Harlan Estate Proprietary 2001

Wine Advocate ReviewRivaling the 1994 and 1997, the 2001 Harlan Estate is a perfect wine for my palate. Tasted on four separate occasions, this offering, which spent 28 months in oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, is an extraordinary effort that comes across as a hypothetical blend of Mouton-Rothschild, La Mission-Haut-Brion, and Montrose. A synthesis in style between the more elegant, delineated, structured 1994, and the port-like, over-the-top, viscous 1997, this extraordinary 2001 was the wine of my trip, even though I had already had it from bottle several months earlier. read more...An inky/purple color is accompanied by a stupendous bouquet of lead pencil shavings interwoven with coffee, new saddle leather, melted licorice, cedarwood, black currant liqueur, and violets. Explosive richness, a marvelous, full-bodied texture, and fabulous purity, concentration, complexity, and nobleness are the stuff of legends. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2028+.    (hide)

January 2009

IWC 96 (6/2004): Deep ruby. Roasted black fruits, leather, licorice, bitter chocolate and mint on the complex, youthfully medicinal nose. Hugely sweet, fat and pliant, with solid structure currently covered by baby fat. The wine's brilliant vinosity became more apparent as it opened in the glass. Finishes with noble, sweet tannins and superb palate-staining persistence. A compellingly layered, deep wine that's likely to develop in bottle for 15 or 20 years. I kept raising my score as I went back for yet another taste, and yet it's possible that the 2002 will be even better.

WS 96 (10/2004): Tremendous. Tightly wound, with a compact, dense, chewy core of currant, mineral, blackberry and cedary oak, all sharply focused, revealing extra flavor facets and deep concentration, with hints of espresso and mocha and a long, detailed finish. Best from 2006 through 2014. 1,250 cases made.

...this offering...is an extraordinary effort...An inky/purple color is accompanied by a stupendous bouquet of lead pencil shavings interwoven with coffee, new saddle leather, melted licorice, cedarwood, black currant liqueur, and violets. Explosive ... Robert Parker. A Proprietary Blend wine from California in USA. 2001 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red Wine 1500ml

June 2009

Rating: 96-99 - As reviewed by Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar on May-03

Rating: (98-100) - As reviewed in Wine Advocate # 150 on Dec-03