By the 2001 vintage, the vines at Harlan Estate were entering their 17th year of life and adapting to the method of dry farming that Bob Levy was working on. Average winter rains, a warm May and June, preceded a cool July when temperatures picked up, but by September, they’d fallen into the upper 21Cs for almost three weeks. Harvest had begun and then stopped to allow for more ripening, and was eventually finished by 4 October. Yields were a paltry 1.5 acres per ton (around 26.25hl/ha). At 22 years it was pure, exotic, contemplative, heady, and expressive. Everything is in balance. A tightly knit Cabernet Sauvignon with rich black currant and blackberry fruits, beautifully turned and loamy soil, gorgeous expressions of garrigue and mint, plump yet firm tannins, and a forever finish. A marvel of wine, in its prime drinking window, but ready to wow over the next two or three decades. 96 points

This wine, which first debuted in 1990, has probably garnered more perfect scores than any other Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2001 is just entering a young adolescent stage of development, exhibiting extraordinary nuances such as sweet, loamy soil and earthy minerality intermixed with some background smoke, black currant liqueur, plum, Asian spice and new saddle leather. Full-bodied, it possesses great intensity, with stunning flavors that are viscous enough to coat the mouth, but never become heavy or overbearing. The wine has a remarkable purity, concentration and intensity that should carry it for another 30+ years. This is already very promising, and for those who own it, I would suggest a good two to three hours of decanting prior to service. One of the great estates of California and in the world of wine is Bill Harlan’s beautiful vineyard, stretched across the steep hillsides of the Mayacamas Mountains, overlooking the Oakville corridor and valley floor in Napa. 100 points