We moved into the Library, a stunning room with the feel of being suspended above earth (as I commented to Krista, Harlan’s wines give the impression of ethereality) after the barrel taste in the Cave. Krista said that this had an hour of air in the decanter, but it still came pretty tight and dark, almost opaquely black, fairly closed aromatics, with dark berries, dark florals, cassis, tobacco, dark chocolate, black currants, dark earth, rocky minerality and a long, intense, gravelly finish. We sipped this over 20-30 minutes, and I don’t think I’ve ever had another wine where each sip seemed to show more openness and new notes to the extent this did; it was thrilling! Even at that point, for me, it didn’t quite to the point of perfection, not only of the BO ‘21, but perhaps more so, of where this will go with time (5 years? 10 years? 20? Idk) or even prodigious amounts of air now. I’m not going to get into abstract debates about appropriate amounts to spend for a bottle of wine, but for those who’ve read my TNs, it won’t be a shocker that even this level of quality wasn’t nearly temptation enough for me to sign up for the Harlan list. But if someone forgets to bid on one of their wines at auction, who knows, and in the interim, I’m so appreciative to have a friend like MN who shares his bottles. 99++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was in a blind line up of some very prestigious 2019 Napa reds (and one 2016 thrown in), specifically:
2019 MacDonald 2019 Kinsman Eades La Voleuse Du Chagrin 2019 Kinsman Eades Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard 2019 Colgin Tychson Hill 2019 Realm Absurd 2019 Scarecrow 2019 Harlan 2019 Myriad Elysian 2019 La Pelle Res 2019 Magnificent 7 2019 Cliff Lede Songbook 2016 Colgin Tychson Hill
2019 Harlan - My first of two tastes on this trip (the other was two days later at Harlan). First, I am happy to say I nailed this one (the only two wines I felt confident of were the MacDonald and this wine). The Harlan was drinking quite nicely, but also needs more time. Rich fruit, silky tannins (but lacking in the plushness this wine will attain with more time, in addition to gorgeous tertiary flavors) So good now though, will be hard to keep my hands off these....luckily I have a few older bottles to keep me occupied when I get the itch while waiting on these! 97 (out of 98) now, but could definitely reach perfection with additional age. If drinking now, I would recommend about a 10 hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
In the lineup, it was a very good wine, but also overshadowed by others. That being said, this badboy was picking up tons of weight with air and was showing great to the end. Decant with tons of air if opening now. Try again in 5-10 years+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Eyes Wide Shut - Day 2 (A quiet place): Nose: Sophisticated tightness of red and black fruits, soft but stern tree oak with a bit of dampness. Wet earth and a fresh whiff of dark green undergrowth.
Palate: Black fruits with bitter, black graphite, bitter earth and dark minerals lingering on the finish.
I wonder how this would've done with more time. I loved the seriousness of this: deliberate but controlled. The flavor delivery was quite tasty. Should've spent more time with this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This score reflects the potential. Such a huge wine with tannin dominating and fruit very primary but it is also complex, deep and makes you think. Finishing clean and lingering albeit a bit shut down. The potential is there. Possibly surprise to the upside.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Harlan Estate Vertical tasting (WSPC): Similar vintage conditions to 2019 but on January and February had lost of rain, twice than normal, 60% new oak, bottle open 12.00 tasted 14.30 -/- The wine shows different profile, thick fruit core, black fruit, plums, very fresh, juicy, very elegant, the fruit covers all the oak, the purity is amazing, well balanced. The palate shows the same profile as the nose, tannins tight but not angular, nice acidity (slightly less than 2018), here you see the oak more, full body, long finish with a touch of pyrazine in it adding freshness. A magnificent wine
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
You cannot give 92 points to Harlan, well I am and guess what I am being generous. First time tasting this wine and wow not impressed at all, with around 30 wines tasted, this certainly was one of the lowest scoring wines of the lunch. Incredibly muted nose, blackcurrant, dark plus black tea, pencil lead shavings, firm tannins yet just very very closed down (my guess!) and not expressive at all. They decided to not decant the wine and even after spending 10-15 spinning the wine like a merry go round it just did not improve.
*Update: Based on feedback from the community, this wine needs A LOT of time, and so probably should not have been open to trade at this stage.
