The Mascot Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2020

Since its inception in 2008, The Mascot has been the continuation of the Harlan family legacy. Will Harlan, Bill Harlan’s son, wanted to introduce the Harlan experience to a broader audience. He spent years alongside the Harlan winemaking team (winemaker emeritus Bob Levy and winemaker Cory Empting) as they crafted the BOND, Harlan Estate, and Promontory wines through countless meticulous blending sessions. From these three wineries under the Harlan umbrella, the team isolates the best lots from adolescent, 5 to 12-year-old vines which are (by any definition) top-tier wines but which ultimately will not be blended into the final wines from those estates. From that unbelievable source material, the team has crafted another spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon of remarkable character, structure, charm, and superb aging potential for The Mascot. More accessible in both style and price, the Mascot provides a unique glimpse into the evolution of these revered winegrowing estates!

There is much about the Harlan's viticulture and winemaking program that make the estate a true leader in both the luxury market and industry trends, but one of the most unique elements of their practices is called the Vine Master Program. For decades now, Harlan has farmed their estates with a full-time, in-house crew. Their approach to farming has an incredible human element with a goal of approaching their vineyards vine by vine. In order to achieve this level of understanding, they coach their viticulture team up to a level of mastery at which point that person is assigned a specific block of the vineyard that they are then responsible for during the tenure in the company. In this way, each block and each vine gets incredibly detailed attention, and are farmed under the astute attention of someone who knows those vines better than anyone else.

In addition to the Vine Master Program, Harlan has spent the last two decades engaged in steady research and viticulture progress that has enabled the Harlan vines to begin to achieve tannin and textural ripeness earlier in the season. This fact, along with the drought conditions experienced in preceding years, led to one of the earliest picking windows in their history. This development proved crucial to the 2020 vintage, when the Harlan team was fortunate to have fully completed their harvest before the Glass Fire began in late September.

A vibrant purity manifests within this vintage's generosity, which advances without excess of weight or volume. Aromas of gentle red fruit give way to a savory darkness and wrought core. An effortless, structural tension transforms into a silky softness on the palate that envelopes the Mascot's inner depth and dimension. The 2020 vintage resonates rather than roars: its intricate threads of tannin acidity, and nuance interweave to form a complete expression that shimmers with sensory detail.