By Bob Levy & Martha McClellan
Winemaker of Harlan Estate
Library Reserve Pre-arrival Offer Ex-Chateau
Levy & McClellan Winery, planted in 1999, is a wine birthed by
Bob Levy and
Martha McClellan. Spending years searching for the right plot with the right soil to plant the grapes, Bob and Martha wants a wine that express the highest level of quality and expression of the terroir where they grow with the least amount of input and manipulation during vinification.
Bob Levy has been the winemaker at
Harlan Estate since its beginning, and, along with owner Bill Harlan, is in the process of making Bond as prodigious as Harlan Estate. Many people, including those owners of Bordeaux chateau, regard Harlan Estate as the
1st growth of California.
Martha McClellan has been the winemaker for Napa Valley superstar cult wineries,
Blankiet and
Sloan.
Robert Parker claimed “
The goal to produce world-class wines at Blankiet Estate has been accomplished, combining the extraordinary power of the site with unbelievable elegance and definition.”
“These efforts are produced by two quiet, somewhat reclusive individuals with extraordinary resumes, limitless talent, and a perfectionist, nearly obsessive attitude toward making world-class wines.” - Robert Parker
Robert Parker 95+: “Levy and McClellan's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, which spent 26 months in new oak (mostly Taransaud), is developing at an incredibly slow rate. Its opaque ruby/purple color is accompanied by beautiful aromas of roasted coffee, melted chocolate, creme de cassis, burning embers, camphor, and a hint of cedar. On the palate, the wine combines considerable substance, power, and extract with a sense of harmony as well as elegance. Black currant, blackberry, and gamy, meaty notes are also present in this full-bodied effort with an incredibly long finish. The wine is just beginning to shed some tannin and become accessible. It will benefit from another 4-5 years of bottle age, and will easily last for three decades or more.”