Tout est trop dans ce vin, trop puissant, trop sucré, trop fruité. C'est mon gout mais je n'aime pas la soupe de chêne? Certainement un vin star pour les adorateurs de R. Parker
Epic Napa Trip - Day 5: Tasted at Harlan Estates - Barrel sample - The purity of fruit was amazing, but this wine still needs to either come together or it is just one of many barrels that still needs to be combined with others. I am not good at judging barrel samples, so typically I will not even note them. However, I have a few bottles of the 19 on order, so I want to comment just to have a note for prosperity.
The nose of the wine is sublime, with notes of perfumed flowers, dark fruit, some spice, some earth and some oak. Mouthfeel is not as luxurious as their bottled wines, at least the few I have had and tannins are pretty well rounded, but not as velvety as the bottles I have had. On the palate, plenty of blue pie a la mode, cassis and dark chocolate covered cherry with some earth, tobacco and sweet oak. I believe this will be delicious and one of their better vintages, but only time will tell (or people with a more sophisticated palate than I). I think this will be a wine to be reckoned with! 96+ if forced to score today, but with tons of potential to significantly improve.
Tasted from Barrel at Harlan. What a gnarly wine! So much roaring power out of the barrel. Tannins were monstrous. Totally more earthy than the 16, with smoke and leather, almost like a Latour! Could be a 100p one day.
Wine tasting at Harlan with Bob Levy. I was fortunate to taste the 19’ in barrel and what a great wine to start my journey with Harlan. I did pick up a bottle of the 18’ after some begging and pleading and who can resist a crying adult? LOL. The 19’ was the wine of the WOTD for me. Closely nipping at its heels, the Macdonald 18’ and it really could flip flop for me between the two for #1 and #2 for the day. The wine out of barrel was absolutely beautiful. There was a kaleidoscope of blue and red fruits on the nose and palate, floral notes for days as if you were walking in fields of sweet peas, there was an underlying layer of all the smells you would get at John Muir National Park. This wine had some stuffing to it but at the same time the barrel sample was surprisingly approachable. Will it change as it goes to bottle? I think so. Will it change for the better? I have a feeling it will. Is it me justifying the cost of such a wine; a wine that I thought I would never, ever buy because it feels like not one wine could ever be worth what it is being offered for? Nah. I think the term, which I absolutely hate to use is warranted in this situation: YOLO. What I am buying is not just the wine, but the experience of going to a winery with such views as Harlan has, the wrinkles that furl between my eyes as I contemplate the wine, and let’s be honest, I am buying art that becomes a part of us as we ingest it into our body. Harlan in the right vintages is just heaven on Earth.
3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): Barrel sample. Fresh berries and charcoal, as if you took the best made blackberry pie and fired it up on an old school open-flame Weber BBQ. Texturally this is a complete dream, with fine grained tannins that swirl wildly in the mouth before settling into a deep and penetrating melting of darker berry juiciness. Intense and lively, with the concentration continuing to unfold layer after layer. Finishing loooong, as if the tail flipped a U-Turn and decided to revisit its way back to the mid-palate and hang out there for a minute, or five. Taking one sip was like taking multiple sips. Ridiculous length here.
Ironically this was displaying less of an exhibition of alcohol than the 2016 in its current state. The 2019 will be such a fun wine to watch in terms of its evolution, as I suspect it will reward with some nearer term drinking appeal, but of course will cellar for decades. A beautiful barrel sample with endless potential. 99+ points, with an easy perfect score on the horizon in 5-7 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Barrel sample. It's fun to sample Harlan when it's got so much fruit showing and is super expressive. Comes right at you with creme de cassis, cherries, plums, spice box and wonderful floral notes. Super deft on the palate already, it's energetic, with exceptional concentration and overall balance. These are precise wines, and you can even get a good sense of it at this stage. Fabulous tension and already showing nuance. After some swirling comes hints of herbal and savory flavors. Really an exciting wine. Will be right up there with other Harlan's from great vintages. 97-99
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/16/2024 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 99 Points
We moved into the Library, a stunning room with the feel of being suspended above earth (as I commented to Krista, Harlan’s wines give the impression of ethereality) after the barrel taste in the Cave. Krista said that this had an hour of air in the decanter, but it still came pretty tight and dark, almost opaquely black, fairly closed aromatics, with dark berries, dark florals, cassis, tobacco, dark chocolate, black currants, dark earth, rocky minerality and a long, intense, gravelly finish. We sipped this over 20-30 minutes, and I don’t think I’ve ever had another wine where each sip seemed to show more openness and new notes to the extent this did; it was thrilling! Even at that point, for me, it didn’t quite to the point of perfection, not only of the BO ‘21, but perhaps more so, of where this will go with time (5 years? 10 years? 20? Idk) or even prodigious amounts of air now. I’m not going to get into abstract debates about appropriate amounts to spend for a bottle of wine, but for those who’ve read my TNs, it won’t be a shocker that even this level of quality wasn’t nearly temptation enough for me to sign up for the Harlan list. But if someone forgets to bid on one of their wines at auction, who knows, and in the interim, I’m so appreciative to have a friend like MN who shares his bottles. 99++
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine: 97 Points
Champers and Napa Cabs Blind - Fun Times! (Chateau Simms): I believe this wine received about a 2 hour Slo-O.
