2006 Harlan Estate, The Maiden, Napa Valley 1x750ml

Robert Parker 91

The 2006 The Maiden is a supple, forward, lush, full-bodied effort revealing notes of cedar, spice box, loamy soil, red and black fruits, and earth. It can be consumed now and over the next 12-14 years. This extraordinary estate, run by Bill Harlan, has never had either a shortage of ambition or patience. Harlan originally had his wines made elsewhere, but never found the resulting product up to his standards until his home vineyard, high on the western hills of the Oakville Corridor, hit an acceptable level of quality, which turned out to be in 1990. In October, I did a vertical tasting of every Harlan Estate vintage made (which I will report on at a future date), and one thing that was clear is just how extraordinary these wines are, and how well they are aging. Even in California’s lighter, more challenging years, Harlan turned out wines that anyone would be happy to own and consume. The newest offerings include two vintages of The Maiden essentially their second wine, and the flagship Harlan Estate fewer than 2,000 cases produced. Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444 [Robert M. Parker, Jr., 22/12/2009]

Anticipated maturity: 2009-2023

Vinous 91

Good saturated ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of black cherry, licorice, violet and menthol. Thicker than the Bond Matriarch offering from the same winemaking team, but impressively vibrant for all its sweetness. Complex flavors of blackberry, raspberry, licorice, tobacco, smoke and iron are nicely framed by substantial firm-edged tannins. [Stephen Tanzer, 05/01/2009]