Harlan Estate, Napa Valley Red, 1995 mosel-favorite in the Adriatic-facing Marche

in the Adriatic-facing Marche

yet grounded by a deep minerality

offering a bouquet of black cherries

and the kind of tension that makes Loire whites so compelling

a south-facing slope of limestone and clay famous for giving Pinot Noir both silk and structure

Harlan Estate, Napa Valley Red, 1995 mosel-favorite in the Adriatic-facing MarcheA soaking winter shattered the 1995 crop down to two tons an acre, and then a steady ripening summer brought the fruit in fully mature by late September, making this the rounder, more generous sibling to the taut 1994. Bill Harlan bought these 240 acres in the western hills of Oakville in 1984 and planted on steep, east facing slopes on the Mayacamas side of the valley, a site chosen for stress rather than ease; about 40 acres are under vine and the