2009 Promontory Napa Valley Bordeaux Blend

The 2009 Promontory is a magnificent Bordeaux-styled red offering up notes of burning embers, scorched earth (not terribly dissimilar from a top Pessac-Leognan such as La Mission Haut-Brion), black fruits, loamy undertones of minerality, and hints of camphor and background oak. Dense, masculine, rich and full, this 2009 is built for the long-term, although for a 2009, the tannins are remarkably well-integrated, giving the wine definition and structure. (RP)

The 2009 Promontory is just beginning to show the early signs of aromatic development. Sweet tobacco, licorice, menthol and new leather are all laced throughout. A classically proportioned wine, the 2009 Promontory finds more freshness and aromatic lift with time in the glass. Dark red cherry, plum, rose petal and mint develop nicely, but as always, Promontory is a wine of structure above all else. Still somewhat tannic in feel, the 2009 will only benefit from further time in bottle. Once again, the comparison between the 2009, the second vintage off the property, and more recent wines, is illuminating. (AG)