(SYP) Opened 4 hours ago, 1/4 bottle remaining from lunch A deep nose of blackberries, smoke, mint and vanilla. Generous, ripe fruit and silky tannins on the palate with good acidity, power and depth. Finishes with chewy tannins and warmth. 92+
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California 2023; 8/13/2023-8/22/2023: Beautiful, deep dark blueberry, showing more earth and depth than the barrel sample. Cassis. Blackberry. Does strike me more as hillside fruit. Aromatically incredible with violet and rose jumping out. Gorgoeus. Approachable now but would be best 2030-2040+
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Harlan, Promontory, Colgin, MacDonald - BLIND: 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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Had this blind next to 18 Promontory, 18 Colgin Tychson and 16 MacDonald. Unlike the last time Harlan and Colgin were paired in a blind, the Harlan came out on top.
As per usual with these wines, they need a lot of oxygen. This started muted on the nose and linear on the palate with plenty of unresolved oak. At some point during the night, this went from backup singer to front man, with a massive core of flavor peeling back layer by layer to reveal a wine monster that outshined the tremendous competition. With black currant, floral notes and deeply fragrant earth on the nose, this shows a black/blue fruit profile, with signature Harlan complexity and waves of intensity that fill out a huge mid palate and crazy finish. I’ve had this wine a few times, and it can be fickle in the early going, but give it enough air and it is what I consider the epitome of Napa goodness.
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Drank alongside a 2002. Luscious blue fruits, lead pencil, very very good primary taste. Finish needs to be sorted a bit, which will happen with age, but drinking just beautifully. Between the primary on this and the finish on the 2002, just an incredible experience. Slow ox'd for 6 hours @ 55 degrees/ 70% humidity before tasting.
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A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: When I last had this a year ago, it was displaying all sorts of deep, ripe, and dare I say plush attributes that this go-around were absent for the most part. I can’t recall exactly what before-service acrobatics were performed on this wine before we were poured a sample, but it tasted like it needed a TON of air. I tried to swirl my glass as much as possible without looking like some idiot using the Shake Weight (remember that goofy thing?!). It actually helped to keep spinning my stem throughout the tasting, as slowly the flavors of blackberry seed, red and black cherry, pomegranate, gravel, rose pedals, and eucalyptus emerged. Pure and clean as the day is long, with the acid clenching the palate from beginning to end. Stayed relatively lithe and sinewy compared to the bottle I had last year.
I believe the fruit for the 2018 was an earlier pick as well, so maybe there is hope…
Harlan Estate Vertical tasting (WSPC): Mild winter, great conditions, natural yeast, 60% new oak, bottle open 12.00 tasted 14.20 -/- The wine is full on freshness, a joy to smell, dark red cherries, sou cherry, blue notes, elegant liqueur notes, fleshy, there is a strange incense element too that adds complexity, floral notes, fruit glaze on a cake, light jam-my notes. The palate is juicy, medium to full body, elegant tannins, coffee notes, elevated acidity, feels warmer, plums, needs to calm down, long finish. Tight for now, with time it gets a touch warmer
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It’s election night so why the hell not? Drank at Anhelo in downtown Phoenix.
2018 Harlan Estate- PNP was all Napa goodness that you would expect from this tier one wine. Cassis, blackberry, blueberry, loads of milk & dark chocolate, minerals all wrapped in an incredible mouthfeel. The wood bitter tannins are noticeable (as I would expect for such a young extremely well built wine) but due detract from what will be a much better showing in 4-6 years – and then on from there. While I was left loving the wine, no doubt there, I was surprised by how the short finish was. Perhaps it needs time or my palate looks for more towards the end. Great wine nonetheless and while young was a blast to drink. 94/95 now with a couple points of upside with age.
2009 Chateau Cheval Blanc-
2005 Chateau Latour Grand Vin-
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2018 Colgin, Harlan, Eisele, Bryant (and........ Chappellet): Blind. The Harlan was tied for my second/third favorite out of five. The preferential order for me was Colgin, Eisele/Harlan, Bryant, and Chappellet – with the Chappellet not even close to being in the same league as the other remarkable four.
Deep and plush on the initial glug, with a rich entry that instantly finds a lovely and inviting glide, undulating on the palate with an ultra-refined stroke of dark berry fruit and bitter chocolate. The Harlan sports a deeply pitched mid-palate, making that, “I’m expensive, singular, important, and you better recognize I’m a big deal” type of statement right out of the gate. Starts out suave but gets more assertive and pushier toward the close of business.
Similar to 2018 Bryant with its ripe blackberry core and fairly opulent front end showing, the Harlan is a posh demoiselle from the moment it sashays through the door. Through its execution, it becomes more masculine and brawnier. Its sway progressively lends more toward a bolder imprint, with a noticeable quadricep stomp on the back end, finishing with a youthful kick that slightly interrupts its full promenade. A debutante turned dictator by the end of the party. If you didn’t get the message nicely the first time, the Harlan wants to make sure you understand its delivery is not a question; it’s an answer, and it’s the right answer! As such, there’s some angularity on the terminus that needs to be sorted out with some cellaring.
