Wine Advisor
Harlan, Proprietary Red 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Its bigger brother, or sister, depending on the point of view, is the extremely young, fresh, vigorous, yet still exuberant and promising 2005 Harlan Estate. Normally, the blends on these wines tend to be 85%-90% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest tiny proportions of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and possibly some Petit Verdot, although I don’t recall that being a very important part of the estate vineyard. The 2005 is incredibly youthful at age ten, although certainly drinkable. And who wouldn’t consume it if they had the opportunity? It will benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring and certainly has 30 or more years left in its evolutionary curve. Gorgeous, and tasting akin to a hypothetical Pauillac blended with a great Pessac-Léognan from Bordeaux comes to mind because of the smoky, subtle barbecue notes, fruitcake, forest floor, graphite and minerality. The wine has stunning fruit and a full-bodied, powerful richness, yet is still nimble on its feet. This is a classic Napa Cabernet Sauvignon from an absolutely magnificent hillside vineyard in the Mayacamas Mountains overlooking the Oakville corridor on the valley floor. This opaque, garnet/purple wine is another tour de force and, once again, proves that Harlan Estate is not only one of the greatest wines of California, but of the world.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
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. Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2005 Harlan Estate, which is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a few of the other Bordeaux varietals blended in, is a brilliant wine, and reminds me of a hypothetical blend of a top Pauillac and a wine such La Mission Haut-Brion from Pessac Leognan. Dense purple in color, with a nose of graphite, smoky embers, creme de cassis, and hints of truffle and underbrush, the wine shows fabulous fruit intensity, full body, sweet, silky tannins, good, vibrant acidity, and a stunning, seamless, long finish that clocks in at about 45-50 seconds. So what’s new? Harlan Estate continues to produce only a meager 1,500 or so cases from over 40 acres of beautifully manicured hillside vineyards overlooking the Oakville corridor (to be precise, the western slopes looking down on Martha’s Vineyard and parts of the To-Kalon Vineyard). Proprietor Bill Harlan and his winemaking team of Bob Levy and global oenologist Michel Rolland push the envelope in all ways, but the results continue to be magnificent as well as increasingly expensive and rare. The second wine, which is usually around 1,000+ cases, is The Maiden, which is also a super wine in its own right. (Not yet released) Previously recommended: 2003 The Maiden (91), 2003 Harlan Estate (95). Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Open-knit, sensual and perfumed, the 2005 Harlan Estate is super-expressive today. Like so many 2005s, the Harlan is a bit lacking in intensity and overall structure relative to the very best years. The 2005 is a terrific choice for drinking now and over the next 15-20 years. At some point during that arc of time, the 2005 is likely to become a bit frail, but that does not appear to be imminent. Even after thinning to a cluster per shoot, the clusters and berries were large, which required some bleeding in the tanks, a technique that is not often used at Harlan Estate.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full medium ruby. Very ripe aromas and flavors of black raspberry, mocha, minerals and licorice. Wonderfully sweet and full in the mouth, offering sensational depth and palate coverage. Still very young but offers great sex appeal already owing to its sheer richness of flavor. Finishes with noble, seamless, fully ripe tannins and explosive rising length.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full bright ruby. A black hole of a nose: cassis, black raspberry, mocha and licorice, with a suggestion of almost roasted fruits. Then utterly palate-saturating, with a distinctly layered texture to the dark fruit and mineral flavors. Impeccably balanced, fresh wine with a spectacular slow-building finish that coats the palate with a flavor of black raspberry. A knockout.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, full ruby. Sexy, vibrant aromas of black raspberry, minerals, mocha and licorice. Superconcentrated and seamless, but also with great verve and lift to the middle palate. This thick but weightless wine has the finesse of texture of a top Bordeaux first growth. The explosive back end offers noble tannins and great persistence.
About the Producer
The land at Château Harlan is unique in that the vineyards are situated on hillsides that are well drained and rise and fall with the slopes. The first 9.7 hectares of vineyard, planted between 1986 and 1987, was planted in a staggered manner, as the two small plots that make up the vineyard are located on either side of the hillside. The vines were planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The vineyards are planted at varying densities, with half of the vineyards planted with 1,750 vines per hectare and the other half with 5,500 vines per hectare. The high quality of Château Hallam's wines is a result of the meticulousness of the entire winemaking process. The winemaking philosophy at Château Hallam is to preserve the natural flavour of the grapes and to take a gentle approach to the growing and fermentation process. The barrels in the winery are all new French oak barrels. The main wine, Harlan Estate Proprietary Red, is aged in barrel for 25 months, while the unselected wine is bottled after 10 months as a secondary wine, The Maiden, without filtration or clarification. The wines of Château Hallam are dark in colour, fruity and floral, with strong, restrained tannins and a firm, robust texture, and have the potential to age for at least 20 years. Best vintages include: 1991, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2007.
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