Our tasting group put together a tasting of the best 1995 and 1996 California Cabernet Sauvignon wines and this was the wine of the tasting, and for good reason! – Sublime in every sense of the word, the wine delivers a beautiful, sexy, silky, delicious, never ending mouthful of decadently, perfectly ripe fruit. The nose is intoxicating, the appearance is youthful and the finish lingers and expands for close to 50 seconds! This is a benchmark for California Cabernet Sauvignon. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=1995&wine=Harlan%20Estate

The 1995 Proprietary Red Wine is almost as perfect as the 1994. It has gotten even better in the bottle and remains one of the most remarkable young Cabernet Sauvignons I have tasted. The wine a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot was aged in 100% new oak which adds subtle pain grille/toasty scents. This opaque purple-colored Cabernet offers up a nose of smoke coffee beans black and blue fruits minerals and roasted herbs. It is extremely full-bodied with spectacular purity exquisite equilibrium and a seamless personality with everything in total harmony. The finish lasts for more than 40 seconds. This extravagantly rich profoundly complex 1995 will give its 1994 sibling a run for its money. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2027. Proprietor Bill Harlan his winemaker Bob Levy and consultant Frenchman Michel Rolland continue to produce what may be the single most profound wine in California. This wine possesses all the elements of greatness - individuality power combined with elegance extraordinary complexity remarkable aging potential and compelling richness without ponderousness. The vintages produced to date give signs of improving in the bottle for 20-30+ years. In 1995 a second wine which has not yet been named has been produced which allows the selection process to be even more severe once the 35-acre vineyard is in full production. Recent production has been 1500 cases for the 1994 1200 cases for the 1995 1500 for the 1996 and approximately 2500 cases for the 1997. Many readers who have been on the waiting list for Harlan Estate may finally receive an allocation in 1997. This year produced the highest yields to date (a still modest 2.7 tons per acre) at this hillside vineyard.

Tight sturdy and slow to evolve with firm concentrated dried currant sage plum tobacco and black cherry flavors gaining depth and nuance while retaining a sense of elegance and finesse.--Non-blind Harlan retrospective (2010). Drink now through 2018. 1185 cases made. -JL

The 1995 Harlan Estate is a massive, luscious wine, laden with blackberry fruit, mocha and more evolved aromas of plums and cedar. This packs quite a textural punch, and while at 22 years of age it is remarkably fruit-forward it is by no means monolithic. While my preference is for what I sense are the more refined, detailed and savoury qualities of more recent vintages, there is no denying this wine's hedonistic appeal and monumental scale!