Whitehall Lane
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon
, Napa Valley
Leonardini Estate

93 Points - James Suckling
91 Points - Wine Spectator

Rich dark black fruits, blueberries, blackberry bon bons, cassis, fragrant violets, tobacco leaf, and baking spices.  Its balance and mid-palate are most notable, providing long, plush tannins alongside its dense fruit character.  The palate delivers baked berry crisp, black and red fruits, toasted walnuts, brioche and a touch of cedar on the finish.  This is quintessential Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  Age-worthy, voluptuously full-bodied with long, plush tannins. 

The underlying tannin structure of this wine, along with its complexity and ample fruit will continue to evolve for 15-20 years.

WINEMAKING

Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45 ̊F for 4-7 days, allowing for increased color, aroma, and flavor extraction. After inoculation, the grape juice, skins, and seeds fermented at 82 ̊F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, we pumped juice over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was sent to 65% new French oak, 35% neutral French oak barrels, aging for 26 months. The final blend for the Leonardini Estate is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. At bottling, this wine was unfined and unfiltered.

VINTAGE

The 2018 vintage was a near perfect growing season! Bud break began in late March to early April, leading to a Spring that was mild and dry. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading to a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. The consistent summer weather encouraged our Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to ripen in late mid-September to late October when they were in perfect balance. The fruit is from our Estate vineyards in Rutherford, St. Helena, and the Oak Knoll District appellations. The grapes in this wine were harvested from our Leonardini, Fawn Park, and Millennium MM Estate vineyards.

Winemaker: Jason Moulton
Vintage:  2018
Appellation:  100% Napa Valley
Varietal Composition:  96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 14.9%

Tasting Notes  PDF

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