2021 Harlan Estate
Community Tasting Note
Cristal2000 Likes this wine:
Saturday, April 1, 2023 - The big development at Harlan is picking early. They are now harvesting in mid August, which is very early and the wines will clearly be lower alcohol. They say it is because of the dry farming that allows the grapes to ripen earlier. The cynic in me thinks perhaps this is based on the fires, wanting to protect their investment, but time will tell how it affects the wine. I would expect it at a minimum to mean a more acid driven wine.
A barrel sample, the 2021 shows off some of this new style highlighted by significant restraint, which is a little unusual for normally rambunctious nature of wines at this age. It has the hallmark purity of Harlan, with a laser like focus and very refined tannins even at this stage. There is excellent brightness and the je nas sais quoi of the estate, with elements that are hard to describe but make it unique and singular. Presently, it could use a bit more body and fruit concentration, but I expect that will develop in time. I love these wines, so here's hoping this ends up like previous great vintages, since 2021 is already presenting as a fabulous one.
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