2003 Harlan Estate The Maiden

Community Tasting Notes (93) Avg Score: 92.4 points

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  4/5/2023 - Marc wrote: 94 Points

  Tawny colour. Green fennel seed. Vivid Marmite nose and palate. Black olive, sage, thyme (although that was a component of the meal), and rich dark chocolate. Thick tannins. Not expecting to like this, I was totally beguiled by it. Showing its age, and certainly at it peak drinking window, this is rich, savoury and thick. Very Californian, with a huge personality. Roasted aromas and flavours . The wine makes its ripeness and alcohol work in its fabour. No VA detected - just a mellow, furry and rich mouthful of wine. Big, but not over the top. Excellent, and by far, the more involving and complete wine than the 2008 Phelps Insignia drunk last week. Just got better and better with air. Last bottle, best bottle, but this will always be a thickly tannic Cabernet, very much in the Californian cult style. Could never be mistaken for Bordeaux, but it convinces on its own qualities.

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  1/21/2023 - JP75Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points

  A underrated vintage of the Maiden. Balanced notes of herbs and bramble berries punctuate long, elegant tannins. The wine comes off as seamlessly pleasant.

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  10/1/2021 - jshufelt wrote: flawed

  The combination of crumbly cork, aromatics of prune, and tannic structure on the finish all point to an oxidized bottle. So it goes.

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  9/26/2021 - buckeye76 Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Black cherry, black currant, and blueberries in the nose with chocolate, tobacco, and floral notes Plums and blackberries un the flavor. Nice complexity, medium to full bodied, and a long finish.

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  5/14/2021 - dbkitc wrote: 88 Points

  I really want to like this more than I do tonight. A strong dose of VA is just hard to overcome. Extremely dark garnet is amazing for an almost 20 year old wine. The nose is full of celery salt and rubber (VA) and some ripe, rich berry fruit. The full palate has a feel of velvet, yet the acidity leaves a dusty trail on the finish. The is so much good here, but ultimately there are some winemaking flaws that take over. Was way too generous with past bottles. I am hoping the is localized to the ‘03 vintage. (88?)

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