Promontory

Bill Harlan first encountered the wild, forested land that would become Promontory while hiking in the early 1980s, long before he built Harlan Estate into one of Napa's most celebrated addresses. He could not acquire the property until 2008, when he purchased it from the Stotesbury family, whose prior tenants had included Girard Winery and Ladera Winery under its Lone Canyon label. Additional acreage was added in 2010, bringing the holding to just under 900 acres. The estate is conceived as part of Harlan's explicit 200-year plan for multi-generational stewardship, a model deliberately modeled on the great European wine dynasties rather than the corporate cycles common in California. The first commercial vintage was 2009; the inaugural 2008 harvest was made but never formally released.

• Harlan first saw the property in the early 1980s but did not acquire it until 2008
• Previous operators of the land included Girard Winery and Ladera Winery (Lone Canyon bottling)
• Additional land purchased in 2010 brought the total estate to just under 900 acres
• First commercially released vintage was 2009; the 2008 harvest was produced but not released

H. William Harlan serves as founder and chairman of Promontory, sitting atop a portfolio that also includes Harlan Estate, BOND, and The Mascot. His son Will Harlan joined as Estate Director in 2015 and assumed formal leadership of the entire Harlan domain in 2020, making Promontory an active test case for the multi-generational succession model the family has always described as central to its philosophy. Winemaker David Cilli joined the estate in 2012 and was formally appointed to that title in 2017, the same year the purpose-built winery facility was completed. Designed by architect Howard Backen in modernist concrete and steel, the winery features a circular barrel room and water elements integrated into the structure. The estate trains its permanent vineyard workforce through an internal program called Vine Masters, and no temporary harvest labor is employed.

• Will Harlan became Managing Director of the full Harlan domain in 2020; Bill Harlan remains Chairman and Founder
• David Cilli joined in 2012 and was formally named winemaker in 2017
• Winery facility completed June 2017, designed by Howard Backen with a circular barrel room and concrete-and-steel construction
• Internal Vine Masters program trains permanent vineyard workers; no temporary harvest labor is used

The Promontory estate occupies the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains at the Oakville-Yountville border, isolated more than 20 minutes by road from Harlan Estate to the east. Elevation across the planted blocks runs from 150 to 340 metres, and the property lies outside any American Viticultural Area boundary, a distinction that reflects both its remote topography and the Harlan family's preference for an estate identity over a geographic appellation. Soils are unusually complex because the property straddles two seismic fault lines, producing a convergence of volcanic, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types within a single estate. Only around 30-34 hectares of the 840-acre property are planted, with the remainder left as forest; the canopy and elevation together create a microclimate marked by daily morning fog and cooling afternoon airflow. Varieties planted include Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant component, alongside Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

• Located on east-facing Mayacamas slopes at 150-340 metres elevation, at the Oakville-Yountville border
• Property sits outside all AVA boundaries, officially non-AVA designated
• Two seismic fault lines run through the estate, mixing volcanic, sedimentary, and metamorphic soils
• Roughly 30-34 hectares planted from an 840-acre total; plantings include Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot

Promontory produces a single estate red wine in the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant style, with small proportions of Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot blended in. The vineyards receive up to 70 passes per season, an extraordinary level of attention that the estate attributes to its permanent workforce and the granular, block-by-block farming philosophy. Each vintage is fermented across 30 or more separate lots, allowing precise selection and blending before the wine enters large Austrian oak casks ranging from 425 to 845 gallons in capacity. The choice of Austrian oak over French barriques is deliberate, aimed at integrating the wine's tannin structure over the 30-to-36-month aging period without imparting dominant wood flavor. The wine is not released until 5.5 years after harvest. A secondary label called Penultimate is produced for wines at a near-final stage and sold only at the winery; The Mascot, co-produced with Harlan Estate and BOND from younger vines, forms a separate entry point for the broader Harlan portfolio.

• Up to 70 vineyard passes per vintage; 30-plus separate fermentations per vintage for precise lot selection
• Aged 30-36 months in Austrian oak casks of 425-845 gallon capacity, chosen over French barriques
• Wine not released until 5.5 years post-harvest
• Secondary labels include Penultimate (winery-only) and The Mascot (co-produced with Harlan Estate and BOND from younger vines)

Promontory represents the most deliberate experiment in the Harlan portfolio: a mountain-sourced, non-AVA Napa red made to a different rhythm than the valley-floor luxury norm. The Harlan family describes it as 'the missing shade of red,' more rustic, tannic, and acidic than Harlan Estate, which positions it as a distinct expression rather than a second wine. The 100-point scores from Robert Parker Wine Advocate (2016), Decanter (2018), and James Suckling and Lisa Perrotti-Brown (2021) confirm that critical recognition has followed the estate's uncompromising production model. At $850 or more per bottle and only 3,000-4,000 cases per vintage, it occupies the very top of the Napa ultra-premium tier. For wine students and professionals, the estate is a case study in the relationship between geological complexity, extreme viticulture, extended élevage, and the strategic rejection of appellation designation in favor of estate identity.

• Described by the Harlan family as 'the missing shade of red': more rustic, tannic, and acidic than Harlan Estate
• Perfect 100-point scores from Robert Parker Wine Advocate (2016), Decanter (2018), James Suckling, and Lisa Perrotti-Brown (2021)
• Non-AVA status reflects a deliberate estate-identity strategy rather than an administrative oversight
• Approximately 3,000-4,000 cases produced annually; allocation-only sales model at $850-plus per bottle