Promontory is the latest winemaking venture from Bill Harlan, the entrepreneur and wine impresario who founded Harlan Estate in the late 1980s. Promontory is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend made with grapes sourced from an Oakville vineyard a mile south of Harlan Estate. Harlan bought the vineyard, which is 400 to 1,100 feet above sea level, in 2008. It had been planted by Girard winery. The winemaker for Promontory is Cory Empting, and the first commercial release was the 2008 vintage. About 1,000 cases are made annually, and it is generally available only by mailing list. Bill Harlan was a stockbroker and developer before devoting himself full time to creating wineries whose wines become cult classics. Besides Harlan Estate, which makes Cabernets that regularly earn 100 pts from reviewers, he also founded Napa Valley Reserve, a private club where wine cognoscenti blend their own varietals, and Bond, another celebrated Napa Valley brand.