The project was conceived by Bill Harlan and Bob Levy of Harlan Estate – a winery that quickly became one of California’s cult producers along with the likes of Screaming Eagle. Harlan Estate sources the majority of its fruit from its own vineyards, but Harlan and Levy were interested in cultivating fruit from specific Napa terroirs with the aim of identifying grand cru-equivalent vineyards. The result was Bond Estates (the second word was later dropped), which began making wine in 1997 with the first commercial release in 1999.