2009 Harlan Estate The Maiden

The 2009 Proprietary Blend The Maiden wraps around the palate with dark cherries, plums, cinnamon, cloves and new leather. This is a surprisingly muscular style for the year, with quite a bit less of the early appeal than is found in many other wines. The aromas and flavors remain dark, powerful and brooding from start to finish. Flowers, cinnamon and mint add further complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Even after all of these years, and with much more intense competition than ever before, Harlan Estate remains one of the great wines in Napa Valley. The 2009s have fulfilled all the promise they showed from barrel, but the 2010s might be even better. I also had a chance to taste the 1992 Harlan Estate, a wine I sold for a whopping $60, a princely sum at the time, at a Boston area restaurant where I worked in the mid 1990s. At age 20, the 1992 is at a glorious peak of expression. What a wine! Bill Harlan’s Promontory remains a work in progress, and I imagine it will be some time before the wines are up to Harlan’s uncompromising standards. After all, it took Harlan and his team seven vintages to feel comfortable showing Harlan Estate to Robert Parker. The maniacal attention to detail I have seen in the vineyards at Promontory bodes very well for the future. Tel. (707) 944-1441

Full ruby. Very expressive aromas of black cherry, cassis, minerals and wild herbs. Sweet and vibrant but youthfully closed, conveying an impression of coiled energy. Finishes very long, with vibrant black fruit flavors and tannins that coat the front teeth. This impressively long wine is balanced from the start.

Full ruby. Very expressive aromas of black cherry, cassis, minerals and wild herbs. Sweet and vibrant but youthfully closed, conveying an impression of coiled energy. Finishes very long, with vibrant black fruit flavors and tannins that coat the front teeth. This impressively long wine is balanced from the start. (ST) 92+