Harlan Estate 2013

As I predicted last year, the 2013 Harlan Estate is one of their all-time greats, although they have had many of them, starting with the 1991, followed by 1994, 1995, 1997 (although controversial in some circles), 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010 and 2012. This great first-growth property, with aspirations to produce the finest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine made in the New World, has given us a wine that has it all in 2013. Dense purple to the rim, with notes of espresso, white chocolate, mocha, blackberry, cassis, and cedar wood, the wine is full-bodied, opulent, but also structured, pure and incredibly long (well past a minute aftertaste). It is probably closest in personality and overall character to the compelling 2001, which is still a youthful wine at age 15. Drink it over the next 50+ years.

This is really sensational with such precision and focus. Glorious aromas of tar, graphite, black currants and blackberry. Full-bodied, very tight and reserved. Phenomenal tannic structure that is supple and wonderful. This new classicism makes me speechless. 100 percent pleasure. Drinkable but built for aging.

A candidate for perfection is the 2013 Harlan Estate. This compelling wine, with notes of graphite, spring flowers, cedar wood, Christmas fruitcake, mocha, blackberry and cassis fruit, the wine hits the palate with a thunderous cascade of extract, richness, full body, and stunning purity and equilibrium. Of course, this wine gets treated like a pampered child, with no compromises, and is made to reflect its great terroir on the western Mayacamas hillsides overlooking the Oakville corridor. This is a killer wine and, of the more modern day vintages, is probably closest to the style of 2001. Truly legendary stuff, and world-class in every sense – aromatically, flavor-wise, and in aging potential – this is another statuesque, prodigious effort from Bill Harlan and his winemaking team. Drink it over the next 50+ years.