2017 Promontory Proprietary Red

From the Harlan family, one of the most respected names in Napa, Promontory represents a singular vision: to express a completely distinct, previously undeveloped territory on the western edge of Oakville. Discovered in the 1980s but only launched as its own estate in 2008, the vineyard sits on dramatic terrain, far removed from the valley floor and carved by geologic fault lines. The site’s complexity, elevation, and isolation set it apart from anything else in the region, and the team behind Harlan Estate and Bond have spent years unlocking its potential with patient, detail-oriented farming and restrained winemaking. This is not just another Napa label, it’s a project that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible from the region.

Other Reviews....
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Promontory has a wonderfully fragrant nose of baked blackberries, plum preserves and black currant pastilles with an undercurrent of star anise, violets, espresso and tilled earth. Medium to full-bodied, it is soft-spoken and elegantly styled in the mouth, featuring skillfully managed, grainy tannins and bags of juicy black fruits, finishing long, earthy and remarkably energetic. This is certainly among the most profound of the 2017 Napa Cabernets and for followers of this vineyard, not one to be missed. Drink 2024-2054.
97 points
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2017 Promontory is vibrant, focused and bristling with energy. Bright red-toned fruit, spice, crushed rocks and flowers convey energy, with floral notes that continue to open with aeration. This is an especially mid-weight, nervous vintage for Promontory, and yet all the elements are so well balanced. The 2017 is going to be a spectacular wine, in a number of years. This is one of its best showings. Drink 2025-2042.
97+ points
Antonio Galloni - Vinous

Blackcurrant, tar, lead pencil and dark fruit. Full-bodied with resin, dark-berry and redwood undertones and firm, fine tannins. Salty. Leaner than some, but so long and bright. Vertical elegance here. Needs three to four years to soften and open.
98 points
James Suckling

Showing consistently, the 2017 Promontory has to be one of the greatest 2017s from Napa out there. Showing the full-bodied, elegant style of the vintage, it offers a beautiful perfume of ripe red and black currants, smoked tobacco, savory dried herbs, and scorched earth. It’s certainly accessible today, with ripe, integrated tannins, yet it has the balance and concentration to evolve for another two decades. Drink 2023-2043.
97 points
Jeb Dunnuck

Lovely fragrance to the nose, smells inviting. Lifted and fresh straight away, this has focus and is quite straight at the moment, linear with a precision that keeps it quite tight from start to finish. You can sense the detail and the definition to the fruit - herbal spiced red berry fruits with tons of liquorice giving a sweet, sticky aspect and some fresh mint notes too that come in towards the end. Feels well handled, it's quietly confident with no excess, it certainly doesn't shout loudly but it's well balanced and captivating. Markedly different to some of the other Napa Cabernets. Drink 2025-2046.
98 points
Georgina Hindle - Decanter