Robert Parker 97 points - Not unexpectedly, the 2005 Harlan Estate performed slightly better than it did last year. As these wines often do, it continues to put on weight as it is bottled very late by Napa standards, and there is no fining or filtration. The 2005 exhibits a gorgeous thick-looking, ruby/purple color in addition to a beautiful nose of burning embers interwoven with creme de cassis, roasted meats, sweet black truffles, and spring flowers. A hint of lead pencil shavings also emerges from this cuvee, which seems to want to be both a Pauillac and a ripe vintage of La Mission Haut Brion. Full-bodied, dense, pure, and revealing sweeter tannin than I remember, it can be drunk now, but it will no doubt display even greater complexity in 10, 20, and 30 years. (Dec 2008)
Wine Spectator 94 points - Dense and earthy, with savory herb, dried currant, spice, mint and cedary oak flavors, all tightly wound, compact and concentrated, yet with a seam of elegance and finesse. Very intense and powerful. To be released spring 2009. Best from 2011 through 2018. 1,850 cases made. –JL (Oct 31 2008)
For 25 years Harlan Estate has been committed to creating a California "First Growth" wine estate. It is located in the western hills of Oakville rising above the Napa Valley benchlands. The estate is over 240 acres with 15% of the estate planted in classic grape varietals. At the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction, 10 magnums of Harlan Estate Red went for $700,000.
Bob Levy met Bill Harlan in 1984 and the two agreed they wanted to make wines of the highest level. They purchased 230 acres and promptly cleared 30 acres for viticulture. The label on the bottle was created by US Treasury engraver Herb Fichter and was 10 years in the making. Harlan describes the design as a "meant to be seen on a table in candlelight not on a store shelf."
