Harlan Estate Napa Valley 2014

98 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "The deep garnet-purple colored 2014 Harlan Estate offers up subtle cassis, black cherries and crushed blackberries notes with tons of savory and earthy layers: forest floor, black soil, charcoal and dried herbs, plus wafts of violets and rare beef. Full-bodied and built like a brick house in the mouth, it has loads of tense, muscular fruit with many layers of earth, savory and spice nuances emerging, finishing with epic length. Drink: 2019-2049. (Oct 2017)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "A wine of restraint and sensuality, the 2014 Harlan Estate is wonderfully transparent in feel. Time in the glass brings out a compelling interplay of beautifully layered fruit and lifted aromatics. The 2014 is one of the most understated yet energetic young vintages of Harlan Estate I can remember tasting. Readers who have not tasted Harlan Estate in a few years might be taken aback by just how sophisticated and nuanced the 2014 is. This is a superb effort. Drink: 2022-2039. (Jan 2018)"

98 points James Suckling: "The pure fruit is incredible with a dark-fruit and blackberry character. Some sous bois but also shows clarity and finesse. Full body and super fine tannins. Tight and so pretty. A classy and fine Harlan. Needs four to five years to open up. (3/21/18)"

97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "Deeper and richer than the Maiden cuvee, the 2014 Harlan Estate offers the classic black fruits, charcoal, and minerality that’s the hallmark of this iconic estate. It shows more floral notes with time in the glass, has full-bodied richness, a sexy, supple, regal personality, no hard edges, and gorgeous purity of fruit. It’s certainly more approachable than the 2015, yet is still going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. My appointment with Harlan Estate (as well as Bond and Promontory) was scheduled for the morning of October 9th, and I arrived at 9 am, after being evacuated from my hotel at 3 am due to the Atlas Peak fire and sleeping in my rental car alongside Highway 29 south of Oakville. It was an otherworldly experience standing in the parking lot of Harlan Estate with Bob Levey, in the hills on the western side of Oakville, looking east across the valley as the flames engulfed the hillside of Atlas Peak. At this point, the air in the upper part of the valley was still clear, and while I offered to reschedule the appointment, they were incredibly gracious, and we spent the morning going those a bevy of sensational wines. Drink: 2018-2038. (Dec 2017)"

96 points Robert Parker: "The 2014 Harlan Estate is primarily Cabernet Sauvignon aged a minimum of 24 months in mostly new oak. It displays sweet graphite notes, some mulberry, blackberry and cassis, and touches of scorched earth and hot rocks, which always vaguely suggest something from the Northern Graves region of Bordeaux. However, it has a Pauillac-like structure, density and opulence. This is a wine of terrific fruit intensity and a vintage that’s very forward by Harlan Estate’s standards and already delicious to drink. It’s hard to compare to another vintage of Harlan, given its precociousness and already flattering style. Drink it over the next 25 years. Drink: 2016-2041. (Oct 2016)"

95 points William Kelley (Decanter): "Aromas of red and black fruit, rich spice, cocoa powder and Harlan's signature of baked earth and dried herbs. The 2014 is a rich, layered wine with lovely tension and focus, and a resonatingly savoury finish. If the 2013 Harlan evokes more Rubenesque vintages such as 2001 or 2002, the 2014 transports us back to years like 1995 and 1996. Drinking Window: 2022-2045. (May 2017)"