Top Harlan Estate wines for the cellar and to drink
See which Harlan Estate wines William Kelley rates as good buys for the cellar and for drinking following his 12-vintage vertical tasting of this 'cult' Napa producer.
Harlan Estate wines: What you need to know
Harlan has long committed itself to producing ‘first growth’ standard wines with a California identity and its Cabernet-dominant wines generally cost several hundred dollars per bottle.
If you’re in the market for a piece of Napa Valley royalty, then William Kelley’s ratings and tasting notes on 12 Harlan vintages are listed below for Decanter Premium members, to help you make a critical choice. The full notes include US and UK stockist information, where available.
‘Of the so-called ‘cult’ wineries that burst on the scene in the 1990s, Harlan is the one I find most fascinating,’ said Elin McCoy, in her profile of Harlan Estate for Decanter magazine in 2014.
‘It’s a true estate, where every detail, from vineyards to label to winery design, reflects the aesthetics of a relentless drive for quality. The wines are bold, sumptuous and rich, yet polished and balanced, despite their alcohol. The many older vintages I’ve sampled have aged impressively.’
Exclusively for Decanter Premium members: William Kelley’s notes on 12 vintages of Harlan Estate
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Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1995
The 1995 Harlan Estate is a massive, luscious wine, laden with blackberry fruit, mocha and more evolved aromas of plums and cedar. This packs quite...
1995
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1996
Aromas of ripe plum, cassis, tar, woodsmoke, cocoa powder and espresso roast introduce a powerful, fine-grained wine with a chassis of richly extracted tannin, underpinned...
1996
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1997
Ample rain fell during winter, leading to an early bud break in late March. From May through September, temperatures hovered between 26°C and 32°C, only...
1997
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 1999
The 1999 Harlan Estate is particularly aromatically expressive, offering up vivid aromas of blackberry and violets intermingled with mature tones of cedar and scorched earth....
1999
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2000
The 2000 Harlan Estate, a wine uncannily reminiscent of a 1990 Médoc, is at what seems to be a peak - or a plateau -...
2000
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2001
By the 2001 vintage, the vines at Harlan Estate were entering their 17th year of life and adapting to the method of dry farming that...
2001
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2003
The 2003 ranks as one of the less successful Harlan Estates of the last decade, with a bouquet of ripe blackberry that struggles to contain...
2003
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, 2005
At Harlan Estate, ask Will Harlan himself what the aim is with each, and the answer he’ll give is simple and even expected from this...
2005
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, 2009
The 2009 Harlan Estate is texturally more accessible than the 2010, and its sweet attack is beguilingly immediate. In its bouquet, notions of ripe red...
2009
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, 2010
The 2010 Harlan Estate exhibits an attractively vibrant and detailed bouquet of graphite, cigar and a melange of ripe black fruits. A strikingly concentrated, dense...
2010
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, 2013
Alluring aromas of juicy mulberry, black raspberry, graphite, dried herbs and rich cigar tobacco introduce a large-scaled wine framed by an ample and refined tannic...
2013
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, Oakville, California, USA, 2014
Aromas of red and black fruit, rich spice, cocoa powder and Harlan's signature of baked earth and dried herbs. The 2014 is a rich, layered...
2014
Harlan EstateNapa Valley
