July 8, 2022 – Massive geologic upheaval of tectonic plate movement and volcanic eruptions tens of millions of years ago sculpted a valley 50 miles north of present day San Francisco. Nestled between the Vaca Range to the east and the Mayacamas Mountains to the west with the Pacific Ocean 35 miles from western foothills, Napa Valley is home to half the world’s 12 recognized soil orders and protected by a dry Mediterranean climate only present on 2 percent of Earth’s surface.*
For centuries, the valley was a viticultural blank canvas until 1838-1839 when George Calvert Yount planted the first commercial vineyards. Today with hundreds of Napa Valley wineries, respect for the land and its history permeates Napa’s viticulture. The nature of the challenge for winemakers to succeed is nature itself. “Every single artist has a different paint brush and a different vision and skill set. It’s the same with every piece of land in the Napa Valley. Everyone has the opportunity to express their story through the medium of wine,” Amanda Harlan Maltas, Director of Communications for The Napa Valley Reserve and Meadowood Napa Valley, said to Chaîne during a June 6 telephone interview.
Overview
Bill Harlan, Amanda’s father and founder of Harlan Estate, released his first wine for commercial sale in 1996 from his 1990 and 1991 vintages after purchasing land in Napa Valley to develop a California “First Growth” vineyard in 1984. Specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon, Harlan Estate comprises 240 acres with about 40 acres under vine from which its eponymous Harlan Estate label is produced. BOND comprises five small, jewel-box vineyards averaging seven acres each, and Promontory’s territory, which is south of Harlan Estate between Yountville and Oakville, consists of 840 acres, with just 10 percent under vine.
The Mascot, first released in 2013, is made from the young vines growing at the Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory vineyards, a project proposed and spearheaded by Will Harlan, Bill’s son.
Hiking along Oakville’s southwestern ridge in the early 1980s, Bill came across a secluded canyon unlike any he had seen in Napa Valley. He learned that within the canyon, two distinct fault lines roughly demarcate boundaries between volcanic, sedimentary and metamorphic soils. Stretched across 500 feet of elevation with dramatic slopes and panoramic exposures, the land captured his spirit and desire to have it speak through his wine. His dogged determination paid off in 2008 when the Harlan family finally acquired 840 acres of land in what Bill calls ‘the last frontier within the Napa Valley.’ The Harlan family’s flagship Promontory label was born. Within the rugged canyon lie a few small parcels that since 2009 have magnificently revealed the territory’s complex geologic history to oenophiles around the world.
The Napa Valley Reserve is a private membership-only winegrowing estate with about 600 members who have exclusive access to wines produced solely for the membership. Members can be as involved with the winemaking process as they please, creating their own masterpieces with the world class team that oversees Harlan Estate, BOND and Promontory. Meadowood Napa Valley is a Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel and member club, located on the 240-acre wine-country estate, that also serves as common ground for local vintners, grape growers and the community.
For many years, the Harlan family has supported and sponsored Chaîne’s Jeunes Sommeliers competitions and Mondiale events to foster excellence in and sustainability of the industry. “The Harlan family has been very supportive of the Chaine’s Jeunes Sommelier’s Program and in 2019, hosted competitors and judges for dinner at their world class Promontory winery in Napa Valley, a fabulous event. The Chaîne is extremely grateful to the Harlan family and values its relationship with them,” Kevin Dunn, Executive Director, Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, said.
Napa Valley
Thirty miles long and five miles across at its widest point, Napa Valley was California’s first American Viticultural Area (AVA) when it was formally designated on Feb. 27, 1981, the second AVA in the United States. Attesting to its soil and climate diversity, there are three distinct microclimates and 16 sub AVAs within the Napa Valley AVA. With sunny, dry days and cool evenings during the growing season, grapes ripen slowly and evenly, a gift of consistency from one vintage to the next for vintners.
