Tom Garland

9.3

1/2 hour decant(decent fine sediment). A splendid still dark brooding garnet color with some bricking. On the nose: Intoxicating perfumed notes of dark red fruit, eucalyptus, forest floor, tobacco leaf, pencil shavings, smokey cedar. Taste: silky, savory, resolved wine with dried cherry/plum, dark chocolate, pepper, cedar, fig, and a graphite espresso long finish. YUM! — 7 hours ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Merlot (35%), Petit Verdot (7%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Aromas of red and black fruit, pencil shavings, iodine and light cedar. Complex flavors of black berry/raspberry/plum fruit, dark chocolate, black licorice, black tea and a hint of orange zest. Long and satiny finish. Vibrant acidity and well softened tannins. Silky texture and beautifully balanced. Perfectly aged. — 19 days ago

John Bratincevic

9.0

A little tired, but still grownup wine. Earthy, mammalian (ha! am I the first to use that? I mean it has a bit of furry animal to it!), old fruit and iron. Just squeaks into a 90. — 8 days ago

Tom Garland

9.8

Harlan Estate:  A Historic Retrospective.
With: Antonio Galloni, Will Harlan and winemaker Cory Empting.  At Angler restaurant, San Francisco.

Vintages:  all from magnum
1989 Harlan Estate....rare never released
1990 Harlan  Estate.....1st release, savory elegance
1993 Harlan  Estate ..fading
1994 Harlan Estate....a savory beauty, classic style
1995 Harlan  Estate..beautiful, classic style
1997 Harlan Estate ..flat(maybe the bottle), vintage that jumps to the riper style.
2001 Harlan Estate ...beautiful
2002 Harlan  Estate ..beautiful
2006 Harlan  Estate...drink
2010 Harlan  Esta...drink or hold
2011 Harlan  Estate...meh
2013 Harlan  Estate ..drink or hold
2016 Harlan  Estate ...hold
2019 Harlan  Estate  ...hold
2020 Harlan  Estate ...meh
2021 Harlan  Estate ..hold

FOOD:
Bluefin tuna
Slow grilled hen of woods mushrooms
Whole pastured chicken roasted in wood oven
A5 Australian striploin
Chefs selection of cheese

@Angler, San Francisco — 22 days ago

Ming L

9.3

I opened this 2015 after the 16’ Branaire-Ducru.

The fruits are riper and slightly jammy with plum, blueberry, and blackcurrant, but it’s the savory expression that really sets it apart. Rich palate without excessive weight with lively acidity and fresh herbal lift. Kong savory finishes. Beautiful Bordeaux blend with Napa mountain fruits. — 8 days ago

Jan A

9.8

A point, WOTN for me — 22 days ago

Matthew Cohen

9.5

N vegetal
P herbal. Dense cherry. Spice. Delicious. Balanced.

46 cs 41 cf

Grapevine 238 — 23 days ago

Joel Lara

9.4

Initially, this was a bit closed with fruit notes dominating, but after an hour long decant it opened up nicely. The nose has mostly cassis and herbal flavors, and on the palate, cassis, tobacco, bay leaf, dried sage, dark chocolate, and graphite notes come through nicely. Has good acidity, and tannins are well integrated. Super tasty and paired well with rosemary and thyme roasted rack of lamb with potatoes and eggplant. — 14 days ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Strong nose of black fruits with tobacco, vanilla, licorice, cedar, earth, herbs, chocolates and black pepper.

Full-bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, blackberries, cola, vanilla, cedar, licorice, chocolates, herbs, spices, earth, light black tea, tobacco and peppercorn.

Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel, big and juicy. Complex and entertaining, elegant and rich. Fruit forward and extracted.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Bold, good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$150. — 23 days ago

Jason Gelman

9.3

Love this wine. Still young ish but very nice drinking window. Love the texture and tannin structure. Long finish. — 14 days ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby garnet , with quite thin light garnet rim . Quite open and lively , with spicy hedgerow fruit , touches of tobacco, some floral hints too , quite charming . On the palate this is quite lean , with more of those red plum , raspberry notes , lightly herbal touches. However this fills out quite well on the mid palate . Quite fresh acidity , and delicate tannins . Reasonable herbal tinged red fruit finish . This is showing well , with a suave red fruit, herbal tinged personality . From now and over the next 5-8 years . — a month ago

Rick Phillips

9.8

Floral note’s of blackberry and blueberry, baking spice, cedar, tobacco and dark chocolate. It has plush, velvety tannins that enhances the smooth finish. — 19 days ago

with Letha

Tom Garland

9.2

+1 hour decant(decent chunky sediment). A striking dark ruby red color. On the nose: Enticing notes of dark red fruit, pencil shavings, floral, little barnyard funk, worn leather, tobacco leaf. Taste: Silky-smooth, creamy, rich(not your old school Bordeaux) wine with blackberry/dark cherry, currants, licorice, glycerin, dried herbs, dark chocolate and a peppery cedar long dry finish. YUM!! — a month ago

Tom Garland

9.6

1 hour decant(lots of chunky sediment). A splendid deep dark ruby red color. On the nose: expressive Intoxicating perfumed notes of dark red fruit, smoked meat, forest floor, herbaceous, leather, and soy sauce. Taste: silky, opulent, pure wine with cherry/red plum, currants, dark chocolate, smokey spice, and a graphite raspberry long finish. YUM! — 6 days ago

with Brenda

Rick Phillips

9.7

Just peaking in my estimation. May sill have a couple or three years before its decline starts. Opened and sat in the bottle for 2 hours. Poured a glass which sat another hour. Bold forward fruits. Blackberry, Plums, Black Cherry, hints of spice herbs that quickly fade into a smooth, luxurious taste of velvety tannins. Backend is just as the Front, Luxurious Bold Fruit but just a touch of old earth, lite tobacco and chocolate/cherry. — 13 days ago

with Letha

Beth Novak

10

Deep and dark, a cool minerality. Bright fruit. Packed, is dense. Beautifully held. Great texture and structure. A stunner! — 6 days ago

Nick DiSanto

9.1

John Alanis recommends around $50 WRW 11-7-26 — 15 hours ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.2

2018. Cigar box and some lavender on that too. Great acidity and tart tannins. Really splendid wine this. In the best setting. — 17 days ago

Sam Friedland

9.1

Very pleasant, liquorish, mild tannins. Went well with venison pot roast — 16 days ago

Ming L

9.2

2013 is a great Napa Cab vintage, so I’m somewhat surprised that there is only 57% Cab in the blend.

Still quite stern and massive, I got this wall of dark fruit, tannins and extract, with acidity underneath it, but not necessarily a lot of charm. The structure softens a bit after 2 hours, revealing more fruits, herbs, and savory complexity. I think this needs another 4-5 years. — a month ago