Harlan Estate

Last updated
Harlan Estate
LocationOakville, California, USA
Appellation Oakville AVA
Founded1984
First  vintage 1990
Key peopleBill Harlan (Proprietor)
Bob Levy (Director of Winegrowing)
Don Weaver (Estate Director)
Cory Empting (Winemaker)
Mary Maher (Vineyard Manager)
Known forHarlan Estate
The Maiden
Tasting Not available
Website www.harlanestate.com

Harlan Estate is a California wine estate producing Bordeaux-style blends. The estate is located in the western hills of Oakville, California within the Oakville AVA, in the Napa Valley AVA zone.[ citation needed ] Harlan Estate is a "cult winery," commanding high prices due to scarcity. Its flagship wine is the eponymous Harlan Estate. They also produce a second wine called The Maiden.

Contents

History

Harlan Estate was founded in 1984 by H. William Harlan, a real estate developer and Napa Valley resort owner. [1] [2] It is located east of Martha's Vineyard in Oakville on a 240-acre (97 ha) property with forested areas and steep hillsides. Harlan cleared 40 acres (16 ha) for viticulture, [3] with the expressed ambition to "create a first growth wine". [4]

The first Harlan Estate wine label, which was 10 years in the making, was inspired by a 19th-century engraving and overseen by retired U.S. Treasury engraver Herb Fichter. [4] According to Harlan, the label was designed for a bottle that "would sit on a table in candlelight, not on a store shelf." [4]

Described by Jancis Robinson as "one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century," [4] Harlan Estate has received acclaim from Wine Spectator [5] and Robert Parker, including four scores of 100 "parker points", [2] which has contributed to the wine's high price. Released at $850 per bottle, its price rose on the speculative market, [1] and may range from $1,200 and up. [2] [6] A 10-vintage vertical selection of magnum bottles sold at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction for $700,000. [4]

The Director of Wine Making, Bob Levy, has worked with Harlan since 1983, when Harlan took part in founding the Merryvale Winery. [1] [3] [4] Since 1989, Michel Rolland has served as the estates consultant enologist. [7] [2] [8] Construction of the current winery was completed in 2002. [1]

Production

The estate extends 240 acres (97 ha), of which approximately 15% of the land, 40 acres (16 ha) is cultivated with the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mondavi</span> American winemaker

Robert Gerald Mondavi was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted labeling wines varietally rather than generically, which became the standard for New World wines. The Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI) for Wine and Food Science at the University of California, Davis opened in October 2008 in his honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stag's Leap Wine Cellars</span> Winery in Napa Valley, California

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars is a winery founded by Warren Winiarski in 1970 and based in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chateau Montelena</span> Napa Valley, California winery

Chateau Montelena is a Napa Valley winery most famous for winning the white wine section of the historic "Judgment of Paris" wine competition. Chateau Montelena's Chardonnay was in competition with nine other wines from France and California under blind tasting. All 11 judges awarded their top scores to either the Chardonnays from Chateau Montelena or Chalone Winery, another California wine producer. A fictionalized version of Chateau Montelena's historic victory was featured in the 2008 film Bottle Shock.

Mayacamas Vineyards is a California wine producer located in the Mt. Veeder AVA in the Mayacamas Mountains within the Napa Valley AVA, bordering the Sonoma Valley AVA. The estate is known for producing wine of a more traditional style than the Napa trends of recent years that emphasizes power, weight, high levels of alcohol and extravagance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Cos d'Estournel</span>

Château Cos d'Estournel is a winery in the Saint-Estèphe appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. It is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abreu Vineyards</span> Winery in Napa Valley, California

Abreu Vineyards is a winery in Napa Valley, California founded by the viticulturist David Abreu.

Heidi Peterson Barrett is an American winemaker and entrepreneur who has been responsible for some of California's most notable cult wines. Her career has included stints at Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Paradigm Winery, Grace Family Vineyards, Amuse Bouche, Lamborn Family, Showket Vineyards, Revana Family Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Fantesca. Barrett is a consultant for Elizabeth Spencer and has her own wine label, La Sirena.

