Led by Will Harlan and winemaker Cory Empting (of Harlan Estate and Bond), Promontory is already a critical sensation that Karen MacNeil says “has set the wine world abuzz with anticipation."

In the early 1980s while hiking along Oakville’s southwestern ridge, H. William Harlan discovered an isolated territory. The hidden expanse — ancient and untamed — moved him deeply, but remained elusive until the Harlan family finally captured it in 2008. As the second generation explored and worked with the land, they began to make discoveries of their own. At the core of this wild terrain they found a powerful geologic convergence, which had shaped its steep, rugged topography, and created the conditions for an altogether exotic winegrowing environment. Over time they found that the dramatic landscape — just beyond the edge of the known — would slowly change them, and ultimately inspire a new endeavor: Promontory.

Promontory is truly a world apart from the Napa Valley that most people experience. Within this secluded canyon there are two distinct fault lines, roughly demarcating the boundaries between volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic soils. This diverse geology is stretched across 500 feet of elevation, on a multitude of dramatic slopes and panoramic exposures.

Wines from hillsides of Promontory reflect the many aspects of the territory: the native forests, the moisture of the ephemeral fog, and the minerality of the geologic underpinnings. These disparate facets in symphony provide a natural balance of freshness, energy, and tannin. We believe these traits, in wine, are the building blocks of great vitality and long life.

Aromas are diverse and complex, with no single primary scent standing above the rest. Some of the more subtle facets are beginning to surface: wet stone, graphite, leather, and fresh spices. Brighter notes create a tension in the nose that then transfers to the palate. In the beginning it is gentle and silky, developing slowly and purposefully into a synthesis of minerality, freshness, and vibrancy. The wine shows its potential for aging with a balance of structure and lightness, as well as a latent potential only to be revealed with time.

"Deep garnet-purple in color, it has sprung to life since I last tasted it, prancing out of the glass with showy red currant jelly, black cherry compote and warm cassis notes plus hints of cinnamon toast, wilted roses, unsmoked cigars and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is rich and impactful, featuring layer upon layer of red and black fruits with loads of mineral sparks. The structure is rock-solid with firm, rugged tannins that are beginning to come into line with the flamboyant fruit, finishing with great length and a lively lift. Drink 2022 - 2053.
98 points."
(Lisa-Perotti Brown, The Wine Advocate, January 2021)