The Mascot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, 2021

“From the younger vines of Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory”

Overview of the Wine
Although I grew up running around the winery, hand-turning de-stemmers, and eating grapes off the vines in our backyard, I never thought I’d discover my own passion in making wine. My family has been in the business longer than I’ve been around, but it was only a handful of years ago that curiosity led me beyond the event horizon of this world. It began with the experience of learning the complexities of blending wine in 2008, and progressed steadily until I found myself working in the cellar, handling barrel fermentation throughout the harvest of 2012. 

The Mascot began early on as an experiment, after talking the family and winemaking team into sparing a few barrels of wine—produced from our younger vines—to explore a blend of my own. In the first few years, before it had a label or a name, it was just a wine shared with friends and family. It wasn’t until the 2008 vintage, our first official release, that we had enough to share with new friends.

Winemaker
Will Harlan

Grape / Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes 
The Mascot is a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made from distinct hillside vineyards; specifically the younger vines of BOND, Harlan Estate, and Promontory. It started out as a small project shared among the family, winemaking team, and close friends. Drawing fruit from blocks of recently replanted vineyards, The Mascot shares a glimpse into the evolution of its parent estates: a youthful snapshot of their future… With an athletic balance of energy and density, The Mascot is expressive and approachable early in its life with the potential to evolve long into the future…

As the growing season approached, a relatively dry winter would usher in just over nine inches of rainfall from January through June. Temperatures were moderately cool during these months, but given the low precipitation, we decided to proactively reduce yields through pruning at the very start of the season—enabling our vines to conserve and focus available resources. The month of May brought flourishes of warmth when flowering began, and the vines, seeming quite happy with the state of things, carried through the remaining ripening season with flying colors.

The wine that emerged was at once supple and poised; its mantle of red fruit accented by dark details, like crimson velvet embroidered with fine violet threads. The tannins are smooth and sheer, with resolute acidity, lending to the palate a distinct classicism. The wine’s breadth gradually gathers itself from its periphery and focuses its energy toward a penetrating finish. This nobly proportioned structure is surprisingly approachable—especially for a vintage from the Napa Valley, whose wines are already renowned for their potential longevity.

Product size: 750ml