But there is wide temperature variation within the valley. Temperatures in southern portions of the valley that are close to the bay can be 15 degrees cooler from those in the northern region. Combined with soil diversity, the Napa terroir supports cultivation of more than three dozen varieties of grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted grape, accounting for 40 percent of harvest yield and 60 percent of crop value, according to the Napa Valley Vintners.
Long before Napa Valley was officially recognized in 1981 as a premier grape growing region not only in the United States but also around the world, vintners established wineries following in Yount’s 19th century footsteps.
Facing mounting hurdles during the first half of the 20th century, seven vintners, including Robert Mondavi of CK Mondavi and Sons, formed a “an eating and drinking society” in 1944 to collectively solve problems and elevate the status of Napa Valley wines. The society became the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) nonprofit trade association, which today is the bedrock of Napa’s wine industry and culture, estimated to contribute $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
Harlan Estate History
Bill Harlan had a dream of one day owning and planting a small vineyard. As a successful real estate entrepreneur in San Francisco who, together with his partners, started Pacific Union Co., his dream became reality in 1979 when he purchased the Meadowood Country Club in St. Helena after one visit. After sipping a Strawberry Daiquiri one Sunday from a club deck overlooking a breathtaking vista of a secluded valley within Napa Valley, Bill was on the steps of the bank the next morning to purchase the property, Amanda said. At age 45 and a bachelor, his dream of planting a “First Growth” vineyard was in clear sight and his dream of raising a family on that vineyard would also soon come true.
Deborah, Bill’s wife, recalls those early days in Observations from the Hillside, an extensive compilation of reflections and experiences by Harlan Estate and other wine industry experts.
“When Bill and I moved to the Napa Valley, we put up stakes as a team. For a long time no one knew who we were. We lived a very sweet and modest life in our little house in St. Helena, and put every cent we made back into our wine business. On weekends, we’d all pile into the car and drive with Dad the dreamer up into the hills where the winery is now. We’d stop for a half an hour here or there, looking at the wild grapevines, studying the trees, and our children, Will and Amanda, would bicker about whose turn it was to get out of the car and open the gate. So much of our children’s experience is grounded in those first ten years in that little house, and in the eight years after in the house where The Napa Valley Reserve is now built.”
Bickering about who would open the gate was an anomaly for Will and Amanda who both joined the family business starting in their twenties. In 2021 upon Bill’s passing of the baton from day-to-day operations, Will took the reins after successfully launching The Mascot label and overseeing the opening of Promontory. About 50 percent of Amanda’s time is spent as an ambassador for the Domain and its iconic labels.
Amanda and Will are an integral part of Bill’s 200-year business plan to build a thriving enterprise not just for the next generation but for centuries, an echo of French winemaking heritage. With a mission greater than themselves, rivalry is nowhere to be found in the second generation. “Our gifts are very complementary. We’ve never really had any fights our whole life,” Amanda said of her brother. That relationship formed the foundation for their current professional paths. “We divide and conquer in a beautiful way,” she said.
Their gifts were nurtured by their parents who remain incredibly devoted to the business. Of her father, Amanda said, “He’s dedicated to shepherding this second generation for as long as he possibly can.” And of her mother, Amanda said, “My mom is really the glue. She’s tuned in to every detail from planning and design to execution.” Amanda marvels at their energy. “My parents keep us going. It is inspiring to see them day in and day out, seven days a week, 365 days a year living and breathing this dream!”
Thoughtfully planning far into the future and sibling synergy to ensure business sustainability are rare attributes in this nanosecond popular culture of the 21st century. What influenced Bill to articulate and then reify his long term vision for his family and community?
