I've been looking forward to opening this for a while now. I wanted to do it on my birthday in Jan., but I was never in the right company, or staring down a nice steak to do it with! So...I created my own pseudo belated birthday the other night ant invited my #1 wine tasting friend over for marinated grilled sirloin steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed brussel sprouts and broccoli. This is one of my favorite meals. Anyway....Here's the notes:
The one flavor that always seems to pleasantly appear in the Harlan wines I've had is a rich sweet molasses black licorice/anise flavor. It's something I don't really find in other wines (at least not like this), and it's absolutely wonderful. This was definitely showing some age. When I was at David Arthur a couple weeks ago with Pyang, I got into a conversation with Bob Egelhof regarding Harlan. He was telling me about how he worked there for 6 years prior to the public release of Harlan in '91, etc., etc. But, we got on the topic of whether these types of wines were agable, and whether they would stand the test of time. It was his opinion that they may not hold together due to overextraction, and that while they are great young, they tend to fall apart with age. This got me worried a bit! So...I decided not to cellar too much longer and pop this open. I, unfortunately, feel like I may slightly agree with him. While this was a fantastic wine, it tasted very much to me like the '88 Ridge Montebello I had twice last year. It was a bit too mature/advanced in it's aging than I thought a '94 Harlan should be. The youthfulness of the fruit was a bit muted, and fruit/flavors tasted very well integrated. Which is a good thing, but maybe not so soon? Excellent depth on the palate, very nice well integrated tannins showing an ability for further aging. Dark plum, milk chocolate, anise, rich but not vibrant blackberry pie, and a hint of eucalyptus and toasty oak. Finish was long and lingering, but none of these flavors really exploded on my palate. Maybe I was expecting the wrong thing in that regard. It's a beautiful wine, and it is showing wonderful talent...I think I expected to be knocked off my seat with Parker's 100 pt. rating, but I'm not disappointed. I would have like to be able to compare this to what it was like on release. I'd give it 96 pts. solid. I have one more of these left...we'll see where the next one goes!
-DRAB
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 6824 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
Food for thought. Even a 96 pt wine is a sensual disappointment when it was the 100 when you last tried it. This is one of the top 5 wines I've ever tried. You've now raised my eyebrow. Maybe I should...Nah
Posts: 2374 | Location: Virginia Beach,VA | Registered: Oct 18, 2001
Maybe you just like younger wine. We sometimes assume a great wine will be better with age but your tatses, at least for this wine, may in fact not lean in that direction. That is neither a good or a bad thing.
Ciao
Enoselsa
"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese"
Posts: 1647 | Location: Charlotte | Registered: Nov 01, 2001
I have never even tried a Harlan. Thanks for letting me live vicariously via your nicely written TN. RMP has nothing on you! I plan on trying to get my hands on some on this wine, perhaps the 2001. I finally got an allocation Just don't know how much it will be. The Maiden should be more reasonable.
Posts: 1203 | Location: Sutton, MA, USA | Registered: Jan 15, 2003
Thanks for the kind words, but putting me up there with Parker is really far from what I am and what I know about wine. I'm jealous with regard to your 2001 Harlan allocation! That should be a phenomenal wine. I will probably only be offered the Maiden (it will be my first offering...everything else I have has been bought second hand via auctions or high end wine stores) If I had to choose only one 2001 wine to have that would be it. Harlan is the essence of everything I love about wine. Some of the other cults are not really my style, but this is right up my alley. I have yet to be disappointed. They are expensive, but worth it IMHO. The Maiden and the Estate are two totally different animals, but both are fantastic.
Happy tasting!
-DRAB
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 6824 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
Dr DRaB, Your description of the wine seemed good but also appeared reflective of your disapointment. I was surprised when I saw your score of 96pts as your description did not reflect a "classic" rating. I have had 88' Monte Bello recently and your description was similar to my experiance. Again, not the traits one expects of a 96' point wine. Would you please clarify. Did you under rate your description or overinflate your point score. I have not been that overwhelmed with the Harlan I have tasted given the cost. Thankyou.
Posts: 796 | Location: Stow,Ohio USA | Registered: Jan 08, 2003
I still stand by my TN, and the point score I gave. My disappointment did not come with the wine not meeting up to a 96 pt. score, but more or less that it didn't meet up with the 100 pt. "unbelievable" type of experience I was expecting. While I did find this similar to the '88 Ridge, I will say it's got a bit more youth, and the flavors are a bit more intense. Not by much though. It's an incredibly well balanced wine, and has a lot going on, but I was (maybe wrongfully so) expecting an opulent carnival of fruit flavor and a finish I'd have to scrape off my tongue...which I did not get. Personally...I found the '98 Estate more impressive (call me crazy, but it is still my personal 100 pt. wine). But, keep in mind, I love 100 % cab., and it's fruit is still very new and vibrant. I'd give the '94 another 5-10 years max. for optimum drinking (for me). But then again...I prefer wines on the younger side, and enjoy the youthfulness of the fruit. Like I said....I'm sure this is someone's 100 pt'er...just not mine. And...I will concede to one other thing....I DID NOT decant this wine. Which I almost wish I had done. I would have liked to see if some air opened it up a bit. I'll leave that for the last bottle.
Hope this answers your questions?
-DRAB
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 6824 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
That's why I regret not decanting.....I have a feeling you're right and that it may have just been closed down a bit. After what Bob Egelhof had to say it got me a bit worried. Afterall he made wine at Harlan for 6 years! Who knows....all I can say is right now it's not tasting like a 100 pt'er to me. Maybe more time will bring it back, maybe not?
-DRAB
So much wine.....so little time!!!
Posts: 6824 | Location: San Francisco | Registered: Jun 20, 2002
