Harlan Estate 2015 1500ml

Wine Advocate #Mid October 2018, Oct 30, 2018 by Lisa Perotti-Brown
Bottled in early 2018, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Proprietary Red Wine is a little closed, slowly unfurling to reveal black cherries, crème de cassis and plum pudding with nuances of potpourri, baking spices and tilled soil plus wafts of garrigue and wild sage. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated with exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic poise and depth with a long, decadently fruited finish.

H. William Harlan, the founder of Harlan Estate, had a vision. Simply put, he was determined to produce a California "First Growth". Harlan is an entrepreneur with a strong background in real estate and hotel development - someone who has come to understand the importance of "location". Harlan Estate is the result of a twenty year search for prime hillside vineyards, culminated by the patchwork acquisition of 230 acres above the fabled Rutherford-Oakville beachlands. The land is magnificent...oak-studded knolls and valleys, only ten percent of which are now under vine.
The 1997 Harlan Estate is one of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines I have ever tasted. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the rest Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this enormously-endowed, profoundly rich wine must be tasted to be believed. Opaque purple-colored, it boasts spectacular, soaring aromatics of vanilla, minerals, coffee, blackberries, licorice, and cassis. In the mouth, layer after layer unfold powerfully yet gently. Acidity, tannin, and alcohol are well-balanced by the wine's unreal richness and singular personality. The finish exceeds one minute. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2030.

Meats, Beef and Venison