2019 Promontory Proprietary Red
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Tasting notes
What a stunning, well-structured wine. A perfumed and floral explosion of aromas on the nose. Notes of vanilla, sour cherries, rose petals and orange peel with chalky minerality. The palate shows intense but very well-balanced opulence, with sweet, fleshy, beautifully integrated tannins. This is a ripe, very plush and rich wine, with hints of red fruits such as pomegranate and cherries, alongside cassis and mint. Quite taught with wonderful acidity, great energy and tension. It is long and generous with intense minerality. Muscular and complex. A real showstopper but will need time.
Critic scores
Average Score
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Pencil shavings! This is textbook for classic Cabernet aromas. Incredible openness and complexity at five years old, and incredibly tempting to drink now – the fruit is so amazing. It really tells a story: there's such layering and interest. And length, too, a fine example of what persistence can really mean. (RH)
Tasted blind. Dark crimson with some evolution at the rim. Savoury, sappy nose. Very sweet, juicy start with admirable energy. Lots of fine tannin but the fruit trumps it and makes for a firm, spicy, beguiling drink – with food. Positively crackles on the palate. Neat, though not amazingly long, finish. (JR)
Classic mountain Napa with fragrant underbrush, mint leaf, sage, bay leaf, slate and pummice stone, a ton of fresh acidities that bounce under the tannic structure. So good, drawn out, intense, with personality and freshness, a highlight of one of my favourite recent Napa vintages. 12ha of steeply-sloped vineyard, Harlan family, David Cilli winemaker, director Will Harlan.
About the producer
Promontory is fast becoming one of the Napa Valley’s most important estates. The property was purchased by Bill Harlan (founder of Harlan Estate) in 2008, with the first vintage – 2009 – released in 2015.