Harlan Estate 2014

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The deep garnet-purple colored 2014 Harlan Estate offers up subtle cassis, black cherries and crushed blackberries notes with tons of savory and earthy layers: forest floor, black soil, charcoal and dried herbs, plus wafts of violets and rare beef. Full-bodied and built like a brick house in the mouth, it has loads of tense, muscular fruit with many layers of earth, savory and spice nuances emerging, finishing with epic length. Around 2,100 cases were bottled."

JAMES SUCKLING: "The pure fruit is incredible with a dark-fruit and blackberry character. Some sous bois but also shows clarity and finesse. Full body and super fine tannins. Tight and so pretty. A classy and fine Harlan. Needs four to five years to open up."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Deeper and richer than the Maiden cuvee, the 2014 Harlan Estate offers the classic black fruits, charcoal, and minerality that’s the hallmark of this iconic estate. It shows more floral notes with time in the glass, has full-bodied richness, a sexy, supple, regal personality, no hard edges, and gorgeous purity of fruit. It’s certainly more approachable than the 2015, yet is still going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "An early drinking vintage of Harlan, say it isn't so! Most vintages of Harlan demand cellaring time, as if it was its right to do so. But the 2014 is deceptively easy to drink, almost forward in style. Powerful, with strong tannins and even more fruit, which due to its velvety textures and graceful style, overwhelms the tannins. The fruits are as dark in color as the wine, but there are cracks and crevices where, dark red, smoky berries, wet earth, cigar wrapper and spice poke through. The wine sticks with you from the first sniff, through the palate entry and doesn't leave for up to 50 seconds, after the finish."

WINE SPECTATOR: "A dense, potent, chewy effort, very tight and focused, with intense dark berry, mocha and licorice notes, cedary oak and substantial fine-grained tannins that keep the flavors in check. Tightens on the finish. Best from 2020 through 2032. 2,283 cases made. — JL"

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Bright crimson. Quite a muted, black olive, quite complex nose. Firm charge of chalky tannins. This is sweet without being sickly. The alcohol appears only on the very end. It must be so hard to move with the times while satisfying long-term customers. Long and interesting. Though a little inky and not ready. A fresh shower of acidity plus quite a lot of tannin on the end that also has some luscious fruit. It’s clearly a wine into which a lot of work goes but it’s difficult to justify the price (more than Mouton!)."