Harlan Estate 2001

DECANTER: "The first vintage vinified at the Oakville estate itself, as prior winemaking was done at what is now Merryvale. Dark-fruited and expressive out of the gate, with aromas of mulberry, ash and dried herbs. A definitive and stylistically balanced wine from Harlan, especially considering the vintage's place in the escalating ripeness of the time."

ANTONIO GALLONI: "One of the highlights in this tasting, the 2001 Harlan Estate is simply majestic. Powerful, explosive and dense, the 2001 soars out of the glass with an exotic mélange of aromas, flavors and textures that grabs hold of all the senses. The 2001 is an especially virile, potent Harlan Estate that will drink well for 20 years or more. Today it is very impressive. Two thousand one was current winemaker Cory Empting ‘s first vintage at Harlan Estate."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "The aromatics are subtle and layered, followed by a beautiful, detailed and nuanced palate. The 2001 is a standout vintage with great complexity of lavender and violet, exotic spices, pleasing earth and graphite elements, and a tobacco accent. Tannin is powdery fine while persistent, giving a pleasing mouthfeel that is well balanced with elegant length. This wine is detailed, elegant while also powerful, mouth-watering and delicious. Give this plenty of time and savour it. (ECB)"

THE WINEADVOCATE: "This wine, which first debuted in 1990, has probably garnered more perfect scores than any other Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2001 is just entering a young adolescent stage of development, exhibiting extraordinary nuances such as sweet, loamy soil and earthy minerality intermixed with some background smoke, black currant liqueur, plum, Asian spice and new saddle leather. Full-bodied, it possesses great intensity, with stunning flavors that are viscous enough to coat the mouth, but never become heavy or overbearing. The wine has a remarkable purity, concentration and intensity that should carry it for another 30+ years. This is already very promising, and for those who own it, I would suggest a good two to three hours of decanting prior to service."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "The most elegant, vintage of Harlan I've tasted yet. Here, you have an incredible wave of powerful fruit, but everything is soft, refined and polished. The tannins are silky, the fruits are perfectly ripe, there is depth, length and vibrancy, all backed up by the natural sweetness found in the dark berries. The long, seamless finish leaves you with pure blackberries, dark chocolate, spice box, smoke and espresso, topped with licorice. Drink this now, or age it for another 1-2 decades, regardless, this is a spellbinding wine."

WEINWISSER: "Extrem dunkles Purpur, satt in der Mitte, violetter Schimmer am Rand. Kompaktes, frisches Bouquet, viel Pflaumen- und Cassistöne, Black Currant, Teakholznoten, Schwarztee, noch recht verschlossen, beeindruckende Tiefe. Feiner, delikater Gaumen, viel direkte Frucht, bedeutend zugänglicher als in der Nase, viel Power und ein beeindruckendes, sehr langes Finale, dramatisches Nachspiel."

WINESPECTATOR: "Firm and intense, with gripping tannins wrapped around dark berry, black licorice, graphite, cedar and tar. Slow to unfold but does so impressively, gaining strength, depth and vitality; appears a great candidate to go another 10 to 15 years with ease.--2001 California Cabernet blind retrospective (June 2011). Drink now through 2025. 1,250 cases made. — JL"