- Country USA
- Region California
- Sub-region Napa Valley
The Mascot is an outstanding Napa Cab produced by the Harlan family from the younger vines of their three iconic properties: Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory. The Mascot started out as small, informal project – a wine to be shared among the family, winemaking team, and a handful of close friends. 2008 was the first vintage released to the outside world, in 2013.
Our own tastings have confirmed that the quality of the wine has only increased in the intervening years, under the stewardship of Harlan and BOND winemaker Cory Empting. The Mascot hails from vines of an average 5-12 years old, planted on hillside sites identified through the Harlan family’s tireless forty-year search for the very finest terroir in Napa. Each parcel across the three estates is individually vinified, and a barrel selection made after some 6-14 months.
The Mascot is aged for a total three years in barrel and a further 18 months in bottle prior to release. In the words of the Harlan family, the objective is a wine with ‘an athletic balance of energy and density… expressive and approachable early in its life with potential to evolve long into the future.’