Harlan Estate The Maiden Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

"Odedi"

#AgedWineTuesday Inky in color with a short purple rim. Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Showing blackberries, cooked cherries, dried fruits, cedar, vanilla, Mediterranean spices, tobacco leaf, light earth, herbs, chocolates and black pepper. Long finish with round tannins and tangy cherries. This 15 year old still feels young, but drinking beautifully now. Nicely balanced and powerful, yet elegant. Needed 5 hours to open up properly, but was good right out of the bottle too. Rich and extracted. Fruit forward with nice complexity. Showing a great experience at this point. A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with a big piece of steak. 14.5% alcohol by volume. 94 points. $300.

"Odedi"

#AgedWineTuesday Deep Inky in color with a short purple rim. Looks very young. Soft nose of black fruits, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, light vegetables, pencil lead and peppercorn. Full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, licorice, light vanilla, tobacco leaf, light black pepper, earth, herbs and black tea. Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries. This 14 year old Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend from Napa feels very young. Rich and powerful. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel. Great right out of the bottle, and tightened up after 2 hours of in the decanter. Probably needed a longer decant, but it finished too quickly. This Single Vineyard will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years. Wine Advocate 92 points. Tasty and enjoyable by itself or with food. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak 14.5% alcohol by volume. 93 points. $300.

Jim McCusker

I’ve had mixed luck with Harlan’s second label, but this 2010 version was really superb. Great structure, nice aromatics and silky smooth on the palate, this is definitely one of the better incarnations of this cuvee I’ve had in a while.

Daryl Calhoun

When you know, you know. Haven’t been to Napa in a couple years and this Harlan is making me yearn to return. Maybe later this summer? Ping me if you’re going! Magic in a bottle here. Deeeep red Cab but with balance. Dark ruby, tart Cherry, current and a hint of raspberry. Take your time on this one.

Jean-Francois Pelletier

Dark Ruby. Dry herbs, pencil lead, very dark berries, dark cherries and vanilla. Plush and inviting palate, ripe fruit with the oak notes of chocolate and vanilla. Long finish. Very tasty.

Rob Sternthal

Extremely smooth and supple. Much lighter and less complex compared to the Ovid. Excellent wine though.

Jim McCusker

Harlan's second label (don't have the coin to afford the first label!), this is a classic Napa cab. Intense nose of cassis with hints of vanilla, black fruits, and perhaps a trace of leather. Still a bit closed on the palate, this is a great example of a CA cab that will evolve into a great wine, but probably a few more years down the line. Not convinced on the quality/price ratio, but this is a terrific wine.

Richard Steinberg

Big, black, bold and beautiful. I love this wine.

Jonathan Epstein

Yum - blackberry jam, round and voluptuous

Stacy Stadnik

Took some time to open up, but when it did it punched me in the face. Fantastic.