2010 Promontory

Nestled high in the hills behind Dominus, Bill Harlan's Promontory is one of the most fascinating estates in all of Napa Valley, as it represents a microcosm of geologies, soils, exposures and microclimates. It will probably be a generation before the true personality and potential of this site are understood. In the meantime, we have these wines to document Harlan's early stewardship of the land. Promontory is Bill Harlan's most experimental wine - not just because of the rugged nature of the terrain, but because it is here that the most adventurous vineyard and cellar techniques are being tried out. In the cellar, tasting Promontory from large ovals, the wine often recalls some of the great traditionally made, classic reds of Europe. As has been the custom now for the last few years, my recent visit included a retrospective of all the commercially released vintages.

Bill Harlan's newest venture is likely to make a splash in the marketplace when the 2009 vintage is released later this year.As they did at Harlan Estate, the team vinified and followed several vintages before even considering releasing a wine, and the 2009 is likely to be the first vintage in the market.Harlan believes that this sprawling 800-acre property deep in the hills south of Harlan Estate, straddling the Oakville/Yountville line, has the potential to make highly distinctive wines, owing to its multiple expositions and complex soils, including a parcel on calcareous soil, which is extremely rare in Napa Valley.Eighty acres are now under vine here, of which 40 are in production.Winemaker Corey Empting describes Promontory as a bit cooler in style than Harlan Estate, with a more rugged tannin structure.When I asked him how the wine would rate on the IPT scale used to measure total polyphenols in Bordeaux, where 80 is a high reading and 100 is rarely reached, he estimated 130 to 135, which is even higher than the Harlan Estate wine.The cap is punched down twice a day at the peak of fermentation, part of which takes place in barrel, but Empting does "a bare minimum of pumpovers."