A Glimpse Into Napa's Finest: The Mascot Takes Atlanta

In late October 2025, I attended the "Meet The Maker: Mollie Maisch of The Mascot" tasting at The Perlant, Atlanta's exclusive private members club. The event featured four vintages of The Mascot—the second-generation project from Will Harlan showcasing young vines from the legendary Harlan family estates. Mollie guided us through the wines while sharing the fascinating story behind this unique Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stay tuned for a blog post at heavypourwine.com featuring pictures and videos from this special evening.

• 2018 The Mascot 94 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  "Meet The Maker: Mollie Maisch of The Mascot" tasting at The Perlant in Atlanta. The Mascot was founded by Will Harlan, son of Harlan Estate's Bill Harlan, as a second-generation project utilizing younger vines (typically around 10 years old) from three prestigious Harlan family properties: Harlan Estate, BOND, and Promontory. The wine began in 2008 as an experimental project when Will, fresh out of college, convinced the winemaking team to set aside a few barrels from newly replanted vineyard blocks. Initially unnamed and shared only among family and friends, it earned its own identity as production reached 500 cases. The fruit comes from recently replanted blocks across the three estates, with each property's lots vinified according to their estate's character—Harlan Estate and BOND use new French oak barrels, while Promontory uses large Austrian oak casks. Winemaker Cory Empting evaluates young-vine lots 6-14 months after fermentation, selecting the finest for The Mascot. The wine is aged in barrel for nearly three years, then another 18 months in bottle before release—a total of five years from harvest to market. The 2018 vintage represents the culmination of a dry, warm drought period that began in 2011. These conditions created powerful wines that benefited from additional aging time. Opened 1.5 hours before pouring. Dark fruit dominates with medium tannins that are well-integrated. Really lovely and open with excellent balance.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2019 The Mascot 92 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  "Meet The Maker: Mollie Maisch of The Mascot" tasting at The Perlant in Atlanta. The 2019 vintage benefited from approximately 30 inches of rain in the winter leading into the growing season—a significant relief after years of drought averaging only 8 inches. The vines responded to this increased water availability, creating a more elegant and fluid wine compared to the structured 2018. The Mascot is almost entirely Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 90%), with any remaining percentages coming from Harlan Estate's plantings of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot in that order—always totaling less than 10%. The wine represents an assemblage of lots from multiple hillside vineyard blocks across the three estates, each offering unique characteristics based on elevation and topography. After the initial year of aging at their respective wineries, the lots are brought together at the blending table and then aged in mostly neutral French oak barrels for about two more years before bottling, followed by a year of bottle aging. Opened 1.5 hours before pouring. Dark and tight nose with medium-high tannins. Needs time to open. High alcohol.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2020 The Mascot 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  "Meet The Maker: Mollie Maisch of The Mascot" tasting at The Perlant in Atlanta. The 2020 vintage tells a dramatic story of timing and fate. Harvest began on August 16th—about 30 days earlier than vintages from 15 years prior, reflecting the evolution of climate and farming practices. The team picked for three weeks and successfully brought all grapes into the winery before September 26th, when wildfires swept through the region. Those who hadn't harvested by that date were unable to make wine due to pervasive smoke. The earlier harvest date resulted in a wine with brighter acidity and fresher character, distinctly different from the surrounding vintages. The wine reflects the shortening of the growing season that has occurred over the past decade, with vines ripening faster in response to warmer, drier conditions. The Harlan family farms these young vines without irrigation, asking them to find water in the soil through their root structures—a practice that has become increasingly challenging and has influenced harvest timing. Opened 1.5 hours before pouring. Some funk on the nose. Not particularly expressive with minimal finish.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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• 2021 The Mascot 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  "Meet The Maker: Mollie Maisch of The Mascot" tasting at The Perlant in Atlanta. Released just a month before this tasting, the 2021 vintage faced similar drought conditions as 2020 but with a crucial difference in vineyard management. Early in the season, the team made the proactive decision to reduce cluster counts on individual vines, asking less fruit from each plant to allow for better concentration of flavor in what remained. This careful farming decision resulted in superior concentration compared to 2020 despite similar weather and water conditions. The wine takes its name from Prince, a white English bull terrier who served as the beloved mascot of the Farmers Deposit National Bank of Pittsburgh in the late 1800s. The label image comes from an old stock certificate in Bill Harlan's collection of engravings—a collection he began as a stamp-collecting boy with a fascination for engraving art. When Will Harlan was conceiving the label for this introductory wine to the Harlan family domain, he discovered Prince and was captivated by the symbolism of this dog who greeted customers and represented warm, welcoming companionship. Opened 1.5 hours before pouring. Fresh red fruit on the nose with considerable complexity.
  
  Brad - heavypourwine.com

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This vertical tasting of The Mascot revealed four distinctly different expressions across consecutive vintages, each shaped by that year's unique growing conditions and farming decisions. The highlight was experiencing how climate and vineyard management directly influence the final wine, from the structured 2018 through the elegant 2019, the bright 2020, and the concentrated 2021. Mollie's passionate storytelling about the Harlan family's multi-generational vision and Prince's journey from bank mascot to wine label made this more than just a tasting—it was an introduction to a philosophy of winemaking built on patience, intention, and reverence for place.