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Harlan Estate, Napa Valley Red, 1994

Red Wine from California, United States
by Harlan Estate
$2,999.99
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The 1994 is the vintage that made Harlan Estate's name, a long cool Napa season that pushed harvest into late October and gave the wine the frame to still be standing three decades later. Bill Harlan bought these 240 acres in the western hills of Oakville in 1984 and planted on steep, east-facing slopes on the Mayacamas side of the valley, a site chosen for stress rather than ease; about 40 acres are under vine and the rest left as woodland. The wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blend filled out with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, destemmed and fermented in small open-top vats, then raised in new French oak. Yields that year averaged 2.4 tons per acre. This bottle comes from a private cellar rather than from the winery, and at more than thirty years it is well into its mature stretch: decant it carefully off the sediment, give it an hour, and drink it over a long dinner rather than holding it further.

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Antonio Galloni

96 points

"Slightly more vibrant saturated ruby-red color. Even deeper and more nuanced aromas of liqueur-like blackcurrant, black olive, violet, minerals, brown spices and floral perfume. In contrast to the (relatively) more laid-back '95, this is almost painfully sweet on entry, with huge extract giving it a three-dimensional texture. More powerfully structured than the '95, but as large as it is, it retains near-perfect balance. Explosive finishing fruit covers the rich, sweet tannins." —Stephen Tanzer

Robert Parker

100 points

"What can I say about the 1994? I have tasted the wine for three consecutive years, and each time it satisfied all of my requirements for perfection. The opaque purple color is followed by spectacular aromatics that soar from the glass, offering up celestial levels of black currants, minerals, smoked herbs, cedar wood, coffee, and pain grille. In the mouth, this seamless legend reveals full body, and exquisite layers of phenomenally pure and rich fruit, followed by a 40+ second finish. While accessible, the 1994 begs for another 5-7 years of cellaring. It should easily last for 30+ years. Every possible jagged edge - acidity, alcohol, tannin, and wood - is brilliantly intertwined in what seems like a diaphanous format. What is so extraordinary about this large-scaled wine, with its dazzling display of aromatics and prodigious flavors and depth, is that it offers no hint of heaviness or coarseness. Harlan's 1994 comes close to immortality in the glass." —Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Jancis Robinson

18 points

"A bit of tomato leaf and mountain herbs on the nose with just a touch of cigar smoke become a mix of fleshy, spiced stone fruits and graphite on the palate. The tannin presence here is impressively intact while supple. The acidity feels fresh and carries the wine through a long finish. Nicely savoury. There is just something extra to this wine – it keeps pulling you back to enjoy it again."

Decanter

98 points

"I've had the pleasure of tasting this wine several times over the years, and it never fails to impress. The nose is the perfect midpoint of sweet, sappy, dusty and captivating. Aromas of aged leather, cardamom, bramble and gravel. Excellent persistence in the mid-palate, and not as rich as one might expect given Harlan's reputation. Sturdy, succulent, and powdery throughout. Without question, a high-water mark of this era of Napa, showing its origins more than its treatment. Drinking exceptionally well now and should hold for another 20 years."

Wine Spectator

96 points

"Retains a youthful center of ripe plum, black cherry, wilted rose, black olive, sage and mineral flavors. Intense, balanced, focused and persistent, this is long on the finish."

More about Harlan Estate

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot , Petit Verdot , Red Blend

  • Vintage

    1994

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Dry-aged ribeye, rack of lamb with herbs, roast squab, or a plate of hard aged cheeses. Keep the cooking simple.

Tasting Profile

Mature and savory. Cassis and dried black cherry giving way to cedar, tobacco leaf, graphite and forest floor. Full-bodied, with tannins long since resolved into silk and a long earthy finish.

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