The Mascot


— About —

THE LABEL

The inspiration for the label is two fold – First was The Bar Sinister, published in 1903, by Richard Harding Davis, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt’s and one of America’s greatest war correspondents, who reported from the front lines during the Boer War, the Spanish American War, and the First World War. His classic tale of a white English bull terrier called Kid had a special place in the Harlan’s upbringing; the first edition copy that once sat on the shelves of Will’s grandparents’ library became well-worn by their hands.

The second cue – and the source of The Mascot’s label – came from their family’s collection of favorite engravings. The image to which they were drawn was of a white English bull terrier named Prince that the Farmers Deposit National Bank of Pittsburgh commissioned to illustrate its stock certificates. Prince lived at the bank and stood watch there, enthusiastically greeting customers and employees alike.They think of Prince and Kid as blood brothers, akin in their attitudes of integrity, conviction, and loyalty.

 

THE VINTAGE

“Following a vintage full of changing conditions and demanding decision points, the steady and pleasant progress of the 2018 vintage left our team, at times, in limbo. Contradictory as it may seem, the dramas that sometimes punctuate the definitive months for the growing season help to frame the winegrowing team’s course of action; yet the tranquil succession of weeks that emerged between spring and fall in 2018 left almost entirely open the question of when to harvest. Healthy rainfall in March and April preceded a benevolent summer, whose mildness was interrupted only briefly by a few warming periods. The fruit of the young vines maintained a measured balance that gave the team little indication that harvest was imminent. Fog and temperate days followed in September, when—relying more on instinct than empirical cues—we began to pick. This judgment—as well as the gentle nature of the season—is confirmed in the subtle, ethereal power of the vintage, which reveals itself first in the deep, brooding aromas of dark fruit, black tea, and herbal notes. The texture expands around a lifted structure, as powdery tannins gently resolve. This diffused, enigmatic softness is anchored on the mid-palate by a gratifying density, which prepares the senses for a flourish of hidden energy and vivid detail that illuminates the finish.”

– Notes by The Mascot