. The wine opens with a perfume filled with black cherry, truffle, tobacco, earth, spice and smoke. Full bodied, concentrated, harmonious, plush and rich, this fully mature wine ends with chocolate covered black cherries and licorice.

      95 points - Tasted
      1556 Views

    2. Silky, elegant, balanced and complex. Everything is in harmony. What a great style of wine.

      97 points - Tasted
      2365 Views

    3. Concentrated and complex. Great texture and presence on the palate. Beautiful long, dark berry finish.

      96 points - Tasted
      2301 Views
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