This was in a blind line up of some very prestigious 2019 Napa reds (and one 2016 thrown in), specifically:
2019 MacDonald
2019 Kinsman Eades La Voleuse Du Chagrin
2019 Kinsman Eades Anjea Sleeping Lady Vineyard
2019 Colgin Tychson Hill
2019 Realm Absurd
2019 Scarecrow
2019 Harlan
2019 Myriad Elysian
2019 La Pelle Res
2019 Magnificent 7
2019 Cliff Lede Songbook
2016 Colgin Tychson Hill
2019 Harlan - My first of two tastes on this trip (the other was two days later at Harlan). First, I am happy to say I nailed this one (the only two wines I felt confident of were the MacDonald and this wine). The Harlan was drinking quite nicely, but also needs more time. Rich fruit, silky tannins (but lacking in the plushness this wine will attain with more time, in addition to gorgeous tertiary flavors) So good now though, will be hard to keep my hands off these....luckily I have a few older bottles to keep me occupied when I get the itch while waiting on these! 97 (out of 98) now, but could definitely reach perfection with additional age. If drinking now, I would recommend about a 10 hour decant.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2024 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 97 Points
In the lineup, it was a very good wine, but also overshadowed by others. That being said, this badboy was picking up tons of weight with air and was showing great to the end. Decant with tons of air if opening now. Try again in 5-10 years+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Eyes Wide Shut - Day 2 (A quiet place): Nose: Sophisticated tightness of red and black fruits, soft but stern tree oak with a bit of dampness. Wet earth and a fresh whiff of dark green undergrowth.
Palate: Black fruits with bitter, black graphite, bitter earth and dark minerals lingering on the finish.
I wonder how this would've done with more time. I loved the seriousness of this: deliberate but controlled. The flavor delivery was quite tasty. Should've spent more time with this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Salon Ficofi Paris walkabout tasting and dinner, no detailed tasting notes. Very primary, not much going on yet beyond blue fruit. Wait 94+
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2023 - Winokdub wrote: 96 Points
This score reflects the potential. Such a huge wine with tannin dominating and fruit very primary but it is also complex, deep and makes you think. Finishing clean and lingering albeit a bit shut down. The potential is there. Possibly surprise to the upside.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
Harlan Estate Vertical tasting (WSPC): Similar vintage conditions to 2019 but on January and February had lost of rain, twice than normal, 60% new oak, bottle open 12.00 tasted 14.30
-/-
The wine shows different profile, thick fruit core, black fruit, plums, very fresh, juicy, very elegant, the fruit covers all the oak, the purity is amazing, well balanced.
The palate shows the same profile as the nose, tannins tight but not angular, nice acidity (slightly less than 2018), here you see the oak more, full body, long finish with a touch of pyrazine in it adding freshness. A magnificent wine
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2023 - Alexander Smith wrote: 92 Points
Premiere Napa Valley; 2/22/2023-3/25/2023 (Napa, California): Premiere begins in Oakville PNV
You cannot give 92 points to Harlan, well I am and guess what I am being generous. First time tasting this wine and wow not impressed at all, with around 30 wines tasted, this certainly was one of the lowest scoring wines of the lunch. Incredibly muted nose, blackcurrant, dark plus black tea, pencil lead shavings, firm tannins yet just very very closed down (my guess!) and not expressive at all. They decided to not decant the wine and even after spending 10-15 spinning the wine like a merry go round it just did not improve.
