History
Harlan founded the estate in 1984 and began planting in 1985 with two and a half acres, assembling adjoining parcels over many years. Vintages 1987 through 1989 were made and never released; the 1990, sold in 1996 at 65 dollars, was the first, and The Maiden followed from 1995. Bob Levy has made or overseen every wine as founding winemaker, with Cory Empting the winemaker since 2008 and Michel Rolland consulting; in 2020 Bill Harlan named his son Will managing director of Harlan, BOND and Promontory, the family's grand-cru-model sister ventures.
The Site
The 240 acre property climbs from about 225 to 1,225 feet, mostly oak woodland and conifer, with roughly forty acres of vines confined to the mid-slopes between about 325 and 525 feet, the band the team calls The Tenderloin.
Vines and Blocks
Cabernet Sauvignon leads with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot across the hillside blocks.
The Wines
Harlan Estate, some 1,800 to 2,000 cases with The Maiden beside it, is the reference point for Napa's proprietary-red ambition: dense, savory hillside Cabernet built on a generational timescale.