Though I suspected this sample was the Harlan, due to its new school richness and undeniable textural prowess (at least on the first part of the flavor-push), the slightly more punitive finish gave me some pause. In retrospect, it makes some sense, as I had a similar experience with the 2016 Harlan, whose power and fortitude made for a similar presentation on the back end, which brought this down a slight tick in comparative scoring, placing it in a tie with the number two/three spot for my favorite. An incredible wine whichever way you look at it. 98-99+ points. Try this again in 2026+.
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Blind of 2018 Harlan, Colgin Tychson Hill, Bryant Family Estate, Eisele and Chappellet Pritchard Hill. Bottles were slow ox'd starting at 9am and consumed at 6pm. Six total tasters, one of which was CSIMM1161. The final order was Colgin, Harlan, Eisele, Bryant and Chappellet. The top 3 were neck and neck, with Bryant a little father back and then Chappellet not really even in the discussion.
While Colgin did squeeze out the victory, this was a close contest and I almost put Harlan in first place. The main difference was how primal the Harlan showed on the finish, and that is both to be expected and surely will be rectified with some bottle age. The biggest take aways from the Harlan were stunning freshness, elegance and insane length.
Starts with dark cherries, black currant, olive tapenade, violets and hints of eucalyptus. Already utterly refined and weightless on the palate, this captures you with a lithe entry that gives way to crazy weightless depth wrapped in noble and refined tannin. Shows super elegant, layered and graceful until the finish, where there is some primal astringency that begs for time in the bottle. Such a tremendous wine, it's too bad the price of entry is so high.
6 Vintages of Harlan (1995-2018): Some conclusions: 1) The highlight in all Harlan wines and what sets the wine apart from many other high-end Napa wines is the elegance and absolute weightless texture and feel, with the finest tannins and an incredible balance. This became obvious in all vintages. 2) What is a big advantage in young wines, might become a disadvantage with a lot of age. The question I always ask myself with this wine (similar to some right bank Merlots in Bordeaux): is there is enough structure and tension to age gracefully for 30, 40 years? I'm not convinced and the data point added in this tasting (1995, 2005) didn't show as much structure as I hope to have at that age in my Cabs. 3) Gun to my head, I say the ideal drinking window for Harlan is rather 5 to 15 years after the vintage and not 20-40 years. 4) The 2018 vintage is spectacular with an incredibly complex profile but will need a few years to flesh out.
TN: Very expressive, seductive nose displaying ripe, luxurious black cherries, blackberries, with nuances of fine herbs, tobacco and wet slate,, all getting more prominent by the minute, nicely building a counterpoint to the bold fruit which at first dominates and is a bit too much for me. But with time, this become so balanced, offering a complete 360 degree experience. On the palate this is quite intense, hitting you with waves of bold, ripe blackberries, black currant, dark cherries on the attack, before turning the page to reveal an unbelievable lightness and elegance. Waves of fine, light red fruit, a beautiful floralilty, with additional layers of fresh herbs and an intense minerality backbone. The complexity and precision are off the charts. Long, intense and with a wall of ultra-fine tannins, a weightless feel, a nicely creamy texture, very well integrated, prefect acidity. Calm, round and well balanced but only with some air. At first this showed a touch too bold for my taste. This was the best wine tonight, for me and the group (and winemaker Cory Empting's favorite vintage in his tenure together with the 2021). 97+ pts, in the best moments 98/99 pts. The vintage, however, will need time to flesh out (5 to 10 years at least) and with all that substance should age well.
Decanting: This was best after 20-30 minutes of sitting in the glass. I would give it a good hour or two in the decanter.
With its showy nose, the wine is already displaying black cherries, blackberry, plums, flowers, baking spice, licorice, chocolate, caramel and bay leaf. Full-bodied, lush, deep, concentrated and pure, the wine seamlessly coats your palate. Even though this is incredibly weighty, it is also remarkably light on its feel. The multi-layered finish builds and expands for over 60 seconds. This is a contender for the finest vintage of Harlan Estate ever produced. Winemaker Cory Empting calls it a perfect vintage! Considering all the incredible wines that have been made here, that is really saying something.
