92 Points - Wine Spectator
92 Points - Wine Enthusiast
92 Points - James Suckling
90 Points - Jeb Dunnuck
90 Points - Wine Advocate
The underlying tannin structure, complexity, and ample fruit will evolve over time and age gracefully for 10-15 years.
Recently voted Winery of the Year from Quarterly Review of Wine & Spirits Magazine. Napa Valley Life Magazine has also rated their tasting room as Best Tasting Room in Napa Valley.
This winery continues to receive accolades and awards for producing exceptional world-class wines. In Wine Spectator Magazine’s year-end ranking of wines, Whitehall Lane has been honored three times for producing wines rated among the top five in the world.
WINEMAKING
Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our 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 per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the 2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral oak for 20 months. The final blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
VINTAGE
The 2021 vintage was considered a drought year, which have typically proven to be excellent quality for wines. The season started off with bud break in early March, leading to a Spring that allowed for a perfect flowering and set for the grape clusters. Summer was also quite warm and long, leading into an early Autumn harvest season. The drought conditions led to lower yields in the vineyard, which gave a perfect concentration for juice versus skin ratio. The consistent summer weather encouraged our Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot to ripen in late September into October to finish the harvest season.
Winemaker: Jason Moulton
Vintage: 2021
Appellation: Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, 1% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot
Aging: 50% new French oak and 50% neutral oak for 20 months
Alcohol: 14.8%
You may also like:
90 Points
Rich and voluptuous with ripe raspberry, cherry, and plum, layered with hints of lavender, fig compote, and exotic spice. Concentrated and complex, the palate is a balanced interplay cocoa, and a hint of espresso, creating both richness and intrigue. Vibrant acidity and silky tannins that contribute heft and length that coat the palate with luscious ripeness that keeps on giving.
94 Points
Juice explodes right out of the glass with its dark purple in color and bursting aromas of black cherry jam, boysenberry, raspberry and wild cherry interlaced with hints of baking spice, espresso bean, and toasted nut. The palate is ripe and juicy with flavors of dark cherry, huckleberry and raspberry perfectly integrated with notes of spice, dark chocolate, and a kiss of toasty oak.
94 Points
Deep red-purple with aromas of black currents, blackberry, plum, chocolate, earthy forest floor, licorice, graphite, and subtle floral notes of violet, spice and cracked pepper. The palate is full, structured and balanced with blackberry, currant, black cherry fruit with notes of earth, firm acid and silky tannins. Finishes big with blackberry fruit and peppery spice.
PDF