A Note From Will Harlan
The Mascot began as a family wine, initially unnamed and unlabeled—a wine made for and poured at our own table, and shared with close friends.
My father began in the wine business here in the Napa Valley more than 40 years ago, when he established a long-term vision, with the founding of Harlan Estate—the first of our three distinct winegrowing endeavors. Fifteen years later, we released the initial vintage from the BOND winery— where we produce five wines from five very small hillside vineyards within the Napa Valley. Nearly a decade after that, we had the opportunity, finally, to capture the land that would become Promontory, and mark the beginning of our quest there for the missing shade of red.
1984
Harlan Estate
Harlan Estate was founded in 1984 by H. William Harlan, within the western hills of Oakville in the Napa Valley. The guiding vision was to produce a wine that would someday be welcomed at the table of the fine wines of the world—in essence, to create a “First Growth" of California.
1996
BOND
BOND comprises a small portfolio of wines that are diverse in their geographic representation and 'Grand Cru' in quality, all under the aegis of one philosophy, one team, one mark—a shared commitment to producing only the best expression of the land through the lens of cabernet sauvignon.
2008
Promontory
Hidden among the western borderlands of Oakville and Yountville, the wildlands of Promontory—often referred to as the ‘territory’—are formed around a singular island of metamorphic rock, quite unlike the sedimentary and volcanic geologies that are found elsewhere in the Napa Valley.
The Mascot traces its pedigree directly from these three endeavors, drawing its fruit from the younger vines of Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory into a singular expression of Napa Valley’s hillsides, through the lens of our culture and winegrowing philosophy.
It would take a few years of convincing, before I was able to win over my family and our winegrowing team to the idea of making this wine available beyond our own table. The first, very small vintage of wine released with a label and a name, was 2008. There are a few bottles of 2007 still floating out there—though please forgive any inconsistencies in the label application of this vintage as each one was hand-applied by me.
The common thread that guided our choice of a name and label for The Mascot was a shared appreciation and love for canines, yet two specific (historical) dogs would inspire The Mascot’s identity. The first is an English bull terrier named Kid, protagonist of The Bar Sinister, a classic tale written by one of America’s greatest war correspondents, Richard Harding Davis, in 1903. An original copy of this book, a short story, was handed down by my grandfather and has long been a part of our lives.
32.7959° N, -96.8197° W
The second cue—the source of the label’s image—was an engraving of another English bull terrier of that same era named Prince, featured on a stock certificate of the Farmers Deposit National Bank of Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. He lived as a beloved fixture at the bank and within the community, representing their culture and values, and relationship with their farming clients.
Both of these four-legged figures remind us that true honor lies not in quarterings or heraldry but in the abiding courage and generosity of spirit that open new doorways of understanding.
Today, The Mascot stands on its own, having far exceeded our early hopes and expectations for the wine we capture in the bottle. We feel it has earned its place within our long-term vision, and has become an indelible part of our lives.
38.4232° N, -122.4065° W
2024.03.24
Dig Deeper
Field Notes
Field Notes offers a deeper look into the people, places, and ideas that inspire The Mascot. It's where the stories behind the wines unfold: quiet reflections, lasting influences, and moments that shape the journey.
