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Wine Description
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
The 2003 season overall was moderate in length (approximately 192 days), marked by a wetter- than-normal winter and rainfall extending into the end of May. a warm summer brought numerous days into the high 90°s and a couple of short-term heat spells in mid-september, culminating in a somewhat extended harvest period from september 17 to October 18. Cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc yielded roughly 1.8 tons per acre on average; the merlot and petit verdot, considerably less.
tasting notes
Deep, dark red in appearance. Complex nose offers high notes of black fruits, licorice, graphite, chocolate, espresso over truffle and earth, and the distinctive “forest floor” elements. good composition, detail, concentration, and depth. nice length, persistence and purity in the finish, but still relatively chunky in its youth. Look for this vintage to provide increasing finesse and pleasure over time. Wait 5 years and then drink for 10-15 years.
One of the most backward yet promising wines of the vintage is the 2003 Harlan Estate. Its dense opaque plum/purple color is accompanied by a sumptuous bouquet of graphite, camphor, creme de cassis, smoky barbecue wood and a hint of forest floor. Similar flavors hit the mouth with full-bodied splendor, a multidimensional mouthfeel and texture, and the sensational finish lasts more than 45 seconds. Some tannins are still present, and this wine seems much younger than expected at ten years of age, so give it 4-5 more years of bottle age and consume it over the following 20-25 years. (98+) 
(6/ 2013)