Whitehall Lane
2019 Merlot
, Napa Valley

91 Points - Wine Spectator
91 Points - James Suckling
90 Points - Wine Advocate

Aromas of raspberry croissant, red currants, cocoa powder and layers of graphite.  This Merlot is complex and elegant... offering smooth layers showcasing fine, firm tannins alongside chocolate cherry lollipop, red plums, dried goji berries and toasted brioche.  Bottled unfined and unfiltered, its supple in texture and shows attractive depth on the finish.  With so much structure and elegance, it can go head-to-head with many Napa Valley Cabernets, and is worthy to stand on its own.

Long and elegant with exceptional mouthfeel.
Enjoy now and through 2035.

WINEMAKING

Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, the grapes 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 with a select yeast, the grape must (juice, skins and seeds) fermented at 82°F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins.  For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times each day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation.  After fermentation and pressing, the wine was aged in 35% new French oak and 65% neutral oak for 20 months before bottling. The blend is 87% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot.

VINTAGE

2019 was a long, ideal growing season for our Napa Valley Merlot grapes. Bud break occurred from late March through April, and this long growing period gave way to a healthy set of uniform grape clusters.  Summer was quite warm and long, followed by a cooling effect near the end of the season and into Fall. Throughout the growing season, there were no heat spikes and temperatures remained steady.  This consistent summer weather encouraged Merlot grapes to fully ripen from mid-September to late October when the grapes were in perfect balance.  The fruit was harvested from vineyards in St. Helena, Rutherford and the Oak Knoll District appellations.

Winemaker: Jason Moulton
Vintage:  2019
Appellation:  100% Napa Valley
Varietal Composition:  87% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 14.7%

Tasting Notes  PDF

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