Harlan, Promontory, Colgin, MacDonald - BLIND

This was a four-bottle top Napa Cab blind tasting that was essentially a Friday kickoff to a full wine tasting weekend event to come with a number of Cellar Tracker friends. CT’ers Cristal2000 and Scballfan were nice enough to fly over for a visit. When you put these wines together, they are all 100 points really in my book. They all performed extremely well and it was interesting to follow them over the course of the evening, as my preferences for each changed and leapfrogged with their shifting evolutions. For once in my life I was able to guess the wines correctly – Of course, it was a single blind with only four wines, so that was at least a little more helpful than usual.

• 2018 Promontory 99 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Though the oak here is perceptible, it does not show as aggressively as Harlan on the initial pull of the cork. Earth, eucalyptus (or is it bay leaf?... or is it mint??), grippy unripe blackberry and black cherry, black rock, and tobacco leaf reluctantly rise to the surface, making for an older school profile at the onset. That said, it shows wonderfully pure and refined, as its carriage of flavor is anything but rustic or weathered. Over time, this stays relatively consistent with its delivery. Linear and taut, but with a precision that elevates it into stratospheric levels of clarity and classiness.
  
  The following day, we were able to pop the 2015 Promontory and it was 100 points on fire as soon as it hit the glass. The 2018 is still coiled up, but its stunning hallmarks are already offering a window in the greatness that is sure to come. Hold the 2018 for at least another 5+ years minimum, but it is likely to be at its best sometime after 2033 (man, that seems like forever from now!).

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• 2018 Harlan Estate 100 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  At first pass, this is a crunchy unripe black cherry covered in salty sawdust. I recall having that “Uh-Oh” feeling, wondering, “What wine is this? Did someone throw in a pirate here??” It doesn’t have a dissimilar profile to the Promontory, but the wood element is initially much more at the forefront than the Promontory. Graphite, olive tapenade, and a crushed white flower elements slowly start to emerge, fanning out with the earthy black fruit.
  
  After a few hours, this took off like a rocket enroute to some Fhloston Paradise at the 6th planet in the Angel Constellation (Google it). It was absolutely stunning, and perhaps one of the best performances I’ve seen out of Harlan yet. Sometimes these buggers can be a bit frustrating in their need to chow down on O2 before they reach true greatness. I have felt as though I have missed opportunities with certain Harlans due to rushed service in the past. Give this 2018 some time and you won’t be disappointed. They do seem to require a bit of babying though, unlike the Colgins, for example, which are more eager to impress and are generally less moody. The 2018 Harlan is remarkable, but not without a sack of patience in hand. Hold for a decade.

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• 2016 MacDonald Cabernet Sauvignon 98 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville

  Speaking of proper service, having this wine a couple of weeks ago and having it again now just shows how important knowing (or attempting to target) a wine’s sweet spot in terms of air, temperature, storage, decanting, and really just overall presentation and logistical build-up can lead to the success (or unfortunate misstep) to a wine’s performance. This bottle had been double decanted for the entire day, which fully contributed to its incredible showing at this tasting. Slightly more red-fruited than the Harlan and Promontory initially, the MacDonald then turns to a darker profile relatively quickly. There is an alluring chewiness here, revealing an almost juicy and salivating crescendo of flavor – though less salacious than the Colgin served next to it. Leather, violets, and black cherry and raspberry round out the profile. Even with all of the acrobatics involved in trying to get this into tiptop shape this early in its evolution, this is a stacked wine in need of at least another 7+ years. I hope I can hold on to mine for that long before I screw it all up and am left without what is likely one of the best wines of the vintage. Try again in 2030 and prepare to have your scalp peeled off with amazement and wonder.

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• 2018 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill Vineyard 98 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Saturating, juicy, delectable, and all the superlatives you can conjure up to describe what is indeed the most giving of the bunch. Heightened complexity is temporarily on hold during the initial interludes with this wine. It is in full Labrador puppy mode right from the start: All wiggles and zoomies. With air, it quickly becomes better trained, honing its focus and behaving like Sadie or Zanjeer, one of those mega cool James Bond type bomb sniffing K9s that wear camo hard hats and doggie flack jackets (sorry, I had to keep going with the pooch theme once I launched right into the Lab analogy – I’m sure the Colgins never thought their precious wines would be likened to Marley & Me, but hey, I gotta go with what feels right). Once we were well into dinner and a few hours had passed, the Colgin was all Satin Soul Barry White. Seductive and smooth, with cassis curves, rose petal romance, and black cherry cuddles, the Colgin was ready for an endless Casablanca night by the fire. “Never, never gonna give you up…”
  
  Where the Harlans and Promontory(ies) of the world require significant sleepy time before they will truly reach the apexes of their performances, the Colgin is not without appeal in the near term. I hate to say it, but go ahead and pop your Colgins while you are waiting for your Harlans to rest - if, of course, you're a straight sultan like that and crush Colgins with a burger and fries on Tuesday nights. Who wulda thought a Colgin would be a Cellar Defender??

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