Promontory
During a hike in 1980, H. William Harlan discovered a pristine and isolated area southwest of Oakville. William immediately saw the potential of the area, but for years the piece of land remained out of reach of the Harlan family. After years of lobbying, William was able to buy the area in 2008. William Harlan is certainly no stranger to the region; he also owns the cult wineries BOND, The Mascot and Harlan Estate.
It was initially thought to use the site for BOND or Harlan Estate, but because the grape bunches had such a distinctive character, it became a standalone project and thus Promontory was born. The vineyard is planted between two mountain ridges. The terroir is shaped by the high altitude, the daily morning mist, the forest and the soil composed of volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic elements. All these factors result in grapes with a unique character. The main focus at Promontory is cabernet sauvignon, but there are also small amounts of malbec, cabernet franc and petit verdot planted. In total, all plots cover an area of 30 hectares. This is only 10% of the entire plot.
Tuscan David Cilli is Promontory's winemaker. He uses 30 different tanks for fermentation. These are made of concrete and oak. Natural yeast cultures are used for fermentation. Instead of traditional barrels of French oak, large barrels of Austrian wood have been chosen for ageing. The wood maturation lasts about five years. The wine has an aromatic bouquet, full body and is very complex. In addition, is wine is very scarce, as only 3,000 cases are produced per year.
All of Promontory's vintages are phenomenal, but the 2016 stands out. This vintage was rated with no less than 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
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