| Winery Name: | Harlan Estate |
| Location City: | Oakville, California |
| Location Country: | USA |
| Appellation: | Oakville AVA |
| Year Founded: | 1984 |
| First Vintage: | 1990 |
| Key People: | Bill Harlan (Proprietor) Bob Levy (Director of Winegrowing) Don Weaver (Estate Director) Cory Empting (Winemaker) Mary Maher (Vineyard Manager) |
| Signature Wine: | Harlan Estate The Maiden |
| Homepage: | www.harlanestate.com |
| Tasting: | Not available |
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. 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.
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 240acres property with forested areas and steep hillsides. Harlan cleared 40acres 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] Construction of the current winery was completed in 2002.[1]
The estate extends 240acres, of which approximately 15% of the land, 40acres is cultivated with the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.[8] [9]