2014 The Maiden

The bottled 2014 wines at Harlan Estate are every bit as compelling as they were from bottle. The wines are deceptively medium in body and fresh, both of which will make them nearly impossible to resist on the young side. There is a translucent energy to the 2014s I find hugely appealing. I also tasted the 2015 Harlan Estate, but not the Maiden, as the blend for that wine is always finalized at a later date.

These are four exceptionally beautiful wines from Harlan Estate. The 2014s present the naturally slender, lithe style of the vintage, with considerable freshness that gives the wines their bright personalities, while the 2013s are both simply stunning. Once again, I am struck by the stylistic evolution that has taken place here over the last decade. Today's wines are less overtly sweet and less marked by oak than they were in the past. According to Bill Harlan the biggest change is the increased age of the vineyards, but there is more to it than that. A series of small refinements and a never ending quest for excellence are what sets Harlan Estate apart. Outwardly, Harlan Estate projects an image of Napa Valley formality and new classicism, but behind the scenes Harlan Estate is one of the most avant garde wineries in Napa Valley. It's a bit like magic. The trick is to do something without anyone noticing. Getting to the top is hard in any field. Staying at the top is even harder. Bill Harlan and his team have managed to do that, and more.