2012 Promontory, Napa Valley, Bottle (750ml)

JS100 "This is incredibly complex and complete with white and black-truffle aromas, as well as wet earth and blackcurrants. Then, it changes to tobacco, cedar and wild forest fruit. Dazzling complexity in both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, yet tight and harmonious. The tannins melt into the wine. Drinkable now, but one for the cellar. This estate could one day rival Harlan, which shares its ownership." JS Jul 2019

Robert Parker writes, "This 80-acre estate with 35 acres of vineyards high in the Mayacamas Mountains south of the Harlan Estate is another Cabernet Sauvignon project from Bill Harlan. It is hard to think of anything in Napa Valley as unexplored, pure wilderness, but Promontory Estate qualifies. I saw these wines last year, and now I’ve gotten the chance to see both the 2012 and 2013 again, and they are both even better than I had predicted when I tasted them last year. They are nearly all Cabernet Sauvignon with touches of Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot in them, and probably the best way to compare them to the wines of Harlan Estate or the Bond single-vineyard projects is to describe them as more like a Napa version of a great St-Estèphe such as Château Montrose thanks to their spicy, earthy characteristics, although I’m not suggesting there is any of the rusticity that one might expect from these mountain terroirs." Published: Oct 28, 2016