2000 The Maiden
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Tasting notes
The 2000 The Maiden reflects the softness and easy-going nature of the vintage. Attractive in a fruit-driven, earthy style with notions of dried herbs intermixed with espresso roast, cappuccino, white chocolate, and black currants, this modestly-endowed, evolved 2000 is best consumed over the next 8-10 years. Harlan Estate and its perfectionist owner, Bill Harlan, who is backed up by the peerless team of Michel Rolland and Bob Levy, is truly an estate of monumental aspirations that more often than not hits the proverbial bull’s eye. None of the wines produced since 1990 has yet reached full maturity. While the 2000 is their lightest vintage to date, it is no wimpy wine. As I have written so many times before, what makes Harlan such a singular tasting experience is that while it is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated offering from the hillsides above the Oakville Corridor, and it obviously has the power and extraordinary ripeness afforded by Napa Valley’s favorable viticultural climate, it has a degree of complexity that is only shared by a handful of other California Cabernet-based wines, and the finest Bordeaux. Harlan Estate represents exactly what a genius owner, who suffers no fools, and refuses to make any compromises, is capable of achieving ... is that a surprise? Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444
Critic scores
Robert Parker
About the producer
Harlan Estate is one of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious wine estates. It is one of a handful of cult Cabernet producers, whose wines are some of the most expensive and collectable in the region.