BOND

BOND was founded in 1996 by Bill Harlan and winemaker Bob Levy, drawing directly on their decade of experience together at Merryvale Vineyards from 1986 to 1996. When Harlan sold Merryvale in 1996, he immediately channeled proceeds and ambition into a new project built on a simple but radical idea for Napa at the time: that individual vineyard sites, like Burgundy's grand crus, could and should be vinified separately to express their distinct character. The first vintage was produced in 1997 at Harlan Estate before BOND's own winery opened in Oakville in 2000. The first commercial release arrived in 1999, introducing Melbury and Vecina, the two inaugural vineyard designates. Over the following years, St. Eden, Pluribus, and Quella were added as each site proved worthy after years of evaluation.

• Bill Harlan and Bob Levy co-founded BOND in 1996 immediately after Harlan sold Merryvale Vineyards
• First vintage produced in 1997; first commercial release in 1999 with Melbury and Vecina
• Dedicated BOND winery in Oakville opened in 2000; early vintages made at Harlan Estate
• Approximately 100 candidate vineyard sites were evaluated over 30-plus years before the five portfolio sites were selected

BOND operates as a sister project within the Harlan family portfolio alongside Harlan Estate and Promontory. In April 2021, Will Harlan, son of founder Bill Harlan, was appointed Managing Director of the family properties, marking a formal transition to the second generation of family leadership. Bill Harlan retained his role as Founder and Chairman. Cory Empting, who joined the estate in 2000 and has served as Director of Winemaking since 2012, was elevated simultaneously to Managing Director of Winegrowing across all family estates, ensuring continuity of the viticultural vision. Bob Levy, the founding winemaker, continues in an active emeritus role. The Harlan family received the Golden Vines Award for Best Fine Wine Producer in the Americas in both 2024 and 2025.

• Will Harlan appointed Managing Director of BOND and family estates in April 2021, representing the second generation of family leadership
• Cory Empting has been Director of Winemaking since 2012, having joined the estate in 2000
• Bob Levy, co-founder and original winemaker, continues in an active emeritus role
• Harlan family estates received the Golden Vines Award for Best Fine Wine Producer in the Americas in 2024 and 2025

BOND's five vineyard sites span Napa Valley from Spring Mountain in the northwest to the eastern hills near Pritchard Hill, each bringing a distinctly different soil profile and topographic character to its wine. Melbury, established in 1999, sits east of Rutherford near Lake Hennessy on clay-rich soils and is known for floral, red-fruited elegance. Vecina, also established in 1999, is located in the western foothills of Oakville adjacent to Harlan Estate on alluvial soils, delivering structure and earth-driven complexity. St. Eden, added in 2001 near Pritchard Hill in Oakville, grows on gravelly alluvial ground and produces plush, powerful wines. Pluribus, the smallest and highest site at over 1,000 feet on Spring Mountain's volcanic bedrock, joined in 2003 and delivers deep intensity and firm tannins from its 7 acres. Quella, established in 2006 on volcanic tuff in the eastern hills near Pritchard Hill, contributes minerality and brightness from its 9 acres. None of the sites is owned by BOND; all are held under long-term evergreen contracts.

• Pluribus on Spring Mountain is the highest elevation site at over 1,000 feet, planted on volcanic bedrock, covering just 7 acres
• Quella is planted on volcanic tuff (white volcanic ash) in the eastern hills near Pritchard Hill, 9 acres established in 2006
• Melbury and Vecina are the founding sites, both established in 1999 and each approximately 11 acres
• All five vineyard sites are held under long-term evergreen contracts rather than owned outright; BOND maintains complete viticultural control

BOND's winemaking philosophy is rooted in Burgundian terroir expression applied to Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, an approach that was distinctive in Napa Valley when the project launched in the late 1990s. Every wine is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from a single vineyard, and each site is harvested and vinified in multiple separate lots to capture the precise ripeness of individual blocks. A single vineyard can require up to 17 separate harvests and vinifications within a single vintage. Vineyards are managed for 5 to 7 years under BOND's supervision before their fruit qualifies for the portfolio, ensuring that the team fully understands each site before committing it to a bottling. Production for each of the five wines is strictly limited to 450 to 600 cases per vintage. The Matriarch serves as a secondary label, blending fruit from all five vineyards into a single wine introduced from the 1999 vintage.

• All five BOND wines are 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, single-vineyard, produced in 450 to 600 cases per vintage
• Up to 17 separate harvests and vinifications may be conducted within a single vineyard in one vintage to capture precise block-level ripeness
• Vineyards are managed under BOND supervision for 5 to 7 years before fruit enters the portfolio
• The Matriarch, introduced from the 1999 vintage, blends fruit from all five vineyard sites as a secondary label

BOND occupies a singular position in American fine wine because it introduced a rigorous, Burgundy-style grand cru framework to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at a time when such thinking was nearly absent from the region. By committing to single-vineyard, single-varietal expression from sites evaluated over decades and managed with obsessive precision, BOND demonstrated that Napa could aspire to the same kind of site-specific terroir dialogue long associated with the great estates of the Cote d'Or. The wines regularly receive perfect or near-perfect scores from major critics, with the 2016 Vecina earning 100 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and the 2013 Pluribus named among Parker's 20 most extraordinary red wines globally. With production capped at under 600 cases per label annually and a waiting list model for allocation, BOND sits at the apex of Napa Valley collectibility. The winery continues to search for a sixth cru vineyard site to add to the portfolio.

• BOND pioneered the single-vineyard, Burgundy-inspired grand cru approach to Napa Cabernet Sauvignon when the project launched in the late 1990s
• 2016 Vecina received a perfect 100-point score from Robert Parker Wine Advocate; 2013 Pluribus named among Parker's 20 most extraordinary red wines in the world
• Fewer than 600 cases produced per vineyard per vintage; wines are sold by allocation with demand far exceeding supply
• BOND is actively evaluating sites for a sixth cru vineyard to join the portfolio, continuing the same rigorous multi-decade selection process