The rich honey and apricot nose lured us in to a round mouthful of peach, honeysuckle and bright apple. The thickness of flavor contrasted by the acid's high notes left us all pleasantly reminded of how remarkably these Mt Harlan Chardonnays will age. A big WOW!

From Wine Spectator of July 31, 2005: "An alluring style that combines ripe, firm black cherry and sour cherry fruit with a mix of spices, giving it a touch of nutmeg and hazelnut. Tannins are firm on the finish, giving it an excellent structure. Drink now through 2011. 91 points." And WineSkinny.com, Aug.- Sept. 2005: "Rich ribbons of flavors include focused black cherry, blackberry, allspice, sweet earth, roasted nuts, and nicely integrated toasty oak. Continues to evolve through the long, lush finish. Ready to drink now and over the next five or six years."

Bottled: May 20 & 21, 2003
Produced: 1,097 cases
Alcohol: 14.2%

The great Robert Parker tasted this wine in April, 2003, and described it Nov. 10, 2003 on eRobertParker.com as follows: "Low yields of 1.1 ton of fruit per acre (16.5 hectoliters of wine per hectare of vineyard) result-ed in a medium ruby-colored Pinot offering a big, sweet nose of straw-berries, cherries, spice box, and cloves. Medium to full-bodied, with moderate tannin, this pure, earthy, concentrated effort needs another 1-2 years of cellaring. It should drink well for 10-15 years. 90+ points." WineSkinny.com on Nov. 22, 2004, described it thusly: "Mocha-scented blueberry and ripe cherry flavors, pick up allspice and a dash of funky earth. Dusty tannins are offset by a nice, bright acidity and lengthy fin-ish. Ready to drink now and over the next five or six years."

Bottled: March 28, 2002
Produced: 917 cases
Alcohol: 14.6%

Similar to the 1994 in its briar-ness, this 1996 simply adds a mild chili pepper and a handful of blueberries to the aroma. Darker in color and deeper in flavor, this younger brother is different by its heft, hinting toward a long future ahead. Blackberry and black pepper flavors ask nicely for a menu with venison. The finish just keeps going and going with those berries, a dose of limestone minerality and persistent tannins. Very thought-provoking!

A bit of briar and bramble, and the faintest hints of anise and coffee pull you in to take the first sip. Here the black cherry and plum leave you second guessing the vintage. The texture is silky and lovely but gently grabs your tongue with surprising tannins and asks for a little more breathing time to open up further.

This is a fabulous pinot: intense yet nuanced, powerful while at the same time showing great harmony and balance. The tannins in all our ’97 single-vineyard pinots are much softer than in most of our other vintages, making this wine, the three other single-vineyard pinots, and especially the ’97 Mélange Mt. Harlan Pinot, smoother than the norm at their current age of just over 4 years.

Bottled: February 23, 1999
Produced: 801 cases
Bottle sizes: 750ml, 375ml, 1.5L, 3L