Mascot 2016 750mL

The Mascot 2016 is the Harlan family's Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made from the younger vines of Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory. It gives an early look at how those hillside vineyards are developing, and it was held for about five years before release.

About This Wine

The fruit comes from blocks that have been replanted in recent years across the three family estates, so the wine reflects vines that are not yet old enough for the flagship bottlings but are farmed and picked by the same team. The family describes it as a youthful snapshot of the estates' future. The 2016 leans towards freshness and polish rather than sheer weight, with fine tannins, bright fruit and a gentle floral lift.

Tasting Profile

• Nose: Fresh blackberry and red cherry with violets, wild herbs and a light cedar note.
• Palate: Medium to full-bodied and silky, with a firm core of dark fruit held by fine, rounded tannins.
• Finish: Fresh, ending on berry fruit, cedar and a touch of mineral.

Serving & Food

Open about an hour ahead, or decant, and serve at 16 to 18°C in a large Bordeaux glass. Good now and should keep developing for another decade. Try it with grilled rib-eye, braised short rib or roast lamb with rosemary.

How to Enjoy

A Harlan-family Cabernet to open with dinner now, while the estate wines rest in the cellar.

Product Details

About the Winery

The Mascot began as a small in-house project shared among the Harlan family, their winemaking team and close friends, bottled from blocks that had recently been replanted on the family properties. Nobody outside that circle saw it at first.

The 2008 vintage was the first to yield enough wine, around 500 cases, to offer more widely, and those bottles were released in 2013. The approach has stayed the same since: the wine is made in the same cellars as its parent estates, then held back for several years so it is open and approachable when it arrives, while still having the structure to age.