Promontory: Bill Harlan's Mountain Masterpiece

The Vision Behind the Mountain

Picture this: you've already created Harlan Estate, one of California's first cult wines, commanding prices that would make a Bordeaux First Growth blush. You've launched Bond, a portfolio of hillside wines that showcases different terroirs across Napa Valley. You're in your seventies, you could easily retire to some Mediterranean villa and sip your own legendary wines whilst watching sunsets. But Bill Harlan? Oh no, he had other ideas, the absolute madman.

In the early 2000s, Harlan began acquiring parcels of land high on Oakville Grade, that dramatic mountain road that climbs east from Highway 29. By 2008, he'd assembled a 280-acre estate perched at elevations between 800 and 1,400 feet, with some of the most challenging, rocky, volcanic terrain you'll find in Napa Valley. This wasn't about expanding his empire – it was about distilling everything he'd learned into one single, site-specific expression of mountain terroir.

The first vintage was 2009, though Harlan and his team spent years before that studying the land, mapping soils, determining which parcels had the right stuff. They weren't in a rush – when you're creating what you intend to be your legacy, you take your sweet time. The wine wasn't released until 2014, after five years of patient cellaring and refinement. That's the kind of long-game thinking that separates the legends from the merely excellent.

The Man at the Helm: Cory Empting

Now, you can't discuss Promontory without talking about Cory Empting, the winemaker who's been instrumental in bringing Harlan's vision to life. Empting came to Harlan Estate in 1999, working alongside the legendary Bob Levy and later Don Weaver. By the time Promontory was taking shape, he'd spent over a decade immersed in the Harlan philosophy of meticulous attention to detail and uncompromising quality standards.

What makes Empting brilliant is his understanding that Promontory isn't just Harlan Estate 2.0 – it's something entirely different. The site demanded its own approach, its own timeline, its own identity. He's embraced biodynamic farming practices, treating the 280-acre estate as a living organism rather than simply a vineyard. There are sheep grazing between vine rows, cover crops enriching the soil, and a holistic approach to viticulture that would make Rudolf Steiner proud.

In the cellar, Empting maintains the same obsessive attention to detail that defines all Harlan projects. We're talking about sorting grapes berry by berry, fermenting in small French oak fermenters, aging in 100% new French oak barrels for nearly two years, and then extended bottle aging before release. The result? Wines of extraordinary power, precision, and longevity. Absolutely smashing stuff.

The Terroir: Where Mountains Meet Magic

Let's talk about what makes this 280-acre estate so bloody special, shall we? The Promontory property sits on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains, that dramatic range separating Napa and Sonoma valleys. The vineyards are planted on steep slopes with primarily volcanic soils – we're talking Hambright-Sobrante series, for you soil geeks out there – mixed with areas of sedimentary rock from ancient seabeds.

The elevation is crucial here. Between 800 and 1,400 feet, the vines live above the valley fog, getting brilliant sun exposure whilst benefiting from dramatic temperature swings. We're talking about 40-50°F differences between day and night during the growing season. That diurnal shift is what gives these wines their extraordinary balance – all that California sunshine ripens the fruit to perfection, whilst cool nights preserve acidity and allow for slow, even flavor development.

Only about 40 acres of the 280-acre estate are planted to vines – the rest is preserved as natural habitat, which is rather lovely if you ask me. The planted areas are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, naturally, with small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Merlot for blending. But make no mistake, this is a Cabernet-driven wine through and through, typically 95% or more of the final blend.

Tasting Notes: Power Meets Precision

Right, let's get to the good stuff – what's it actually like in the glass? Promontory is an absolute force of nature, darlings, but it's not some brutish, over-extracted fruit bomb. This is power with purpose, concentration with elegance, intensity with incredible finesse. It's rather like dating a successful barrister who also happens to write poetry and cook a mean coq au vin.

Appearance: Deep, almost opaque purple-black in your glass. This wine has presence before you even smell it. Hold it up to the light and you'll see that dense, saturated core with just a hint of garnet at the rim as it ages.

Nose: Absolutely explosive aromatics – we're talking blackberry, cassis, and black cherry compote, but there's so much more going on. Violet, iris, and rose petal bring floral elegance. Then come layers of graphite, crushed rock, cedar, espresso, dark chocolate, and sweet baking spices. There's an almost perfume-like quality to the nose, c'est magnifique. With air, you'll find hints of black olive tapenade, wild herbs, and tobacco leaf emerging.

Palate: Full-bodied doesn't begin to describe it. This is a wine of extraordinary density and concentration, but here's the thing – it's never heavy or ponderous. The tannins are massive but incredibly fine-grained and polished, like silk wrapped around an iron fist. Flavors of black fruits dominate – blackberry preserves, black plum, black cherry – supported by notes of dark chocolate, espresso, graphite, and exotic spices. The acidity is spot-on, providing lift and energy to all that power.

