Signed, Sealed, Cellared
In 1980, H. William Harlan (pictured above with son Will) made a trip to the great wine regions of France. While visiting the greatest estates in Burgundy and Bordeaux, he was inspired to create a winegrowing property that might one day become a California equivalent of the First Growths and the Grand Crus he had explored. These experiences planted the vision in his imagination of a small stable of six vineyards of distinct character, planted with 100 % Cabernet Sauvignon, that would, together, represent high points along the broad spectrum of soils and microclimates that define the hillsides of the Napa Valley. A decade and a half later, this vision would be realized in the wines of BOND.
Together with Bob Levy and Cory Empting, Harlan has experimented with over 100 different sites since 1982. He founded BOND in 1996 and completed the BOND winery in 1997. In 1999, the first vintages of BOND Vecina and BOND Melbury were harvested. 2001 saw the arrival of Cory Empting to the family winegrowing team and the harvesting of the first vintage of St. Eden. The first vintages of Pluribus and Quella were picked and vinified in 2003 and 2006, respectively, bringing the number of “crus” to five. The search for the sixth continues.
At BOND, vineyards come first. The vineyards are cared for by a highly educated full-time staff. The family and team have instituted an internal “Vine Masters” certification program in which qualified vineyard workers can choose to participate. The program requires candidates to go through a series of practical examinations that address everything having to do with the care of a vine before being accepted as Vine Masters. They practice non-interventionist viticulture with a goal of one day having the vineyards dry farmed; in fact, Pluribus has been dry farmed since 2008. They foster healthy environments, not only for the vines but also for the people who work in them and live around them.
In the winery, the goal is to express each individual terroir, not the winemaking. Only native yeast is used, with fermentations in large open-top presses receiving the grapes. Aging is done in French oak barrels, the large majority of which are used rather than new. Wines spend about 28 months in barrel with an additional year in bottle before release.
Today, Maximilian Kast, M.S., Director at BOND, leads us through a tasting of the 2021 vintage. We begin with the 2021 BOND Melbury. Hugely aromatic with both black and red currants and dark chocolate, its structure is deep and bountiful with a long finish of dry cocoa — very impressive. The 2021 BOND St. Eden comes from red volcanic rock just north of Oakville Crossroad. There is more generous fruit here, rounder and more viscous, with just as much intensity on the palate and an added touch of savoriness that I enjoy.
Next comes a pair from BOND Vecina. The 2021 vintage shares the same bold structure and fruit of its stablemates, with a sweeter touch of oak and vanilla. This is a wine to treasure for many years to come, as its age-worthiness is on full display. To prove the point, we taste the 2014 vintage of BOND Vecina, which has a plethora of sweet fruit, toasted notes, coffee grounds, and more amplitude and complexity than anything else we tasted today.
To finish the tasting, we go to the 2021 BOND Pluribus, the earthiest of all the vineyards. This is an isolated vineyard based on decomposing volcanic soils. It deserves a decade in the cellar and is a monumental wine worthy of a place in any collector’s cellar.
The name BOND signifies “the covenant between the growers and their shared commitment to produce only the finest expression of the land.” These are indeed some of the highest expressions of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.