WS94 “The seductive creamy oak nuances have a dash of toast to complement the juicy dark berry, cedar, black licorice, gravelly earth and spicy floral and sage notes. Finishes long, pure and persistent. To be released spring 2016. Drink now through 2028. 945 cases made.” JL for WS Nov 2015

Robert Parker writes, “As one would suspect from the vintage style, the 2012 Matriarch is one of the strongest efforts to date for this cuve. The flamboyant, exuberant nature of the vintage serves this wine well, since it comes from the softer lots. This wine can be drunk now or cellared for another 15 or more years. Beautiful fruit such as cassis and blackberry are interwoven with forest floor, charcoal and barbecue smoke, all followed by an elegant, expansive and savory wine with very ripe tannin, adequate acidity, and a long finish. The color is a dense plum/purple and the wine delicious already, as well as complex, but capable of easily lasting 15+ years.”

This highly successful project of Bill Harlan and his team from Harlan Estate and his newest, luxury project, Promontory, includes his winemaker Bob Levy and consulting enologist Michel Rolland.” Published: Oct 29, 2015