Bond

The Bond winery’s story begins with H. William Harlan, previously known as a successful real estate developer. In 1986, he co-founded the Merryvale winery and soon after, he also established his own Harlan Estate. After the sale of Merryvale, he and his business partner decided to create an estate with vineyards. They are not in charge of the wine production themselves, they appointed a reputable team for that. And so the Bond winery was born.

Since the year 2000, Cory Empting has been Bond's winemaker and he is responsible for everything that happens in the cellar. The plots of land have been carefully selected, so that only the best terroirs are used. Over the years, the winery has worked with 80 different plots, but the best five vineyards have now been selected. The winery regularly buys grapes from other winegrowers too. The philosophy of the winery is to enter into a unique alliance with various winegrowers. The goal is to produce only wines from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that best express the unique conditions of Napa Valley, California.

Bond produces five grand cru wines: Melbury, Quella, St Eden, Vecina and Pluribus. Melbury owes its name to the historic district of London. This is where the owners live most of the year. The vineyard is located on a hill with a combined soil of mainly clay.

Quella is derived from a German word for a pristine water source. This is one of the properties of this plot. The soil originated from an old, elevated riverbed with boulders and tuff.

The third plot is named St. Eden and is located on a red rocky vineyard and covers an area of just under 4.5 hectares. St Eden made its debut in 2001.

The Vecina plot is named after the Spanish word neighbor. This name was chosen because the vineyard is located just southeast of the Bond estate on the outskirts of Oakville. Together with Melbury, these were Bond's first vineyards.

The last plot, Pluribus, comes from the Latin word many. This refers to the many facets and factors needed to make wine. Located in the Spring Mountain District, this lot is Bond's highest vineyard at 350 feet above sea level.

The wines are characterized by intense fruit aromas, elegance and long aging potential. The total production amounts to an average of 500 cases per wine per year. The wines have now become true collectors items and are therefore very popular worldwide. The best vintages are: 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.