2005 The Maiden

"There was vigorous vine growth early in the 2005 season," said winemaker Bob Levy, "and the berry size was larger than average. Ultimately, production was 10% to 15% higher than in 2006. Still, the wines in 2006 required much more work to get broadness in the middle palate." By now, the superlative quality of this estate's grand vin has ceased to amaze me. Perhaps even more remarkable is the consistently high quality of The Maiden, which once tasted like the second wine it is but now can hold its own against some pretty serious flagship cabernet blends of the Napa Valley.

Winemaker Bob Levy describes 2005 as a cooler, longer growing season that produced bigger yields. Because he was afraid of making wines that lacked concentration, he did a lot of saignee. "This was possible because we had outstanding quality of tannins," he explained, "and the saignee did not throw the wines off balance. In 2005, we were lucky to have had tannin maturity before sugar maturity." My early tasting of the Harlan Estate 2005, as well as of the Bond wines made by the same team of Bill Harlan, Levy and enologist Michel Rolland, suggests that this vintage will offer a rare combination of density and verve. A word of advice for long-time Harlan Estate collectors: Levy noted that these wines virtually always go through a sullen stage six to eight years after the vintage and recommends drinking them before or after this awkward period.