2015 Promontory Napa Valley Red Blend

JS99  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.

WA98+ This 2015 is being released in 2020. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Promontory opens with a slowly unfurling, incredibly profound nose of crème de cassis, blackberry pie, plum preserves and raspberry coulis with nuances of wild mushrooms, tilled soil, yeast extract, tapenade and cedar chest plus a waft of violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is built like a brick house, with a solid structure of firm, very ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the taut, elegantly played fruit, finishing with loads of mineral and earthy layers. Unlike any other 2015, I feel this wine has shut down just slightly and may well warrant a higher score when I come to taste it next year.

JD98+ Largely cut from the same cloth, the 2015 Promontory is another monster effort that will most likely merit a triple-digit rating in a decade and keep for half a century. Sweet cassis, graphite, mountain scrub brush, and dried earth notes as well as an incredible sense of minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated, incredibly sexy yet also structured Cabernet Sauvignon that has the upfront fruit and charm of the vintage but deserves 7-8 years of bottle age.