2010 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red

Saturated full ruby to the rim. Brooding scents of black fruits, licorice, minerals, menthol and forest floor. Dense, thick and utterly seamless but alive on entry, then powerful, delineated and penetrating in the middle palate, with licorice, mountain berry and mineral flavors carrying through an explosive, unflagging aftertaste. Utterly palate-staining, endless wine with great power and nobility, this saturates every square millimeter of the palate. The tannins are huge but plush. Deeper than Bill Harlan's new Portfolio wine, made from somewhat higher vineyards situated to the south of Harlan Estate, but I love the mineral lift and lighter touch of the other wine. The full ripeness and deep sweetness of the 2010 vintage gives the Harlan Estate considerable appeal today but it will last for a long time. In fact, my sample retained its bulletproof fruit sweetness for a week in the recorked bottle.

Magnum. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, remainder: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. Complex and intriguing with notes of ripe dark fruits lifted by mountain herbs, carried through by warming and exotic spices. There is plenty of concentration and presence here alongside a feeling of compact restraint at the same time – a sort of counterbalance of fleshy flavours and firm tannin, mouth-watering acidity and spiced fruits that creates a delicious tension of generosity without excess. Give this wine plenty of air upon opening – its savoury structure continues to reveal itself after opening – and set it alongside slow-cooked meats, or, better yet, wait a few more years before opening. This vintage seems sure to evolve and age well. (ECB)

Magnum. Very dark. Glowing deep crimson. Very glossy black olive nose. A bit of drought, drying effect but they have valiantly done their best to counter this. There’s a cool finish – amazingly! Sweet, then chewy. Obviously a hot dry year. (JR)