2019 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red Wine Oakville Napa Valley 750 ml

When you open what Robert Parker said “might be the single most profound red wine made not just in California, but in the world,” you’re guaranteed impeccable quality. You expect a singular experience. But you can only hope for perfection.

Well, perfection is what the 2019 Harlan Estate delivers.

The product of an absolutely phenomenal Napa Valley vintage, this is a wine that does the impossible: It exceeds the expectations we have for one of the world’s most revered wines. Decanter called it “mesmerizing” in a 100-point assessment that makes this the only Harlan Estate wine, out of nearly two dozen, to earn a perfect score from the magazine.

The lucky collectors who claim this wine will thank themselves in one, 10, 20 years’ time. Dark crimson and deeply colored, it’s packed with aromas of cassis, blackcurrant, dark Amarena cherries, lavender, and fresh pipe tobacco. The wine is sumptuous and elegant on the palate, layered with boysenberry preserves, new leather, cut cedar, rose petals, and evergreen. The body is full and the tannins are ripe and balanced, displaying refinement and youthful power,

Harlan Estate began with a grand vision and a lofty goal—to produce a California First Growth from their Oakville terroir—and since the estate’s founding in 1984, they have far surpassed that original ambition. Robert Parker was smitten from the very first vintage, which he called “one of the most promising and profound Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines made in California.” As the quote at the top testifies, he’s since put his praise in even plainer terms.

We’ve been fortunate to taste many vintages of Harlan Estate, and they don’t get any better than this.