William Harlan had the unique vision, passion, and determination to produce a California red wine with the riveting identity and exceptional quality of the Bordelais First Growths. Now one of the most sought-after wines in the world, Harlan Estate is the result of an exhaustive twenty-year vineyard search culminating in the early 1980s in the patchwork acquisition of 230 acres above Napa's fabled Rutherford-Oakville benchlands. The land here is truly magnificent, and oak-studded knolls and valleys still dominate a landscape largely bereft of vines. Only 40 vineyard acres are planted: Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Merlot (20%), Cabernet Franc (8%), and Petit Verdot. Estate viticulture is uncompromising and Harlan enjoys only half the juice yields of Latour, Lafite, Margaux, Mouton, and Haut-Brion.

William (Bill) Harlan: “This transition zone between the wild terrain of the forest and the open plain of the valley is where we planted the vineyards, built the winery, and established our home. This is the edge of the change, and where we experience the activities of nature the most. I think that much of the character of the wine comes from the fact that the vineyards are carved from—and next to—these wild lands, this forest, and these woodlands. It's a good metaphor for life, as well as for our winegrowing philosophy."