504: Is Cory Empting Writing the Next Chapter of Napa Valley Cabernet at Harlan Estate?

Cory Empting is Managing Director of Winegrowing at Domain H. William Harlan, overseeing Harlan Estate, BOND, Promontory, and The Mascot in the Napa Valley of California.Cory recounts his memories of growing up in the Napa Valley and learning about winemaking from the age of 15. He recalls running around The French Laundry as a kid and helping out with a harvest at Forman Vineyard. He also talks about his first experiences at Harlan Estate, a property where he has now worked for decades. Cory discusses why he decided to pursue a career at Harlan, which led to being named the Winemaker of the property years later.Cory talks about Bob Levy, the Founding Winemaker of Harlan Estate, who Cory still works with today. He also describes working for Bill Harlan and Will Harlan, the owners of the property. Cory talks about the 1997 vintage at Harlan Estate, and his experiences tasting that wine over the years. He also shares some thoughts about the ageing trajectory of Harlan wines in general.Cory discusses the Harlan property itself and contrasts it with the nearby Promontory vineyard, then describes how the winemaking approach for Promontory evolved over time. This leads into a discussion of how the approach at Harlan Estate has changed over the years, both in terms of the farming and the winemaking. One key change has been the move to dry farming (without irrigation), and Cory talks about the implications of that shift. Other topics that emerge in the discussion include soil health, head trained vines, vineyard exposure, harvest date, native yeast fermentation, fermentation temperature, stem inclusion, extraction, tannin management, avoiding acidification, the duration of malolactic conversion, press wine, and the length of élevage. Amidst this discussion Cory emphasizes his respect for Bob Levy’s accomplishments and frames the shifts at Harlan over time as a natural evolution in a multi-generational business.Cory shares the terrible circumstances surrounding the wildfires in the Napa Valley in 2017, and what his family experienced during that time. He also grapples with how that harvest redefined his thinking about the winemaking. After that experience in 2017, Cory reviewed harvest records from previous decades and started thinking more about the winemaking of the past in the Napa Valley. This coincided with Cory having more encounters with older vintages of Napa wines.Farming is discussed in-depth, as Cory shares his thoughts on the language of plants and inte