History
In 1984, H. William Harlan, a real estate developer and Napa Valley resort owner, purchased a 230-acre (93 ha) property, a forested area, with steep hillsides, multiple elevations and exposures, west of Martha's Vineyard in Oakville, and proceeded to clear 30 acres (12 ha) for viticulture, with Harlan's expressed ambition to "create a first growth wine".
The first Harlan Estate wine label, a design inspired by a 19th-century engraving which was overseen by retired U.S. Treasury engraver Herb Fichter, was 10 years in the making, from when Bill Harlan first started his search for an engraver to the release of the 1990 vintage in 1996. On its qualities, Harlan has stated, "It was a label designed for a bottle that would sit on a table in candlelight, not on a store shelf."
Described by Jancis Robinson as "one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century", and consistent acclaim from Wine Spectator, and Robert Parker, including four scores of 100 "parker points", have further contributed to the wine's high prices and long waiting lists. Released at $245 per bottle, the price soon rises on the speculative market, and the cost may range from $450 to $2,000. A 10-vintage vertical selection of magnum bottles sold at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction for $700,000.
The winemaker Robert Levy, has worked with Harlan since 1983 when Harlan took part in founding the Merryvale Winery, and since 1989 the estate has retained Michel Rolland as consultant enologist. Construction of the current winery was completed in 2002.
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