Finish: Seemingly endless. We're talking 60+ seconds of evolving flavors and sensations. The wine coats your palate but never feels heavy, leaving impressions of dark fruit, minerals, and subtle oak spice that linger gorgeously. You'll be thinking about this wine hours after you've finished your glass.

Critical Acclaim and Cult Status

Let's not beat around the bush – Promontory has received some of the highest scores in modern California wine history. We're talking multiple perfect 100-point scores from Antonio Galloni, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, and other top critics. The 2013 vintage? Perfect scores across the board. The 2014? Same story. These aren't just great wines; they're being discussed in the same breath as legendary vintages of Harlan Estate and even top Bordeaux First Growths.

But here's what's truly bonkers about Promontory: even with these stratospheric scores, you can't just buy it. Production is minuscule – we're talking about 1,000-1,500 cases per year from those 40 planted acres. That's nothing, darlings. And it's all allocation-only, meaning you need to be on the list, and that list is tighter than trying to get a reservation at The Ivy on a Saturday night.

The pricing reflects this exclusivity. Promontory releases at around $800-$900 per bottle directly from the winery, if you're fortunate enough to have an allocation. On the secondary market? We've seen bottles trading for $1,200 to $1,500+ depending on vintage and availability. The 2013 and 2014 vintages, with their perfect scores, have commanded even higher prices. This is serious investment-grade wine territory.

Food Pairing: Worthy Companions

Right then, if you're lucky enough to have a bottle of Promontory, you'll want to pair it with something spectacular. This isn't a wine for casual Tuesday night suppers – this is special occasion territory, darlings. The wine's power and structure demand rich, flavorful preparations that won't be overwhelmed.

A word to the wise: whatever you pair with Promontory, make sure it's the best quality you can source. This wine deserves premium ingredients treated with respect. And do decant it – young vintages particularly benefit from 2-3 hours of air to really open up and show their stuff.

Collecting and Cellaring

If you're fortunate enough to acquire Promontory, you'll want to treat it properly. These are wines built for the long haul, with the structure and concentration to age gracefully for 30-50 years or more. The early vintages (2009-2012) are drinking beautifully now but will continue to evolve for decades. More recent releases are still quite youthful and will reward patience.

Store bottles at 55-58°F with 70% humidity, lying on their sides in a dark space without vibration. If you're opening a bottle young (less than 10 years from vintage), decant it for at least 2-3 hours. Older bottles may benefit from gentler handling – decant carefully to remove sediment but don't over-aerate.

From an investment perspective, Promontory has shown remarkable price appreciation. The 2009 debut vintage, which released at around $750, now trades for $1,200-$1,500. Perfect-score vintages like 2013 and 2014 have seen even stronger growth. But here's the thing – these are wines you should actually drink, not just hoard. What's the point of having one of California's greatest wines if you're too precious to ever open it?

The Promontory Experience

Unlike some cult wineries that maintain an air of complete mystery, Promontory does offer a tasting experience – but it's as exclusive as you'd expect. The estate features a stunning hospitality center designed to showcase the property's natural beauty whilst providing an intimate setting for tastings. But you can't simply book a visit online; access is typically reserved for allocation list members and special guests.

Those who have visited describe an experience that goes beyond just tasting wine. The property itself is breathtaking, with panoramic views across Napa Valley and the surrounding mountains. The tastings are highly personalized, often hosted by members of the winemaking team, and include library vintages that allow you to see how the wine evolves over time. It's an education in mountain terroir, meticulous winemaking, and the Harlan philosophy of pursuing perfection.

Why Promontory Matters

Here's the thing about Promontory that I find absolutely fascinating: it represents the culmination of everything Bill Harlan learned over decades of making world-class wine. This isn't a businessman's vanity project or a brand extension exercise. This is a winemaker in the twilight of his career saying, "I know exactly what I want to express, and I'm going to pursue it with absolute dedication, regardless of cost or difficulty."

The wine industry is full of compromise – balancing commercial considerations with quality goals, managing production levels to meet demand, making wines that appeal to broad audiences. Promontory rejects all of that. It's uncompromising, unabashedly ambitious, and utterly singular in its vision. Whether you can afford it or even access it is almost beside the point – what matters is that wines like this exist, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

It also represents a particular moment in California wine history, when the cult wine phenomenon reached its apex. These are wines made without concern for price point or market trends, created purely as expressions of terroir and winemaking vision. Future generations will look back at bottles of Promontory as artifacts of an era when California winemaking achieved heights that rival anything in the world.