▻ Will Harlan and Cory Empting

Let's Talk With

6 May

Written By Sarah Kemp

▴ Cory Empting (left) and Will Harlan (right) — *▴ Cory Empting (left) and Will Harlan (right)*

In conversation with Will Harlan and Cory Empting

Episode Summary:-

Elin McCoy talks to Will Harlan and Cory Empting who are stepping up to manage California’s cult estates Harlan Estate and Bond as Managing Director and Managing Director of Winemaking respectively; they had both earlier been working together at Promontory, also owned by Bill Harlan. Will is taking over from his father Bill, who has devised a 200-year plan for the estate, and Cory will succeed Bob Levy, who will continue to play a supportive role. Elin discusses the challenges of taking over a founder’s dream and how both Will and Cory came to embrace their part in Bill’s plan.

Will talks about how his father hoped he would be involved with the business, but never put undue pressure on him or his sister. He came of age in the 1990s and was interested in the tech world, but the opportunity to build the Mascot brand brought him into the business. Cory arrived as a 20-year- old intern. “I joke I grew up in St Helena and only made it a few miles, to Oakville,” Cory says. “I connected with the land and that was the first relationship I made.”

Travel has been an important influence on both of them, with Will recalling trips to Bordeaux with his father, and Cory being influenced by a trip to Burgundy, where he discovered “ that connection of people to place, and that intimacy they’ve developed over centuries.” They discuss the importance of visiting overseas vineyards and how that has influenced them back in Napa.

Elin asks what they are both excited about now and what they both see as their biggest challenges. Will talks about how he and his father share the same vision, and that for Harlan Estate and Bond, it is evolution, not revolution. Cory discusses how the transition has been helped by working alongside Bob Levy and that there are three generations working together in the wine-making team.

Their experiences at Promontory are explored—there, they tell Elin, they were able to experiment more, not only in the vineyard but also on the distribution side. Cory believes that they will bring a mindset of looking at the whole environment, the local forests and flora, not just the vineyards, with them to Harlan Estate and Bond.

Cory says, “When I took over, it was the era of rock-star winemakers and Michelin-starred chefs.” Instead, he believes in teamwork. “It is the balance between this spark which happens between great places and the people who work with them over generations.”

““It is the balance between this spark which happens between great places and the people who work with them over generations.” ”

— Cory Empting

Running Order:-

0.00 –14.25

“I joke that I grew up in St Helena and only made it as far as Oakville.” – Cory Empting

Will Harlan and Cory Empting talk to Elin McCoy about taking over responsibility for Harlan Estate and Bond. Will is succeeding his father, Bill Harlan, who founded the estates, as Managing Director and Cory is taking over from Bob Levy, Director of Winemaking. Will talks about growing up, and the invisible strings which drew him into the family business. Cory tells Elin that he always wanted to be a winemaker and how he came to Harlan Estate as an intern when he was just 20 years old. They both note how travels to other wine regions have influenced them, and Will says,“Tasting wines from round the world, I think, really is important to have a certain context for the great international wines if you aspire to be one of those.”
14.26 – 37.04

“Going from the founding generation in particular to the second generation, I think, is a daunting task for someone who has the mindset of a founder and entrepreneur. It takes a lot of work on both sides.” – Will Harlan

Elin talks to Will and Cory about how challenging it is taking over from someone who has a vision, expressed as a 200-year plan. They discuss how very fortunate they are in having overlaps (currently there are three generations working on the winemaking team). Will talks about how beneficial his time with Cory at Promontory was, as they were able to be more experimental with research and development, relationship-building and distribution. They emphasise that the three properties are totally different, but Cory believes that the work that they have done assessing the environment around the vineyards will benefit Harlan Estate and Bond. They also reveal to Elin what they would like their legacy to be.