Extremely fragrant at the cork's pull with gorgeous minty notes that turn to tobacco and bacon fat, currants, cigar box, and toasty cedar wood. You immediately notice this suppleness in the tannins, which have a billowy texture and give an incredible lift to the mid-palate. There is a vivid mineral richness of ironstone that lingers. A lovely curranty sweetness begins to envelop the palate, and the tannins turn almost powdery, still very fine, but powdery and billowy all at once. This wine is in a great place. It's a wine to drink now. Pull the cork and don't decant it, but swirl it around in your glass and taste it with each passing minute as it develops nuance after nuance. Readers may also wish to reference my review of 2011 BOND Quella, as I get into extravagant detail about the cold, rainy, foggy growing season. I tasted the 2011 BOND wines with Cory Empting and Will Harlan in February of 2024, and the wines were just remarkable.

The 2011 Harlan Estate is super-expressive and textured in the glass. Dark red cherry, plum, spice and new leather open up as the wine sits in the glass. Decidedly mid-weight and gracious, the 2011 impresses for its exceptional balance and sense of proportion. Harlan Estate is capable of myriad of expressions. In 2011, the more feminine side of the property comes through. Although not a blockbuster, the 2011 is incredibly beautiful, especially considering how challenging the year was. – vinous.com, MDec 2014

More dense, tannic, complex and fuller-bodied thatn Harlan's 2011 The Maiden is the 2011 Harlan Estate. Its plum/purple color is followed by a sweet perfume of camphor, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, Christmas fruitcake and hints of forest floor and underbrush. Deep, round and generous with silky tannins and a forward, evolved style, this beauty should drink well for 15-18 years.

Magnum. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, remainder: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot. Classically cool vintage with steely blue and purple fruits lifted by floral aromatics and carried across the palate by lengthy acidity. The acidity is slightly more apparent than in the younger vintages but it works well for the wine. Beautifully fine-grained, elegant tannin, well tempered by age. There is definitely more of a floral element here than in other vintages and it brings a lovely lifted component to the wine, but at the same time the wine is savoury and palate-stimulating. The combination of floral notes with savoury depth brings a lot of layers to an otherwise compact wine. It is also interesting to taste the 2011 alongside the 2012. While the 2012 feels pretty and lifted, the 2011 is a bit more thoughtful and reflective; both are nicely delivered wines but in very different moods. This is a wine to drink slowly as there is a lot to offer here but with a quieter voice. Quite distinctive in the line-up and lovely. I am a fan of this wine but also recognise it has a lighter feel and quieter mood, and more apparent acidity than others in this flight. (ECB)

Weaver described this vintage as underestimated at first. Very cool year, like 2010. But there was rain at flowering so yields were low and there was damp fog towards harvest which caused rot. But the airflow on the slope helped them continue to leave grapes on the vine to fully ripen. Apparently they had an intern from Burgundy who looked at the grapes and said they looked great. Winemaker Cory Empting on the other hand thought they looked terrible. He went on to explain, 'But when it went dry, it was lovely – with forest and resinous flavours – and we knew it was just a matter of time before the tannins softened. Today I wish we’d held the grapes on the vine a little bit longer. 2011 taught me a lot. I was a pretty OCD winemaker like Bob Levy before. I was so sure that every little thing in the winery made a difference. But this taught me humility.’ Yields were just 16–20 hl/ha. Very aromatic and pure. Strong terroir flavour on the palate – some balsamic. Quite a bit of tannin. Really rather European! (JR)