*Update: Based on feedback from the community, this wine needs A LOT of time, and so probably should not have been open to trade at this stage.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (12)
4/7/2022 - Ramonee Confit Does not like this wine: 89 Points
Tout est trop dans ce vin, trop puissant, trop sucré, trop fruité. C'est mon gout mais je n'aime pas la soupe de chêne? Certainement un vin star pour les adorateurs de R. Parker
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
12/9/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine:
Epic Napa Trip - Day 5: Tasted at Harlan Estates - Barrel sample - The purity of fruit was amazing, but this wine still needs to either come together or it is just one of many barrels that still needs to be combined with others. I am not good at judging barrel samples, so typically I will not even note them. However, I have a few bottles of the 19 on order, so I want to comment just to have a note for prosperity.
The nose of the wine is sublime, with notes of perfumed flowers, dark fruit, some spice, some earth and some oak. Mouthfeel is not as luxurious as their bottled wines, at least the few I have had and tannins are pretty well rounded, but not as velvety as the bottles I have had. On the palate, plenty of blue pie a la mode, cassis and dark chocolate covered cherry with some earth, tobacco and sweet oak. I believe this will be delicious and one of their better vintages, but only time will tell (or people with a more sophisticated palate than I). I think this will be a wine to be reckoned with! 96+ if forced to score today, but with tons of potential to significantly improve.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2)
12/9/2021 - galewskj wrote:
Napa trip day 5: Barrel sample at the winery. Lots of blue fruit and a little rough.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2021 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 98 Points
Tasted from Barrel at Harlan. What a gnarly wine! So much roaring power out of the barrel. Tannins were monstrous. Totally more earthy than the 16, with smoke and leather, almost like a Latour! Could be a 100p one day.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
8/24/2021 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 99 Points
Wine tasting at Harlan with Bob Levy. I was fortunate to taste the 19’ in barrel and what a great wine to start my journey with Harlan. I did pick up a bottle of the 18’ after some begging and pleading and who can resist a crying adult? LOL. The 19’ was the wine of the WOTD for me. Closely nipping at its heels, the Macdonald 18’ and it really could flip flop for me between the two for #1 and #2 for the day. The wine out of barrel was absolutely beautiful. There was a kaleidoscope of blue and red fruits on the nose and palate, floral notes for days as if you were walking in fields of sweet peas, there was an underlying layer of all the smells you would get at John Muir National Park. This wine had some stuffing to it but at the same time the barrel sample was surprisingly approachable. Will it change as it goes to bottle? I think so. Will it change for the better? I have a feeling it will. Is it me justifying the cost of such a wine; a wine that I thought I would never, ever buy because it feels like not one wine could ever be worth what it is being offered for? Nah. I think the term, which I absolutely hate to use is warranted in this situation: YOLO. What I am buying is not just the wine, but the experience of going to a winery with such views as Harlan has, the wrinkles that furl between my eyes as I contemplate the wine, and let’s be honest, I am buying art that becomes a part of us as we ingest it into our body. Harlan in the right vintages is just heaven on Earth.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (5)
4/30/2021 - csimm wrote: 99 Points
3 days in Napa: Arkenstone, Memento Mori, Maxem, The French Laundry, Christopher Tynan, Kinsman, Harlan, Vice Versa, Accendo, Fairchild, Macdonald, and a truckload of others (Napa): Barrel sample. Fresh berries and charcoal, as if you took the best made blackberry pie and fired it up on an old school open-flame Weber BBQ. Texturally this is a complete dream, with fine grained tannins that swirl wildly in the mouth before settling into a deep and penetrating melting of darker berry juiciness. Intense and lively, with the concentration continuing to unfold layer after layer. Finishing loooong, as if the tail flipped a U-Turn and decided to revisit its way back to the mid-palate and hang out there for a minute, or five. Taking one sip was like taking multiple sips. Ridiculous length here.
Ironically this was displaying less of an exhibition of alcohol than the 2016 in its current state. The 2019 will be such a fun wine to watch in terms of its evolution, as I suspect it will reward with some nearer term drinking appeal, but of course will cellar for decades. A beautiful barrel sample with endless potential. 99+ points, with an easy perfect score on the horizon in 5-7 years.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2021 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Barrel sample. It's fun to sample Harlan when it's got so much fruit showing and is super expressive. Comes right at you with creme de cassis, cherries, plums, spice box and wonderful floral notes. Super deft on the palate already, it's energetic, with exceptional concentration and overall balance. These are precise wines, and you can even get a good sense of it at this stage. Fabulous tension and already showing nuance. After some swirling comes hints of herbal and savory flavors. Really an exciting wine. Will be right up there with other Harlan's from great vintages. 97-99
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment