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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
With the founding of Harlan Estate in 1984, we embarked upon our mission of creating a “first growth” of California. The estate’s early vineyard development began with just six acres. Today our planting is essentially complete, with nearly forty acres under vine to the classic varietals: cabernet sauvignon (70%), merlot (20%), cabernet franc (8%), and petit verdot (2%). Invariably, the finished wine is predominately cabernet sauvignon, which we blend with varying amounts of the other three varietals as we seek to express faithfully the unique and distinctive character of the site.
Modest quantities of wine were produced in 1987, 1988, and 1989 from grapes that represented the second, third, and fourth leaf of our estate vineyard. In each of those years a small number of barrels were produced in the hope of gaining a prescient glimpse into what the character of the land—never before cultivated—might have to offer. The wines were blended, bottled, and labeled with a special designation. Though charming in their own way, these first wines fell short of our standards and aspirations, so were never released. They continue to serve as humble reminders of where we began the journey.
Wine Information
“This was a vintage that yielded wines with great layers and nuances thanks to prolonged harvest period. The fruit material was very ripe, but showed as well a lot of freshness and lively acidity. For me it is reminiscent of the 2005 but with a greater degree of concentration.”
“We witnessed lower than average rainfall and the growing season was long with very even temperatures during most of the year. After the first week in September the weather cooled off significantly which lead to moderate to long periods between veraison and harvest for all of our properties. Yields were slightly elevated as we had an excellent fruit set due to good weather during bloom. We did a green harvest at veraison reducing the fruit by 15-25%. At harvest the differences in rootstock, topography and exposition were exaggerated so we had to do many passes and segregate a little more in some properties. Luckily we had almost a solid month to harvest without pressure. We were able to get 94% of the vineyards harvested before the heavy – almost 5 inches – rainfall in October 12. After the rain we let the remaining blocks dry out a bit and then we went in and harvested almost a week later. It is noteworthy to mention that many of those wines turned out to be much better than expected.”
Cory Empting, Winemaker – Harlan & Bond Estates
Viinilasisuositus
Viinin keskihinta
| 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 590€ +8.7% | 543€ +2.6% | 529€ -10.2% | 589€ |
This data comes from the FINE Auction Index, a composite of average prices for wines sold at commercial auctions in 20 countries. The average prices from each year have been collected since 1990. This chart plots the index value of the average price of the wines.
The 2009 Proprietary Blend Harlan Estate is just as impressive from bottle as it was from barrel. Cloves, dark plums, cherries, smoke and graphite add richness and resonance to this powerful, incisive wine. Juicy and exuberant, the 2009 has always had a certain raciness that is impossible to resist. Layers of fruit continue to build to the enveloping, sensual finish. Readers will have a hard time keeping their hands off this hugely delicious wine. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2034. 
(12/ 2012)