One month after Bill bought Meadowood in 1979, Robert Mondavi invited him to lunch. Amanda said her father had attended the opening of Mondavi’s winery years earlier. At lunch, Mondavi asked Bill to tell him about his dream in coming to the Napa Valley. Imparting his wisdom, Mondavi told Bill he believed that the Napa Valley region had the potential to make some of the greatest wines in the world and that Meadowood, while not vineyard land, could become common ground for the community and visitors who wanted to experience the Napa Valley. Bill asked him to explain. Instead, Mondavi said he would arrange for Bill to spend one month in France meeting with First Growth families in Bordeaux and the owners of Grand Cru domaines in Burgundy to give him perspective. That firsthand, immersive experience provided the explanation.
Returning from France, Bill’s view of time had changed, Amanda said. He had been living “pedal to the metal” for years with a short term outlook on life but with his horizon expanded, his life took on new purpose. He sought to build something larger than himself that would last longer than a lifetime.
From Bill’s time in France, he concluded French winemaking families succeed because their business is family owned; the business is based on the land; and they operate without debt. And in talking with Robert Mondavi, the two determined that together creating a ‘wine auction,’ one that would emulate the Hospice de Beaune, the oldest wine auction in the world that continues today, would be a dream – to help provide the Napa Valley with a platform that would enable them to be just maybe be recognized as some of the great wines of the New World, help raise money for education and medical, and build resources for the community.
Auction Napa Valley began 41 years ago and since then, has raised $200 million to sustain the Napa Valley farming infrastructure and people who toil amid tumultuous times, recently suffering from devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2020 and the global pandemic.
“Who we are together as a community helps each and every one of us as individuals. The commitment and devotion to protecting this valley now and for generations to come rests on our shoulders, and having The Napa Valley Vintners Association as a leading force in bringing our community together has in large part enabled us as a region to work closely alongside our neighbors,” Amanda said.
The Harlan family is a strong team. Bob Levy, Harlan’s Estate’s Founding Winemaker, has been with Bill since the start and many employees have been with the company for more than 30 years.
Being stalwart stewards of the land and what that means for forest management to protect the land, which gives so much joy to so many people, are being deeply discussed and studied by Napa Valley vintners and grape growers in collaboration with scientists at universities nationwide.
“We are continually educating ourselves and supporting our neighbors. It’s really about sharing the knowledge we gain and strategically implementing these practices with serious fire mitigation planning into the future,” Amanda said.
Recent California wildfires deeply affected the family. They were evacuated in both 2017 and 2020 and in 2020, most of the north portion of the Meadowood Resort burned to the ground, Amanda said. Of 100 rooms at the boutique hotel, 36 survived and are open today. They also lost Meadowood’s 3-star Michelin resort restaurant to the fire but true to their pioneer spirit, the Harlan family developed and is enacting a recovery plan. “It will be another good five years or so before we’re able to finish the rebuild but we’re very excited about the renaissance and re-imagining Meadowood!,” she said.
As she recalled dealing with the pandemic beginning in March 2020 and then the wildfire in fall 2020 during harvest, the Napa Valley sprang into action to help one another.
“Collectively as this community came together, we felt very fortunate to be part of the Napa Valley Vintners association, because all of the money they raised at the auction provided so many resources for vaccines, medical help, childcare and shelter,” she said.
In 2017, the Harlan family organization started The Invictus Fund to help their employees who lost homes and were displaced by the fire. They reinstated the fund in 2020 with Amanda as its chair. They were able to raise $500,000 in just a few short months. “We were able to give immediate assistance and write checks within two weeks. It brought us joy to be able to help in some small way,” she said.
Amanda joined the Domain after working the 2014 harvest in the BOND cellar, which was physically challenging, yet rewarding work. Working under Managing Director of Winegrowing Cory Empting was the pivotal moment that inspired her to commit her career to the family’s 200 year plan. “If Mother Nature were just a constant, there would be no depth, there would be no character and that’s what makes this business so remarkably demanding of our patience and humility. We have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow. It keeps us asking questions every day about how we can better understand and translate this place of ours.”
The Harlan family has taken that blank canvas and exquisitely painted the future.
*Information from the Napa Valley Vintners