Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2023 vintage. Light-medium body with excellent, back-end, enduring concentration without it being contrived or heavy-handed. Darting accents and flourishes throughout. Not the cheapest Merlot and it could still use a year or two but nice effort. Had been told at some point in the last few years that all the Merlot vines had been ripped out. Maybe they have and this is all purchased fruit? Difficulty remembering what lunch constituted tho so…4.1.26. — 22 days ago

with Pinotman

Ericsson

9.4

2nd of Grand Cru Bordeaux. Great wine with incredible aging potential. Cheers. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.3

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Let's bring Merlot back!

Dark inky in color with a short purplish rim.

Fruity nose and full-bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and very fruity.

Showing black currants, plums, cooked cherries, dried figs, cedar, vanilla, cooked raisins, chocolates, light earth, herbs, spices, dark coffee, peppercorn and licorice.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Napa Valley. Fruit forward and extracted. Rich, and in your face kind of wine.

Still young, and needs 7 years in the bottle to mature properly. Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

This 8-year-old is nicely balanced and dense, with enough acidity for the fruits. Complex with a nice mouthfeel. Big, bold and beautiful, with a teeth staining color. Not a good choice for a first date.

Wine Advocate 94 points.

The blend varies with each vintage. I've had the 2014 vintage a year ago, and loved it even more.

A great sipping wine that will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.6% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$160. — 21 days ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.0

Ok more or less. — 6 days ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

My friend @Dave had this recently and said it was drinking well so I pulled one of my bottles. I struggle to find food that good Bordeaux shines with. Maybe our cooking wheelhouse doesn’t click with it. In any event, AFTER dinner this wine seemed really good. Nose is developing some nice complexity, with dark cassis, roasted Persian spices, cedar, moist gray clay, a bit of sweet wafty smoke. Rich and softening nicely in the mouth, with cigar box and cassis/plummy flavors, and some flinty minerality in the finish. I almost always like wine with food better than just wine, but not this. This is really fine to sip and contemplate. Great value. — 10 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

More of a suave & polished version of LB that is showing well at 38 yrs. Notes of red & black fruits, spice box, earth, cedar, floral, leather & tobacco — 4 days ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.0

Lacks complexity but its a truly excellent bottle and is singing now. Really good wine that is long lasting in bottle. Classical style. — 11 days ago

with Jose, veronique and 4 others

Andrew Cullimore

9.0

Actually deeper colour than the 1962 and 1959 . Slightly more medicinal nose , touch of swimming pool , lightly herbal with some dried fruit . On the palate this has a drier profile , darker dried fruit , slightly astringent acidity and quite gritty , rustic tannins . Slightly dry on the mid palate , but good earthy tobacco notes . Quite dense and robust , showing good backbone and body . Reasonable length , with earthy , gritty finish . Quite dense and structured. Not elegant but quite impressive for a 76 year old wine . Now and over the next 5 or more years , though obviously won’t improve. — 7 days ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.9

Perhaps, the best 2007 Napa Cabernet I’ve had or can remember. From the first sip, it was a shut the front door moment.

The nose showed; dark cassis, blackberries, black, raspberries, dark cherries, and both plums. Dark chocolate to pudding, flowers that were dark, red, blue, wrapped in violets, caramel, softly, layered baking, spices, soft, cedar, leather, tobacco with ash, dark, cola and a circling sense of baking powder.

The palate showed me just how beautiful Cabernet fruits can be. A true example of perfectly ripe fruit, picked at exactly the right time. Beautiful, gorgeous blackberries, black, raspberries, dark cherries and black plums. An excellent barrel toast that created perfectly soft and layered baking spices, clays, wood shavings, leather cigar box with ash, perfect tannins that are M+ and sticky, soft, dry herbs, hints of mint, steep tea, withering, red blue florals w/violets, perfect acidity, excellently, knitted, softly structured, tension, balance for days and an amazing finish that goes on endlessly.

If there is one thing I learned tasting 6 Harlan’s is Bob Levy is one of the very best, if not thee best at managing Cabernet/Bordeaux blend tannins.

Tasting with Winemaker- Bob Levy & Managing Director-Don Weaver. — 5 days ago

Alexandre Pagliano

9.0

Dark rubi robe, no color evolution, reticent nose of cedar, tobacco and dark fruits. Its a small vintage but the wine is balanced and elegant, drinks well, with these more prominent tannins in better vintages, and lacking a bit of complexity. Its still one of the better 2002 bordeaux we had. — 12 days ago

with Jose, veronique and 4 others