3/15/2024 - LTTC Likes this wine:
(SYP) Opened 4 hours ago, 1/4 bottle remaining from lunch
A deep nose of blackberries, smoke, mint and vanilla. Generous, ripe fruit and silky tannins on the palate with good acidity, power and depth. Finishes with chewy tannins and warmth. 92+
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8/18/2023 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 100 Points
California 2023; 8/13/2023-8/22/2023: Beautiful, deep dark blueberry, showing more earth and depth than the barrel sample. Cassis. Blackberry. Does strike me more as hillside fruit. Aromatically incredible with violet and rose jumping out. Gorgoeus. Approachable now but would be best 2030-2040+
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6/2/2023 - csimm wrote: 100 Points
Harlan, Promontory, Colgin, MacDonald - BLIND: 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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5/30/2023 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Had this blind next to 18 Promontory, 18 Colgin Tychson and 16 MacDonald. Unlike the last time Harlan and Colgin were paired in a blind, the Harlan came out on top.
As per usual with these wines, they need a lot of oxygen. This started muted on the nose and linear on the palate with plenty of unresolved oak. At some point during the night, this went from backup singer to front man, with a massive core of flavor peeling back layer by layer to reveal a wine monster that outshined the tremendous competition. With black currant, floral notes and deeply fragrant earth on the nose, this shows a black/blue fruit profile, with signature Harlan complexity and waves of intensity that fill out a huge mid palate and crazy finish. I’ve had this wine a few times, and it can be fickle in the early going, but give it enough air and it is what I consider the epitome of Napa goodness.
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4/13/2023 - jbcab992 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Drank alongside a 2002. Luscious blue fruits, lead pencil, very very good primary taste. Finish needs to be sorted a bit, which will happen with age, but drinking just beautifully. Between the primary on this and the finish on the 2002, just an incredible experience. Slow ox'd for 6 hours @ 55 degrees/ 70% humidity before tasting.
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4/7/2023 - csimm wrote:
A few days in Napa with fellow CT'r Cristal2000: When I last had this a year ago, it was displaying all sorts of deep, ripe, and dare I say plush attributes that this go-around were absent for the most part. I can’t recall exactly what before-service acrobatics were performed on this wine before we were poured a sample, but it tasted like it needed a TON of air. I tried to swirl my glass as much as possible without looking like some idiot using the Shake Weight (remember that goofy thing?!). It actually helped to keep spinning my stem throughout the tasting, as slowly the flavors of blackberry seed, red and black cherry, pomegranate, gravel, rose pedals, and eucalyptus emerged. Pure and clean as the day is long, with the acid clenching the palate from beginning to end. Stayed relatively lithe and sinewy compared to the bottle I had last year.
I believe the fruit for the 2018 was an earlier pick as well, so maybe there is hope…
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3/3/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
Harlan Estate Vertical tasting (WSPC): Mild winter, great conditions, natural yeast, 60% new oak, bottle open 12.00 tasted 14.20
-/-
The wine is full on freshness, a joy to smell, dark red cherries, sou cherry, blue notes, elegant liqueur notes, fleshy, there is a strange incense element too that adds complexity, floral notes, fruit glaze on a cake, light jam-my notes.
The palate is juicy, medium to full body, elegant tannins, coffee notes, elevated acidity, feels warmer, plums, needs to calm down, long finish.
Tight for now, with time it gets a touch warmer
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11/8/2022 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine: 94 Points
It’s election night so why the hell not? Drank at Anhelo in downtown Phoenix.
2018 Harlan Estate- PNP was all Napa goodness that you would expect from this tier one wine. Cassis, blackberry, blueberry, loads of milk & dark chocolate, minerals all wrapped in an incredible mouthfeel. The wood bitter tannins are noticeable (as I would expect for such a young extremely well built wine) but due detract from what will be a much better showing in 4-6 years – and then on from there. While I was left loving the wine, no doubt there, I was surprised by how the short finish was. Perhaps it needs time or my palate looks for more towards the end. Great wine nonetheless and while young was a blast to drink. 94/95 now with a couple points of upside with age.
2009 Chateau Cheval Blanc-
2005 Chateau Latour Grand Vin-
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5/31/2022 - csimm wrote: 99 Points
2018 Colgin, Harlan, Eisele, Bryant (and........ Chappellet): Blind. The Harlan was tied for my second/third favorite out of five. The preferential order for me was Colgin, Eisele/Harlan, Bryant, and Chappellet – with the Chappellet not even close to being in the same league as the other remarkable four.
Deep and plush on the initial glug, with a rich entry that instantly finds a lovely and inviting glide, undulating on the palate with an ultra-refined stroke of dark berry fruit and bitter chocolate. The Harlan sports a deeply pitched mid-palate, making that, “I’m expensive, singular, important, and you better recognize I’m a big deal” type of statement right out of the gate. Starts out suave but gets more assertive and pushier toward the close of business.
