Growing Season
The beginning of the season sometimes foreshadows the remainder, but this was not the case in 2018. An unusually warm winter leading into the growing season prepared the vines for budbreak in mid-February. This anomaly of warmth came abruptly to a halt at the end of the month, when 10 to 12 inches of rain fell by the start of April, returning conditions within the territory to their cool average. Moderate temperatures ushered in a consistently mild summer of fair days, cool nights, and blankets of fog; allowing the vines to ripen their clusters slowly and evenly. Although harvest began on September 10th, the activity was gradual and deliberate, consisting of 95 passes, the last of which took place on October 23rd, making the 2018 harvest one of our longest.

Tasting Notes
Just after fermentation, the 2018 vintage of Promontory already reflected the gentle, extended growing season, showing uncommonly detailed tannins. During its many months in the cellar, the wine has retained its effusive brightness and fresh acidity while continuing to acquire elevated nuance and bringing forward its many facets. Blue-fruit aromas, as well as pleasantly resinous qualities, accompany a fresh, cool note that rises to greet the nose. The wine’s lifted and profound dimension emanate outward from a center of almost ethereal form. Although the fine-grained tannins introduce an element of restraint to this translucent radiancy, the intrinsic nobility of this wine persists at each stage of its measured procession across the palate to the finish.