The impressive, dense purple-colored 2005 E Pluribus offers up aromas of spring flowers, camphor, incense, crushed rocks, graphite, and blueberry as well as blackberry liqueur. Stylistically, it is closest to the Melbury (even though that vineyard is on the other side of Napa Valley). This beauty should be at its peak between 2011-2030+. This is a special project of Harlan Estate’s owner, Bill Harlan, that is handled by the same winemaking team as Harlan Estate’s, the inimitable Bob Levy assisted by the well-traveled, brilliant oenologist, Michel Rolland. They have 20-year leases on what they believe are some of the finest vineyard terroirs in Napa, from which they produce between 600-700+ cases of these single vineyard offerings from distinctive micro-climates. Anything produced that is not up to world-class quality is culled out and bottled under the name Matriarch. These wines see essentially the same upbringing as the Harlan Estate. They are bottled after at least 22 months of aging in 100% new French oak, and see virtually no fining or filtration. While each offering is completely different from its siblings, they all compete very favorably with Harlan Estate. The newest offering in the Bond portfolio, Quella, comes from a 10-acre vineyard in Spring Valley (located just off Howell Mountain Road) planted on the volcanic white ash called tufa, which contains plenty of cobblestones. The other cuvees include St. Eden (a valley floor vineyard in Oakville), Melbury (on Pritchard Hill overlooking Lake Hennessey), Vecina (a west-facing hillside site near Harlan Estate), and E Pluribus (a Spring Mountain vineyard west of the charming town of St. Helena). The lots culled out from the single vineyard wines are blended together to produce the Matriarch. This is not simply a second wine as nearly one-third of Bond’s (and Harlan Estate’s) production is sold off in bulk, which means the Matriarch is a serious effort on its own merits.Tel. (707) 944-1441; Fax (707) 944-1444

The 2005 Pluribus is from a relatively high-elevation vineyard on the steep slopes of Spring Mountain and planted in the white tufa volcanic bedrock of that area. This is the most northern vineyard of the Bond estates, and this wine was just incredible. By far, the biggest, most backward and massive of all the 2005s, this wine behaved as if it were three or four years old, rather than 10. Dense purple, it offers notes of blueberry liqueur, St.-Estèphe-like earth, licorice and a gravelly note with incredible depth, lots of blackberries, and a finish that goes on for 45+ seconds. This is incredibly youthful and dominated by the blue and black fruits that are so much a part of the Spring Mountain AVA. This wine needs another 3-4 years of cellaring and should keep for 30-40+ years and turn out to be a fabulous classic from Bond Estate. All of these wines are made in relatively limited quantities, and primarily sold via the winery mailing list.

Packs in lots of rich, supple layers of flavor, built around fleshy currant, black cherry, plum and wild berry fruit, shaded by creamy, toasty oak. The vibrancy and concentration give this a long, persistent finish. The tannins have a slight ragged edge. Best from 2010 through 2017. 715 cases made. -JL