1998 The Maiden
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
The 1998 Maiden is prodigious. I know it is tempting to pooh-pooh second wines, but this is no afterthought from owner Bill Harlan and the winemaking team of American Bob Levy and Frenchman Michel Rolland. The 1998 Maiden (770 cases) possesses a dense purple color and a knockout nose of cocoa, prunes, blackberries, plums, and cassis. Spicy, with moderate tannin, and a viscosity and richness akin to beef blood, it is a gorgeous, concentrated, thick effort. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2018. Tel. (707) 844-1441; fax (707) 944-1444
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Saturated ruby-red. Vibrant aromas of black raspberry, shoe polish, sweet butter and sexy, spicy oak. Lush and sweet for the vintage, with enticing, nicely delineated black raspberry and black cherry flavors of very good depth. Shows a trace of the vintage greenness, but the flavors and tannins are impressively ripe for the year.
About the producer

Harlan Estate is one of the Napa Valley’s most prestigious wine estates. It is one of a handful of cult Cabernet producers, whose wines are some of the most expensive and collectable in the region.