Harlan Estate 2000 1500ml

Wine Advocate #150, Dec 23, 2003
I have never been totally convinced by the 2000 Harlan Estate, but now that it’s in bottle, it is a very fine offering. The problem is that it must be compared with the other Harlan Estate wines made to date. A Graves-like perfume of roasted coffee, scorched earth, black currants, cedar, and a hint of menthol emerge from this dense dark ruby/purple-colored 2000. Lighter than normal, but medium to full-bodied and elegant, with soft tannin as well as a silky, precocious personality and texture, it can be drunk now and over the next 12 years.

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