Similar to 2018 Bryant with its ripe blackberry core and fairly opulent front end showing, the Harlan is a posh demoiselle from the moment it sashays through the door. Through its execution, it becomes more masculine and brawnier. Its sway progressively lends more toward a bolder imprint, with a noticeable quadricep stomp on the back end, finishing with a youthful kick that slightly interrupts its full promenade. A debutante turned dictator by the end of the party. If you didn’t get the message nicely the first time, the Harlan wants to make sure you understand its delivery is not a question; it’s an answer, and it’s the right answer! As such, there’s some angularity on the terminus that needs to be sorted out with some cellaring.
Though I suspected this sample was the Harlan, due to its new school richness and undeniable textural prowess (at least on the first part of the flavor-push), the slightly more punitive finish gave me some pause. In retrospect, it makes some sense, as I had a similar experience with the 2016 Harlan, whose power and fortitude made for a similar presentation on the back end, which brought this down a slight tick in comparative scoring, placing it in a tie with the number two/three spot for my favorite. An incredible wine whichever way you look at it. 98-99+ points. Try this again in 2026+.
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5/17/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Blind of 2018 Harlan, Colgin Tychson Hill, Bryant Family Estate, Eisele and Chappellet Pritchard Hill. Bottles were slow ox'd starting at 9am and consumed at 6pm. Six total tasters, one of which was CSIMM1161. The final order was Colgin, Harlan, Eisele, Bryant and Chappellet. The top 3 were neck and neck, with Bryant a little father back and then Chappellet not really even in the discussion.
While Colgin did squeeze out the victory, this was a close contest and I almost put Harlan in first place. The main difference was how primal the Harlan showed on the finish, and that is both to be expected and surely will be rectified with some bottle age. The biggest take aways from the Harlan were stunning freshness, elegance and insane length.
Starts with dark cherries, black currant, olive tapenade, violets and hints of eucalyptus. Already utterly refined and weightless on the palate, this captures you with a lithe entry that gives way to crazy weightless depth wrapped in noble and refined tannin. Shows super elegant, layered and graceful until the finish, where there is some primal astringency that begs for time in the bottle. Such a tremendous wine, it's too bad the price of entry is so high.
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3/18/2022 - beatles wrote: 97 Points
A seemless, fleshy, rich yet somehow weightless wine, pure elegance, mature, yet silky black fruit. Impeccable Napa Cab.
#SøllerødKro
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3/11/2022 - Cailles wrote: 97 Points
6 Vintages of Harlan (1995-2018): Some conclusions: 1) The highlight in all Harlan wines and what sets the wine apart from many other high-end Napa wines is the elegance and absolute weightless texture and feel, with the finest tannins and an incredible balance. This became obvious in all vintages. 2) What is a big advantage in young wines, might become a disadvantage with a lot of age. The question I always ask myself with this wine (similar to some right bank Merlots in Bordeaux): is there is enough structure and tension to age gracefully for 30, 40 years? I'm not convinced and the data point added in this tasting (1995, 2005) didn't show as much structure as I hope to have at that age in my Cabs. 3) Gun to my head, I say the ideal drinking window for Harlan is rather 5 to 15 years after the vintage and not 20-40 years. 4) The 2018 vintage is spectacular with an incredibly complex profile but will need a few years to flesh out.
TN: Very expressive, seductive nose displaying ripe, luxurious black cherries, blackberries, with nuances of fine herbs, tobacco and wet slate,, all getting more prominent by the minute, nicely building a counterpoint to the bold fruit which at first dominates and is a bit too much for me. But with time, this become so balanced, offering a complete 360 degree experience. On the palate this is quite intense, hitting you with waves of bold, ripe blackberries, black currant, dark cherries on the attack, before turning the page to reveal an unbelievable lightness and elegance. Waves of fine, light red fruit, a beautiful floralilty, with additional layers of fresh herbs and an intense minerality backbone. The complexity and precision are off the charts. Long, intense and with a wall of ultra-fine tannins, a weightless feel, a nicely creamy texture, very well integrated, prefect acidity. Calm, round and well balanced but only with some air. At first this showed a touch too bold for my taste. This was the best wine tonight, for me and the group (and winemaker Cory Empting's favorite vintage in his tenure together with the 2021). 97+ pts, in the best moments 98/99 pts. The vintage, however, will need time to flesh out (5 to 10 years at least) and with all that substance should age well.
Decanting: This was best after 20-30 minutes of sitting in the glass. I would give it a good hour or two in the decanter.
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12/27/2021 - Caveman999 wrote:
2019 not 2018
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3/2/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
With its showy nose, the wine is already displaying black cherries, blackberry, plums, flowers, baking spice, licorice, chocolate, caramel and bay leaf. Full-bodied, lush, deep, concentrated and pure, the wine seamlessly coats your palate. Even though this is incredibly weighty, it is also remarkably light on its feel. The multi-layered finish builds and expands for over 60 seconds. This is a contender for the finest vintage of Harlan Estate ever produced. Winemaker Cory Empting calls it a perfect vintage! Considering all the incredible wines that have been made here, that is really saying something.
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