Promontory

H. William Harlan discovered the land that became Promontory in the early 1980s while hiking along Oakville's southwestern ridge. It remained out of reach until the Harlan family acquired it in 2008; the land was bought in three parcels. The family made wine from the vineyard in 2008, its first year with the property, but was not satisfied with it; 2009 was the first harvest fully under the family's control and the first release. Promontory is one of three Harlan family estates, alongside Harlan Estate and Bond, and the family winegrowing business also oversees The Mascot, made from Harlan Estate's younger vines. Bill Harlan founded Harlan Estate in 1984 and, as of April 2021, continued to be active as founder and chairman.

• Land discovered by H. William Harlan in the early 1980s; acquired by the Harlan family in 2008
• Bought in three parcels
• Wine made in 2008; 2009 the first release
• Part of the Harlan family winegrowing business with Harlan Estate, Bond and The Mascot

Will Harlan, Bill Harlan's son, has headed the family's Promontory winery since 2017. In April 2021 he became managing director of the family winegrowing business, overseeing Harlan Estate, Bond, Promontory and The Mascot, while Bill Harlan continued as founder and chairman. At the same time Cory Empting was promoted to managing director of winegrowing. In 2017 Empting was to assume the director position at Promontory, having been winemaker for Harlan Estate and Bond under longtime director of winegrowing Bob Levy. In 2017 vineyard manager Mary Maher was restoring the vineyard by replanting underperforming vines block by block.

• Will Harlan: head of the Promontory winery since 2017; managing director of the family winegrowing business from April 2021
• Bill Harlan: founder and chairman (as of April 2021)
• Cory Empting: managing director of winegrowing from April 2021
• Mary Maher: vineyard manager (2017)

The territory lies in the foothills of Mount Veeder, straddling the borderlands of Oakville and Yountville, a quarter-mile south of Harlan Estate as the crow flies. It covers 840 acres, and the vineyard does not fall within the boundaries of any AVA. Two distinct fault lines run through the secluded canyon, roughly demarcating the boundaries between volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic soils, and this geology is stretched across 500 feet of elevation. Slopes average 40 percent, and less than ten percent of the land is under vine, set among forest and woodland. Approximately 50 acres are under vine, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with small blocks of Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, with a goal of 65 to 70 acres. Morning fog and slightly cooler air fill the narrow canyon on an almost daily basis.

• 840 acres in the foothills of Mount Veeder, straddling Oakville and Yountville; outside any AVA
• Two fault lines; volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic soils across 500 feet of elevation
• Average slope of 40 percent; less than ten percent of the land under vine
• Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small blocks of Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc

Each year the vineyards are harvested in 60 to 90 separate lots; the 2018 harvest took 95 passes, the 2020 harvest 96 passes, and in 2022 the 88 resulting lots yielded 52 discrete fermentations. In 2017 Empting's approach in the vineyard was do-nothing farming, the philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka's The One-Straw Revolution: no tilling, no soil ripping and no weeding, and the company did not pursue sustainability certifications. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeast, and vineyard pieces too small for a tank are fermented in barrel in a separate barrel room. After nine to twelve months in French oak barrels, the wines are blended and put into Stockinger Austrian oak casks of 820 gallons; the casks were introduced starting with the 2012 vintage. Current releases are typically released five years after their vintage date.

• Harvested in 60 to 90 separate lots each year
• Do-nothing farming after Masanobu Fukuoka: no tilling, no soil ripping, no weeding (2017)
• Indigenous-yeast fermentations; small vineyard pieces fermented in barrel
• Nine to twelve months in French oak barrels, then 820-gallon Stockinger Austrian oak casks (since the 2012 vintage)
• Released about five years after the vintage

The Harlans chose not to build a winery on the territory and instead bought an existing winery on Oakville Grade, 300 yards north of Harlan Estate; its address is 1601 Oakville Grade, Oakville. The building had earlier been Vichon in the early 1980s, later La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi and most recently Diamond Oaks. The new winery was designed by Howard Backen, with more concrete, steel and glass than Harlan Estate; construction began in 2012. Unlike Harlan Estate, which is closed to the public, Promontory receives visitors, each visit a one-on-one experience.

• 1601 Oakville Grade, Oakville, 300 yards north of Harlan Estate
• Former Vichon, La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi and Diamond Oaks site
• Designed by Howard Backen; construction began in 2012
• Open to visitors, unlike Harlan Estate

Two wines are made each year: the flagship Promontory and Penultimate, which includes grapes from blocks not quite ready for the Promontory bottling; both come from mature vines. Penultimate is produced in lower amounts, usually 600 to 700 cases each vintage. Promontory vintages have ranged from 1,000 cases to approximately 1,400 cases, and production is expected to rise to around 3,000 cases when more vineyards are planted. The wines typically contain small amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot, and the estate's vintage notes run from 2009 to 2022.

• Promontory: the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon-based red, first released with the 2009 vintage
• Penultimate: from blocks not quite ready for Promontory; usually 600 to 700 cases
• Promontory production: 1,000 to about 1,400 cases per vintage

Promontory's own account of its wines is that they reflect 'the native forests, the moisture of the ephemeral fog, and the minerality of the geologic underpinnings,' giving 'a natural balance of freshness, energy, and tannin.' Its vintage notes return to wet stone and graphite: the 2014 note cites 'hints of graphite, wet stone, and fresh spices,' and the 2015 note 'wet stone, graphite, lichen, and subtle laurel.' In Cory Empting's words, the wines 'scream purity and wildness.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.promontory.wine/, https://www.promontory.wine/wine/ and its vintage notes (data file https://www.promontory.wine/page-data/sq/d/160318083.json). Secondary sources: San Francisco Chronicle (Esther Mobley, published 2017-06-02): https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Bill-Harlan-s-game-changer-Promontory-winery-11191722.php; Decanter (Chris Mercer, published 2021-04-26): https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/will-harlan-napa-next-generation-takes-reins-456767/; The Napa Wine Project: https://www.napawineproject.com/promontory/. Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.