Fantesca Estate & Winery is a boutique winery in the Spring Mountain District AVA of Napa Valley. The proprietors – Susan Schulze Hoff and Duane Hoff – are former executives of Best Buy Company. Since April 2008, Heidi Barrett has been the estate's winemaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Aventure</span>

L'Aventure, or Stephan Vineyards, is a California wine estate producing red wine blends of the Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties. The winery is located southwest of Paso Robles, California, along the Pacific Coast in the Santa Lucia Mountain range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Eagle Winery and Vineyards</span> Californian vineyard

Screaming Eagle Winery and Vineyards is a California wine estate producing limited amounts of varietal wine; due to the small quantities produced and high prices commanded, their wines are considered cult wines. The winery is located in Oakville, California, north of the town of Napa in the Napa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stéphane Derenoncourt</span> French vigneron

Stéphane Derenoncourt is a French vigneron working as a consultant for numerous estates in Bordeaux and other wine producers worldwide. With his wife, Christine Derenoncourt, he runs Vignerons Consultants and owns Domaine de l'A in the Côtes de Castillon and Derenoncourt California in Napa Valley. He is entirely self-taught.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Château Teyssier</span>

Dominus Estate, is a California wine estate producing Bordeaux style blends, owned by Christian Moueix. The winery is located in Yountville within the Napa Valley AVA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornellaia</span>

Helen Turley is a pioneering American winemaker and wine consultant. She is known for bringing several Californian cult wines to the public awareness, and as the owner of a 20-acre (8.1 ha) boutique winery, Marcassin Vineyard. She is the recipient of several prestigious American wine awards, to include Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award and Food & Wine's Achievement Winemaker of the Year.

Scarecrow, historically the J.J. Cohn Estate, is a California wine producer. The estate is located in Rutherford, CA, within the Rutherford AVA in the Napa Valley AVA zone.

Araujo Estate Wines is a California winegrowing estate founded by Bart and Daphne Araujo. Located in Calistoga, California within both the Calistoga and Napa Valley AVAs, the estate produces a small portfolio of limited-production wines from the organically and Biodynamically farmed Eisele Vineyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Oak Cellars</span> Winery in California

Silver Oak Cellars is a family-owned, California winery dedicated to producing only Cabernet Sauvignon. Silver Oak was established in 1972 by Ray Duncan and Justin Meyer. It is currently operated by Ray's sons David Duncan, who serves as the President and CEO, and his brother, Tim Duncan, who serves as Executive Vice President. Silver Oak has two wineries; one in Oakville in the Napa Valley and one in Healdsburg in the Alexander Valley. The Duncan Family also established Twomey Cellars in 1999, which has wineries in Calistoga and Healdsburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blankiet Estate</span> Winery in California, United States

Blankiet Estate is a California wine estate owned by Claude and Katherine Blankiet. Located in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in the Napa Valley, the estate produces a portfolio of wines from their Paradise Hills Vineyard.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Brook, Stephen, Decanter.com (February 16, 2007). "Bill Harlan - Decanter Interview".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 Parker, Robert M. Jr, BusinessWeek (September 10, 2007). "A Perfectionist Fulfills His Dream". Archived from the original on November 5, 2007.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. 1 2 Laube, James, Wine Spectator (April 30, 2000). "Harlan Estate". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Teague, Lettie, Food & Wine (March 2001). "California's Cult-Cabernet Visionary".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Suckling, James, Wine Spectator (August 31, 2006). "I Have Joined the Cult".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Heimoff, Steve, steveheimoff.com (November 24, 2008). "Upsetting applecarts: Blind tasting as a revolutionary act".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Kamp, David & Lynch, David, Vanity Fair (November 2005). "The Wine Snob's Dictionary". Vanity Fair .{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 Napa Valley Wine Library Association. "Fall Field Seminar". Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  9. ↑ Appellationamerica.com. "Harlan Estate".


38°24′54″N122°24′30″W / 38.41500°N 122.40833°W / 38.41500; -122.40833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.