Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Harlan Estate needs a little coaxing to reveal captivating iron ore, red currant jelly, cloves and crushed rocks scents with a core of warm cassis, Black Forest cake and boysenberries plus a waft of pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, it has a firm, grainy texture with a lively backbone and loads of earthy layers, long and mineral laced. This should be one of the longer-lived wines coming out of the 2017 vintage.

The 2017 Harlan Estate is superb. Deep, inky and wonderfully expressive, the 2017 is impeccably rendered. All the elements come together effortlessly. The nervous tannins of the vintage are evident, but there is also plenty of sumptuousness. Time in the glass brings out a whole range of red-toned fruit and floral notes that are surprising for a year with massive heat spike. The 2017 is polished and sophisticated to the core. In a word: impressive.

Harlan Estate has two very distinct soil types: the hills to the east are of volcanic origin and the slopes to the west are sedimentary. The common thread across the property is the thin topsoil and the 360-degree exposure of the many separate blocks. After years in these poor but diverse soils, the vines have established themselves deep into the bedrock. Viticulture has always been as durable as possible, applying organic and biodynamic farming practices. Grapes are carefully sorted by hand and fermented in small lots in wood fermenters. With the lightest intervention possible, but careful attention throughout fermentations, the wine is then pressed-off into French barriques, with a balanced use of new and used oak, and aged for about 24 months prior to being bottled, unfined and unfiltered. Crazy price! And UK trade buyers have to agree to place the wine in hotels and restaurants apparently. Deep glowing crimson. Much more obviously ripe nose than the Shafer Hillside Select just tasted. Intensity is the name of the game – plus a concentration of ripe tannins that recalls a top left-bank bordeaux. It’s clear what the ambitions are here! A wine that seems less scared of tannin than most Napa Cabs. (JR)