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96 AG. "The 2014 Penultimate is a wine of magnificent finesse and nuance, the same qualities that make Promontory so special in this vintage. There is a feeling of translucence that runs through the 2014 that is so compelling. Dried herbs, mint, leather, smoke, tobacco and wild dark cherry are some of the many notes that flesh out with time in the glass. I especially admire the wine’s tension, vibrancy and phenomenal finish. The 2014 is so impressive upon opening, but then shuts down quickly in the glass. A few more years in bottle will help soften the noble mountain tannins. About ten years ago Bill Harlan took me to a small winery a stone’s throw from Meadowood and The Napa Valley Reserve. He took out a set of maps and spread them out over a coffee table. “This is our latest project,” he told me as his eyes lit up. Harlan explained that he had chanced upon this property while hiking years prior and used evocative phrases like “the land” and “the territory” to describe a place that sounded like something out of the Wild West or a fairy tale, possibly both. That sort of mysticism is not often associated with Napa Valley, but Napa Valley can be that way once you move away from the well-known areas. That place was Promontory. I recently had a chance to taste the first three vintages of Penultimate, the newest wine from the property, with Will Harlan and Winemakers Cory Empting and David Cilli." Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, Sep 2020 |