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  • Country ranking ?

    394
  • Producer ranking ?

    43
  • Decanting time

    2h
  • When to drink

    now to 2030

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The Story

Harlan Estate For nearly three decades, Harlan Estate has been committed to creating California "First Growth" wine estate.

Set on the western hills of Oakville, rising above the fabled Napa Valley bench lands, the estate is over 97 hectares of natural splendor; oak-studded knolls and valleys, roughly fifteen percent of which are under vine, planted with the classic varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. But more than that, it is a family homestead, built for generations.

In 1984 Bill Harlan, who had a successful career as a real estate developer and Napa Valley resort owner, set his mind on producing the greatest wine in California, if not the world. He had become interested in starting his own winery after traveling through Burgundy and Bordeaux in the 1980's. He bought 97 hectares in Oakville, planted 16 with Bordeaux varietals, and brought in famous winemaker Bob Levy, as well as consultant Michel Rolland. Harlan produced three vintages before he considered one worthy of sale.

 

From the outset, we have taken great satisfaction in the slow but continuous evolution of the estate— and in watching the wines become increasingly pleasing and complex. Over time, we have also seen our younger vines reach a level of maturity capable of producing wonderful wines, even if they were not quite ready for the final Harlan Estate blend. We felt these lots, along with other components not utilized in our flagship wine, deserved a label of their own. Beginning with the 1995 vintage, we bottled a small number of cases under the name The Maiden. Grown and vinified to the same exacting standards as Harlan Estate, The Maiden is a highly detailed and sumptuous wine, remarkably faithful to the vineyard’s pedigree.

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Wine Information

Lower-than-average rainfall in the winter followed by a dry spring. Budbreak on april 1, followed by a cold spell. (Our steep hillside sites were spared the spring frost damage that many others in the valley experienced.) a moderate summer, followed by a cool september with just 7 days over 90°. harvest began on september 2 and finished on september 29. average yield: 1.5 tons per acre.

tasting notes
the individual lots of the 2008 vintage are consistently impressive and opulent. Currently aging in new French oak barrels in the second-year cellar, they will undoubtedly provide a wealth of very high-quality components for blending trials next spring.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

color

Deep and Ruby red

flavors

Blackberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Plum, Voluptuous and Coffee

nose

Closed

taste

Full-bodied, Firm and Fresh

Written Notes

The 2008 The Maiden is a beautiful wine graced with exquisite finesse in its dark red berries, flowers and licorice. Gorgeous inner perfume and a super-refined personality are some of the qualities found in the 2008 Maiden. A weightless, subtle finish rounds things out nicely. Stylistically the 2008 Maiden is quite a bit more delicate – at times even fleeting – next to the 2008 Harlan Estate.

  • 92p
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Information

Origin

Oakville, Napa Valley

Inside Information

92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2008 The Maiden is a beautiful wine graced with exquisite finesse in its dark red berries, flowers and licorice. Gorgeous inner perfume and a super-refined personality are some of the qualities found in the 2008 Maiden. A weightless, subtle finish rounds things out nicely. Stylistically the 2008 Maiden is quite a bit more delicate - at times even fleeting - next to the 2008 Harlan Estate. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2023. (AG)   (12/ 2011)

90 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

  Good full ruby-red. Very ripe aromas of gravel and chocolate. Sweet on entry, then more subdued in the middle, with a medicinal reserve to the flavors of redcurrant, plum and graphite minerality. I find this less sweet and giving today than the Bond Matriarch but more precise. This firmly tannic second wine needs four or five years of cellaring and may ultimately merit a higher score.   (6/ 2011)

90 points Wine Spectator

  Loamy earth notes and mouthcoating tannins provide the baseline for this rich, layered effort, which is full-bodied, with toned-down dried currant, mocha, spice, cedar and sage notes. Drink now through 2020. 988 cases made.   (11/ 2011)

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