Harlan Estate 2015

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "Bottled in early 2018, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Harlan Estate 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."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Incredible aromas of fresh flowers, such as roses and violets, and blackcurrants. Full body and defined levels of fruit and tannins too. Love the brightness and texture. An excellent finish. Production was down by a third because of bad berry set. Try in 2021."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The perfectly ripe, dense, black and blue fruits are the first thing you notice. But as you peer further into the caliginous wine, you find this cool, refreshing note combining dark red berries accompanied by incense, smoke, forest leaf and a light, background hint mint. On the palate, the wine balances power, restraint, elegance and purity. Complicated and concentrated, the wine is fleshy, rich, silky, mouth-filling and vibrant. The finish sits with you for close to one full minute. My instinct suggests 12-15 years in the cellar will complete the experience."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A huge red, with powerfully rendered dark fig, macerated black currant and steeped boysenberry fruit framed by a bittersweet chocolate note. With time in the glass, the fruit unwinds slowly, allowing anise and loam accents to fill in on the fleshy finish. There's some serious heft here through the back end too, with a long echo of smoldering tobacco and a great tug of dark earth. Best from 2022 through 2040. 1,839 cases made."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "The 2015 vintage is beautiful and delicious with a similar flavour profile to the 2016 but painted with far broader brushstrokes. There is a bit more exuberance to the aromatics, a bit more flesh to the palate. The wine overall feels warmer in comparison, with riper fruits and fuller flavours. But it also feels entirely expressive of vintage and nicely done. The structural balance carries the wine, offering a frame to the generous flavours. Oak is well integrated while a little more apparent than in the 2016. The only disadvantage of the 2015 is that it was tasted after a near-perfect vintage like 2016. The 2015 is a beautiful wine."