Harlan Estate
Harlan Estate is a California wine estate producing Bordeaux-style blends. The estate is located in the western hills of Oakville, California within the Oakville AVA, in the Napa Valley AVA zone.
| Harlan Estate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oakville, California, USA |
| Appellation | Oakville AVA |
| Founded | 1984 |
| First vintage | 1990 |
| Key people | Bill Harlan, Proprietor Bob Levy, Director of Winegrowing Don Weaver, Estate Director Cory Empting, Winemaker Mary Maher, Vineyard Manager |
| Known for | Harlan Estate The Maiden |
| Tasting | Not available |
| Website | www.harlanestate.com |
Harlan Estate is a well-known "cult winery," commanding high prices due to limited availability, and high demand from followers of Robert Parker. Its flagship wine is the eponymous Harlan Estate. They also produce a second wine called The Maiden.
History
Harlan Estate was founded in 1984 by H. William Harlan, a real estate developer and Napa Valley resort owner.[1][2] It is located west of Martha's Vineyard in Oakville on a 240-acre (97 ha) property with forested areas, steep hillsides, multiple elevations, and exposures. Harlan cleared 40 acres (16 ha) for viticulture,[3] with the expressed ambition to "create a first growth wine".[4]
The first Harlan Estate wine label, which was 10 years in the making, was inspired by a 19th-century engraving and overseen by retired U.S. Treasury engraver Herb Fichter.[4] According to Harlan the label was designed for a bottle that "would sit on a table in candlelight, not on a store shelf."[4]
Described by Jancis Robinson as "one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century,"[4] Harlan Estate has received acclaim from Wine Spectator[5] and Robert Parker, including four scores of 100 "parker points",[2] which has contributed to the wine's high price and scarcity. Released at $850 per bottle, its price rose on the speculative market,[1] and may range from $1200 and up.[2][6] A 10-vintage vertical selection of magnum bottles sold at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction for $700,000.[4]
The Director of Wine Making, Bob Levy, has worked with Harlan since 1983, when Harlan took part in founding the Merryvale Winery.[1][3][4] Since 1989, Michel Rolland has served as the estates consultant enologist.[7][2][8] Construction of the current winery was completed in 2002.[1]
Production
The estate extends 240 acres (97 ha), of which approximately 15% of the land, 40 acres (16 ha) is cultivated with the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.[8][9]
References
- Brook, Stephen, Decanter.com (February 16, 2007). "Bill Harlan - Decanter Interview".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Parker, Robert M. Jr, BusinessWeek (September 10, 2007). "A Perfectionist Fulfills His Dream". Archived from the original on November 5, 2007.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Laube, James, Wine Spectator (April 30, 2000). "Harlan Estate". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Teague, Lettie, Food & Wine (March 2001). "California's Cult-Cabernet Visionary".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Suckling, James, Wine Spectator (August 31, 2006). "I Have Joined the Cult".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Heimoff, Steve, steveheimoff.com (November 24, 2008). "Upsetting applecarts: Blind tasting as a revolutionary act".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Kamp, David & Lynch, David, Vanity Fair (November 2005). "The Wine Snob's Dictionary". Vanity Fair.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Napa Valley Wine Library Association. "Fall Field Seminar". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
- Appellationamerica.com. "Harlan Estate".