2011 The Maiden

Harlan Estate fans have a number of fabulous wines to look forward to. The 2011s offer tons of near and medium-term appeal, while the 2012s are more typical of the house style and are also likely to offer wide windows of pure pleasure. As always, Harlan Estate blends and bottles later than most Napa Valley estates, so I was not able to taste the 2013s. According to the winemaking team of Bob Levy and Cory Empting the key to 2011 was dropping a significant amount of crop, which was the only way to achieve reasonable levels of ripeness given the cool, rainy conditions that characterized most of the growing season. The 2011s at Harlan Estate are standouts; that much is obvious. The 2012s are a perfect example of the gradual evolution that has taken place at Harlan Estate. A decade ago, these would have been significantly darker, richer, riper wines, but the 2012s are all about finesse. One of the recent developments at Harlan Estate has been a reduction in the use of irrigation, which can cause rapid and excessive accumulation of sugars. It may seem hard to believe, but Harlan Estate appears to be still climbing up the ladder of quality. These wines are magnificent. It's as simple as that.

A few days after my annual tasting of the Harlan Estate and Bond wines, I sampled recent vintages of Bill Harlan's exciting new Promontory venture, from a large and remarkably complex property just a couple miles south of Harlan Estate in the western hills of Napa Valley.It was impossible not to wonder how these two wines will compare to each other 20 years down the road.Harlan's original intent with Harlan Estate was to create a Napa Valley first growth, and he clearly believes that the Promontory site is at least as distinctive a terroir.Indeed, although there are many Harlan Estate wanabees elsewhere in the Valley, top competition for this original flagship wine will continue to come from Harlan's own ventures, Promontory and Bond.

Harlan Estate was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Napa Valley. The new and upcoming releases are simply stunning. The 2010s are even better than they were from barrel. There is a level of inner tension and vibrancy in the 2010s that elevates them into stratosphere. The 2011s are among the best wines of that challenging harvest. My sense is that today the wines are made in a slightly more restrained style than in previous years. Let's be clear, the best wines of the 1990s are still superb, as recent bottles of the 1992 and 1994 prove. Still, I find more energy than in the past. I am not sure if that is attributable to changes in picking dates, older vines, less irrigation or gentler handling in the cellar, but I suspect it is the result of those and other factors. No matter, Bill Harlan's 2010s are superb and the 2011s aren't that far behind. This is a great showing from the entire Harlan team, but the winemaking team headed by Bill Levy and Cory Empting in particular.