Winery - Harlan Estate
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
In recent years The Maiden has been getting nearly as good as Harlan Estate, so that at less than one-third the price, it’s a comparative bargain. The ’06 Maiden is very ripe and rich, displaying New World, cult-style flamboyance. Softly tannic and bone dry, the flavors are of blackberries, black currants and spicy cedar wood. Drink this intense, dramatic wine now and through 2015.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Smells a bit minty and peppery, but once in the mouth, turns ultra-generous in black currant, chocolate-covered mint and spicy cedar flavors. Massive, yet refined and elegant, and even with the firm tannins, grows more charming as it warms in the glass. Very fine quality, and likely to hold for many years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The price is prerelease; it will soar on the aftermarket. This is very great Harlan. It pours dark and saturated, and the tannins are big and sturdy, not aggressive, but sweet and finely ground. Still, they give a hardness to the immaculately ripe fruit that mandates cellaring. The flavors of currants, blackberries, plums, chocolate and cedar are lush, deep and long-lasting, but just a part of the balanced appeal of this young wine. It really defines the exquisite tension between power and elegance. Best after 2008, then for many years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
An exceptional wine. Fragrant, with plenty of plum, black cherry, cedar and spice aromas. On the palate, it’s silky smooth, elegant and fresh, yet packed with complex layers of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, coffee, anise, sage, thyme and cherry flavors. Marked by an exquisite textural elegance and harmonious balance, it displays a fine blend of firm, supple tannins and appropriate acidty that support great length on the finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The aroma is deep and inviting, equal parts new oak, Cabernet fruit and dried herbs. Has tremendous weight, with red and black cherry, cola, chocolate, cassis and roasted coconut flavors. Brilliant now, virtually flawless and totally delicious, yet has the impeccable balance to age and even improve over the years. The listed price is its pre-release price. Drink now through at least 2020.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Massive, decadent. Opens with extraordinary aromas of cedar, black currants, cherries, chocolate, sage, pepper and anise, with hints of roasted game. Feels very round, smooth but powerful. Almost sweet in red and black currants and chocolate. So refined, absolutely delicious. Beautiful, lush, complex, soft. Should age.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A stupendous wine that epitomizes the Harlan style of grace and power. Shows how the most elaborate vineyard and winery practices can contribute to a near-perfect wine, even in a less heralded vintage. The flavors cascade in endless tiers, black currant, cherry, mocha, Indian pudding, oak and spice, all coming together in a minute-long finish. Magnificent.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Here’s a big, flashy, cult-style wine if ever there was one. It offers masses of blackberries, black currants, coffee, spices and new oak. Vastly rich, it defines the Harlan Estate style, although, in this vintage, perhaps not quite at its highest expression. Nonetheless the wine is fat and unctuous and immediately drinkable, thanks to refined tannins. Yet it should age effortlessly through 2018.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Another spectacular Harlan hits the market. It shows the earthy quality that marks wines off the estate, with an aroma suggesting a warm bale of hay under the summer sun, a sweet straw and bay laurel scent that adds savory richness to the cherry, blackberry and chocolate flavors. As usual, the tannins are virtual perfection, at once sweet and firm, dense and fine, perfectly in balance with all the fruit and new oak. So young now, a fat little baby of a wine that’s irresistible, but will hold and improve well beyond its tenth birthday.
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