Promontory - Napa Valley 2014

Jamessuckling.com

99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe12/10/2019

This is a red with such incredible depth and beauty with a tannin structure that just melts into the glass. It’s full body, yet extremely tense and perfectly succent. Hints of bitter lemon, cedar and dark berry. Pine needle and spice with fresh mushroom. It’s reserved and wonderful. Tension and focus. First vintage aged in all cask. Impressive now but one for the cellar. New classic for Napa. Better after 2022.

Wine Advocate

99 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe9/30/2019

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2014 Promontory bursts from the glass with bold, brazen notions of crushed blackcurrants, black raspberries, wild blueberries and redcurrant jelly with a compelling perfume of rose hip tea, sandalwood, unsmoked cigars and dried lavender. Full-bodied, super intense and yet wonderfully ethereal, it has a firm line of very fine-grained tannins, tons of freshness and incredibly vibrant, crunchy fruit, finishing long with bags of energy.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe1/31/2019

Starting with the 2014 Promontory, this is a riveting wine in the vintage and will unquestionably be one of the longest-lived as well. Sporting a saturated purple color as well as a rock star nose of ripe blue fruits, crushed rocks, graphite, and leaf pencil, this monster of a wine hits the palate with full-bodied richness and depth, building tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a finish that won’t quit. Where most 2014s are already accessible and charming, this needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will be a 40- to 50-year wine.

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe12/17/2018

Wow. What stunning aromas of subtle blackberries, violets, dark chocolate, and terracotta. Very aromatic. Full body and layered tannins that are chewy and firm. Lots of hazelnuts and beauty. Pretty length. Exciting wine. Drink in 2022.

Vinous

100 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe12/3/2018

I knew it was only a matter of time before Davide Cilli would make a wine at Promontory that would represent the maximum expression of this rugged hillside site. The 2014 Promontory has been exceptional in the past, but it has also gained another gear or two over the last year, which is pretty much now standard for these wines. Stunningly delineated and precise, with tremendous purity and exceptional balance, the 2014 Promontory dazzles from start to finish. This is an especially translucent style, one that is more about persistence and balance than power alone. Stated simply, the 2014 Promontory is towering achievement from one of Napa Valley's most talented young winemakers. Kudos to the Harlan family and the winegrowing team led by Bob Levy and Cory Empting for creating the framework that allowed Cilli to craft this exquisite, riveting Cabernet Sauvignon.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe10/29/2018

The 2014 Proprietary Red is deep garnet colored with a beautifully perfumed nose of roses and lilacs over a core of kirsch, Black Forest cake, menthol and aniseed with a touch of cigar box. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with a very firm backbone of very fine-grained tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the bold, muscular fruit, finishing long and perfumed with mineral notes.

Vinous

98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe3/1/2018

The 2014 Promontory is simply stunning. Wow. Everything just clicks. Vivid, translucent and wonderfully expressive, the 2014 is all class. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the 2014 is how polished the tannins are for such a young mountain wine. To be sure, the first wines off this site did not offer anywhere near this amount of pure pleasure in the early going. Expressive floral and mineral notes add brightness to this sublime, gracious wine from Promontory. The 2014 is a total knockout. In a word: stunning.

Jeb DUNNUCK

98 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe12/29/2017

Tasted out of bottle, the 2014 Promontory Estate is a blockbuster that has more depth and structure than just about every other wine in this vintage. Huge notes of black cherries, white chocolate, candle wax, graphite, and white flowers all flow to a full-bodied, deep, structured 2014 that has beautiful tannin, perfect balance, and incredible intensity. It’s certainly accessible (no doubt due to the nature of the 2014 vintage) but this beauty will be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage.

Wine Advocate

96-98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe10/31/2017

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Proprietary Red gives up fragrant cassis, wild blueberry and violets notes with hints of spice box, dusty soil and underbrush plus a waft of tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, the palate reveals a wine led by structure and savory fruit, with firm, ripe, grainy tannins framing the savory layers, finishing with a lively herbal lift.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

the6/1/2017

The finest Promontory yet, this new project from the Harlan Estate team is very different from either the Harlan or BOND wines, hailing from a decidedly rugged hillside property and matured in large oak foudres from Austrian cooper Stockinger. Notes of cream plum, blackberry and raspberry mingle with hints of laurel and woodsmoke, framed by a gentle base of new oak. On the palate the wine's attack is rich and textural, but the fine but firmly savoury tannins and bright line of acidity make it more taut and edgy than its stablemates.
Drinking Window 2022 - 2040