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1999 Harlan Estate

1999 Harlan Estate

96 VM

Featured Review
Full medium ruby. Superripe, deep nose offers currant, plum, black cherry, truffle, smoke, meat and cedary spices. A wine of great sweetness and flavor intensity; remarkably suave in spite of its great solidity. Offers an almost liqueur-like ripeness and great density but sound acids keep the wine lively. Palate-staining aftertaste features substantial tongue-dusting but fine tannins. As extraordinary as the nearly confectionery, more roasted Harlan Estate '97 is, this wine may well have more verve. Vinous Media

Vinous (Galloni) | 96 VM

Critic Reviews

Full medium ruby. Superripe, deep nose offers currant, plum, black cherry, truffle, smoke, meat and cedary spices. A wine of great sweetness and flavor intensity; remarkably suave in spite of its great solidity. Offers an almost liqueur-like ripeness and great density but sound acids keep the wine lively. Palate-staining aftertaste features substantial tongue-dusting but fine tannins. As extraordinary as the nearly confectionery, more roasted Harlan Estate '97 is, this wine may well have more verve.

Vinous Media | 96 VM
An exceptional wine. Fragrant, with plenty of plum, black cherry, cedar and spice aromas. On the palate, it's silky smooth, elegant and fresh, yet packed with complex layers of blackberry, cassis, chocolate, coffee, anise, sage, thyme and cherry flavors. Marked by an exquisite textural elegance and harmonious balance, it displays a fine blend of firm, supple tannins and appropriate acidty that support great length on the finish.

Wine Enthusiast | 96 WE
Taut and slow to unfold, with green and black olive, savory herb and mocha flavors, unfolding with layers of currant, plum, espresso bean and mineral, followed by an impressive finish. From a cool year.--Non-blind Harlan retrospective (2010). Drink now through 2022. 1,700 cases made.

Wine Spectator | 95 WS
(Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, California, USA, Red) The 1999 Harlan Estate is particularly aromatically expressive, offering up vivid aromas of blackberry and violets intermingled with mature tones of cedar and scorched earth. More boisterous, even rustic, and evidently Californian than the Bordeaux-styled 2000, there is notable tannic structure and volume on the palate, and a long, textured finish. My feeling is that more recent vintages are more refined. (Drink between 2017-2025)

Decanter | 93 DEC
When I visited Harlan, the blend for the 1999 had not yet been set, and I was only able to taste the Cabernet Sauvignon portion, which will be 80-90% of the final wine. It looks to be outstanding. Harlan Estate has converted to wood fermenters. That decision is interesting in view of the fact that many top Bordeaux chateaux discarded their wood fermenters 10-30 years ago in favor of temperature-controlled stainless steel.

Robert Parker | 90-93 RP

Wine Details for 1999 Harlan Estate

Type of Wine California Red : Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring.
Varietal Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.

Country US : As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants.
Region California : With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented.

Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine.

Overview

Producer Harlan

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