2015 Proprietary Red
By Harlan Estate
2015 Proprietary Red from Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, USA
If the year 2015 in Napa Valley wine-making could be embodied in a single glass, it would be this head-turning effort from Harlan Estate. Victorian poets once wrote verses to the tragic beauty of autumn, but the winemakers at Harlan went a step further and bottled it. Napa Valley's meteorological character came to the fore in 2015, with lower than average temperatures creating a longer ripening season for the vineyards, characterizing the vintage.
A Symphony of Flavours from Mother Nature
The year 2015 was one pigment shy of a full painter’s palette for viticulturists of the Napa Valley: winter droughts were tempered by timely precipitation; ideal spring conditions paved the way for an early and steady bloom, while cooler summer temperatures extended the cultivation deluxe—a masterstroke from Mother Nature herself.
Every sip of this 2015 Proprietary Red unfolds like a symphony. It has complexity, with unexpected harmonies and rhythms that keep exploiting your attention in unsolicited yet delightful ways. The exceptional vintage has resulted in a multi-faceted red blend that opens with voluptuous black fruit notes intensified by a hint of espresso and nuanced dark chocolate undertones.
Stars Align for a Stellar Investment
One often associates fine wines with serendipity—a harmony of timely rains and sun’s bountiful kiss. Though the weather did its due part, the true magic of 2015 Proprietary Red rests in the hands of the devoted vintners at Harlan Estate who elicited every drop of potential from this rewarding season.
If investing in fine wines from USA is a dance through variable climate, nuanced terroir, and diverse vintages, the 2015 Proprietary Red from Harlan Estate brings to life that symphony. This Resounding performance of natural elements and human crafting makes it a significant prospect for any discerning wine investor.
A glass of this 2015 Proprietary Red is a trip down memory lane, a return to that glorious Napa Valley year when stars aligned both in the heavens and in the vineyard rendering an investment-worthy indulgence of sensory delight. Harlan Estate once again proves itself a maestro in transforming the raw material of nature into an opulent orchestra of flavors that lingers on your palate long after you've put down your glass.
Market price (GBP)
£11,960.00
12x75cl
Highest score
100
POP score
598
Scores and tasting notes
Bottled in early 2018, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Harlan Estate is a little closed, slowly unfurling to reveal black cherries, crème de cassis and plum pudding with nuances of potpourri, baking spices and tilled soil plus wafts of garrigue and wild sage. The palate is full-bodied and concentrated with exquisitely ripe, fine-grained tannins and fantastic poise and depth with a long, decadently fruited finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 29 October 2018