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2015 Promontory Napa Valley Red Wine
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Critic Reviews
Insane aromas of lavender, blackberries, wet earth and ripe yet fresh fruit. Full body with very deep fruit, pine needles and hints of chocolate and cedar. Very long and wonderfully polished. This has wonderful depth and focus. Release in 2021. Better after 2024.
James Suckling | 99 JS
I was lucky enough to be able to taste a small vertical for this report. Starting with the 2015 Estate, this is still youthful and unevolved, but wow, it’s nevertheless a brilliant wine. Gorgeous notes of currants, mulberries, and black cherry fruits as well as lots of tapenade and leafy herb notes define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, sweet, polished tannins, and a great finish. It can be enjoyed today but won’t hit prime time for another 3-4 years. It should evolve for decades.
Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD
The 2015 Promontory has recently been released in the domestic market and is due for international release in spring 2021.
Deep garnet-purple in color, it has sprung to life since I last tasted it, prancing out of the glass with showy red currant jelly, black cherry compote and warm cassis notes plus hints of cinnamon toast, wilted roses, unsmoked cigars and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is rich and impactful, featuring layer upon layer of red and black fruits with loads of mineral sparks. The structure is rock-solid with firm, rugged tannins that are beginning to come into line with the flamboyant fruit, finishing with great length and a lively lift.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP
Usually an exotic wine, the 2015 Promontory comes across as much more laid back today. Time seems to be bringing out more freshness, aromatic lift and brightness in its fruit, which I don't really know how to explain given the intense heat of the year. It will be interesting to see where the 2015 goes from here. Today, it certainly appears to have a very bright future, although it does appear to be going through some sort of transitional phase.
Vinous Media | 97+ VM
Silky and polished on the surface with a delicious wild and powerful rusticity underneath. This gives lots of intensely ripe red fruit but also concentrated savoury elements - coffee grains, black chocolate, black olives and pencil shavings - that draw you in and sustain interest. Incredibly well made with excellent texture and weight on the palate offering body and length. A serious wine, less focussed on bright acidity but still youthful with clear freshness. A four week harvest saw 54 harvest passes by hand and 40 different vat vinifications - excellent haute-couture winemaking by the Harlan family. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.
Decanter | 97 DEC
A lush and seductive style, well-endowed with creamy-textured cassis, plum and blackberry confiture flavors that glide atop mocha, black licorice and Black Forest cake notes. There's a twinge of loam and flashes of bay leaf and sweet tobacco on the finish to keep this honest, but steers primarily in the direction of flashy fruit. A Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend. Drink now through 2035. 1,889 cases made.
Wine Spectator | 95 WS
James Suckling | 99 JS
I was lucky enough to be able to taste a small vertical for this report. Starting with the 2015 Estate, this is still youthful and unevolved, but wow, it’s nevertheless a brilliant wine. Gorgeous notes of currants, mulberries, and black cherry fruits as well as lots of tapenade and leafy herb notes define the bouquet, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, sweet, polished tannins, and a great finish. It can be enjoyed today but won’t hit prime time for another 3-4 years. It should evolve for decades.
Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JD
The 2015 Promontory has recently been released in the domestic market and is due for international release in spring 2021.
Deep garnet-purple in color, it has sprung to life since I last tasted it, prancing out of the glass with showy red currant jelly, black cherry compote and warm cassis notes plus hints of cinnamon toast, wilted roses, unsmoked cigars and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, the palate is rich and impactful, featuring layer upon layer of red and black fruits with loads of mineral sparks. The structure is rock-solid with firm, rugged tannins that are beginning to come into line with the flamboyant fruit, finishing with great length and a lively lift.
Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP
Usually an exotic wine, the 2015 Promontory comes across as much more laid back today. Time seems to be bringing out more freshness, aromatic lift and brightness in its fruit, which I don't really know how to explain given the intense heat of the year. It will be interesting to see where the 2015 goes from here. Today, it certainly appears to have a very bright future, although it does appear to be going through some sort of transitional phase.
Vinous Media | 97+ VM
Silky and polished on the surface with a delicious wild and powerful rusticity underneath. This gives lots of intensely ripe red fruit but also concentrated savoury elements - coffee grains, black chocolate, black olives and pencil shavings - that draw you in and sustain interest. Incredibly well made with excellent texture and weight on the palate offering body and length. A serious wine, less focussed on bright acidity but still youthful with clear freshness. A four week harvest saw 54 harvest passes by hand and 40 different vat vinifications - excellent haute-couture winemaking by the Harlan family. Drinking Window 2022 - 2040.
Decanter | 97 DEC
A lush and seductive style, well-endowed with creamy-textured cassis, plum and blackberry confiture flavors that glide atop mocha, black licorice and Black Forest cake notes. There's a twinge of loam and flashes of bay leaf and sweet tobacco on the finish to keep this honest, but steers primarily in the direction of flashy fruit. A Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend. Drink now through 2035. 1,889 cases made.
Wine Spectator | 95 WS
Wine Details for 2015 Promontory Napa Valley Red Wine
| Type of Wine |
California Red
: Whether it's Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah or Zinfandel, Californian red wine producers have a lovely habit of taking a varietal and expressing its essence in a unique, never before seen way. From Napa Valley to the regions south of Los Angeles, there's a red for everyone - and it's never too late to start exploring. |
|---|---|
| Varietal |
Proprietary Blend
: Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend. |
| Country |
US
: As one of the most prolific and innovative wine regions in the world, America is a joy to explore. Most wine connoisseurs will agree that the nation's finest and most compelling wines are being produced today, which means that we have front-row seats to one of the most inspirational stories in wine history. While other regions tend to focus on specific wine styles and have somewhat strict rules as to which varietals you could grow, areas like California have few such restrictions in place. As a result, creative visionaries behind America's most reputable estates have been able to develop compelling, unique, and innovative styles, with a level of terroir expression that rivals even France's largest giants. |
| Region |
California
: With a history of wine production that dates back to the 18th century, California currently sits as one of the world's most prolific and reputable wine regions. With an area as vast as California, you can expect a colorful collage of terroir profiles, a series of microclimates, and micro-environments that give the wine a unique, memorable appeal. The region's produce is far from homogenized in that sense, and it would take you countless hours to sample all of it. While the region boasts scars from the Prohibition era, it went through what can only be described as a viticultural Renaissance sometime after the 1960s. At that point, California went from a port-style, sweet wine region to a versatile and compelling competitor on the world market. Today, no matter which way your taste in wine leans, you can find a new favorite producer among California's most talented. Notable sub-regions include legendary names like Napa Valley and Sonoma County, places that any wine lover would die to visit. California's quintessential warm climate allows for incredibly ripe fruit expressions, a style that provides a stark contrast to Old World-inspired, earthy classics. Even where inspiration was clearly taken from staple French appellations, Californian winemakers put their own unique spin on the wine. |
| Subregion | Napa Valley |
Overview
| Producer | Promontory |
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