Promontory is a high profile Napa Valley wine label consisting of a single red wine from Cabernet Sauvignon vines growing on Oakville's southwestern ridge. It is one of the highest priced wines made in California.
The 840 acre (340 hectare) property, isolated from other vineyards in the region, was purchased by the Harlan family in 2008. H. William Harlan had discovered it in the early 1980s while hiking the ridge but had been unable to acquire it. The fruit had previously been sold to other wineries. There are now around 80 acres of vines split across numerous plots.
Though only one Cabernet Sauvignon wine is made, it is a complicated blend. Because of the variations of soil, exposure and elevation, up to 70 different passes are made through the vineyard to pick fruit in optimum condition. This results in 30 or more distinct component wines being made and aged in barrel for a year before blending.
The blended wine is then further aged for several years. Unusually for the USA, Promontory use large casks from Austrian oak.
A large winery was opened in 2017. It combines industrial practicality with large spaces designed to host visitors and events. This represents a deliberate departure from the less accessible production facilities of Harlan Estate and Bond, the other labels owned by the family.
