2007 BOND Pluribus

Saturated medium ruby. Captivating floral lift to the aromas of inky black cherry and mint. Thick, chewy and sweet; a hugely tactile wine with its dark fruit intensity leavened a bit by a savory element. Finishes a bit youthfully clenched, with huge but ripe tannins and excellent length. Not the most elegant style of Cabernet but a classic example of Spring Mountain. (ST)

The 2007 Pluribus (the highest elevation vineyard of all these parcels) exhibits tell-tale Spring Mountain characteristics of acacia (or is it violets?) flowers interwoven with blueberry liqueur, black raspberries, cassis and crushed rocks. A wine of great intensity and full-bodied power yet with a freshness and delineation that are remarkable, this stunning wine should drink well for 25-30 years. Bond is the extraordinary project of Harlan Estate’s proprietor, Bill Harlan. In essence, what he does along with his winemaker, Bob Levy, and his team, is to identify outstanding vineyard sites in specific viticultural regions of Napa Valley, sign the owners to long-term (20 years) leases, and produce essentially 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines from these sites. As I have written in the past, all of these offerings represent world-class Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa meant to endure 30 or more years of cellaring should one have the patience to wait that long. There are five separate vineyard sites in the Bond portfolio. Melbury comes off steep slopes just north of Lake Hennessy, east of Rutherford. It is a seven-acre hillside vineyard planted in compressed clay and sedimentary soils. The Pluribus (which I have mistakenly referred to as E Pluribus in some past reviews) comes from a high elevation (over 1,000 feet) site on Spring Mountain on the west side of Napa Valley. The northern-most parcel in the Bond portfolio, it is a seven-acre vineyard planted in pure tufa volcanic bedrock. The most southernly situated vineyard is Vecina, which is the nearby neighbor of Harlan Estate. These are western hillsides of Napa Valley overlooking the Oakville Corridor to the north and Yountville to the south. It is an 11-acre parcel planted at an elevation of 200-330 feet. St. Eden is the only valley floor vineyard. It is composed of 11 acres just north of the Oakville Crossroad planted in gentle foothills. The Quella vineyard is a nine-acre site in the eastern foothills of St. Helena planted on an old alluvial riverbed of cobble and rocks intermixed with the white tufa soils of volcanic origin. All the 2007s have been bottled after receiving essentially the same time in barrel, usually in excess of two years (the same as the Harlan Estate cuvée). The 2008s were all tasted from barrel.

(from a knoll facing southeast and northeast about 1,200 up Spring Mountain Full medium ruby. Extremely backward nose hints at dark fruits, fresh herbs and tomato leaf. The least velvety of these wines on the palate, and the most herbal today, with primary fruits in the deep background. Intriguing notes of mint and humus emerge with aeration. This powerful wine has a deep sweetness but its very firm-edged tannins really grip the teeth and will need time to come into harmony. Seems less dense and superripe than the 2006 example but may ultimately prove to be more elegant. The odd man out in the line-up today owing to its harder tannins.