This Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic example of a perfectly balanced valley floor Cabernet with excellent fruit concentration. On the nose, this wine offers sweet blackberries, dried Mission figs, black cherries, blackberry coulis, toasted vanillin, and a hint of cigar box. The palate offers rich and velvety tannins, dark chocolate-covered cherries, black plums, mixed berry pie, and toasted walnuts. This offering is enjoyable today but will also evolve with cellar aging through 2040.
Winemaking
Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to the tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in the 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 has 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.
This Merlot is bursting with notes of strawberry rhubarb pie, red plums, mixed berries, milk chocolate, and layers of licorice. The palate showcases fine, juicy tannins alongside wild strawberries, raspberry liqueur, chocolate-covered cherries, brioche, and toasted walnuts. It is supple in texture and shows attractive depth on the finish. Enjoy right now and through 2037 with proper cellaring.
Winemaking
Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to the tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in the 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 wine was aged in 35% new French oak and 65% neutral oak for 20 months before bottling. The blend is 82% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Whitehall Lane has always utilized the art of blending to make a Merlot with layers of flavors, complexity, and balance. These elements assist with the goal of varietal typicity in creating the perfect Merlot. This 2021 Napa Valley Merlot was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Vintage
The 2021 vintage was considered a drought year, which has 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 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc to ripen in late September into October to finish the harvest season.
Specs
Composition: 82% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
Appellation: Napa Valley
Alcohol: 14.9%
Winemaker: Jason Moulton
What’s Included
4-bottles:
2x 2021 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
2x 2021 Whitehall Lane Merlot, Napa Valley Case:
6x 2021 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
We are a small, family-owned winery in Napa Valley’s historic Rutherford appellation. We own approximately 110 acres of prime Valley-floor vineyards, including the Leonardini Vineyard in St. Helena, and are committed to making the finest Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Reserve wine.
The winery continues to receive accolades and awards for producing some of the greatest wines in the world. In Wine Spectator’s year-end ranking of wines, Whitehall Lane has been honored an unprecedented three times in five years for producing wines rated among the top five in the world. The winery has also been voted Winery of the Year by the Quarterly Review of Wines and Wine and Spirits Magazine.
In our short history, Whitehall Lane has developed into a world-class winery. The efforts of the Leonardini Family are evident in the recent run of accolades from wine publications, but are even more apparent in the beautifully made, elegant wines we continue to make.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I was the lucky recipient of a Labrat bottle for this offer. Happy Birthday to me!
Although I literally had to chase down the UPS driver to get the bottle. Jumped in my truck as soon as I got a text saying “missed delivery”. Found him down the street. He claimed to have rang bell and knocked. Whatever!
The wine is ruby colored, with good clarity and slow running legs. At first sniff, I get notes of cherry, plum and violet.
I put together some cheese, crackers and chocolates to taste with the wine, but initially, my LW and I tried a few sips without food. We both agreed that it drinks well on its own.
On the palate, notes of chocolate covered cherry, plum and cassis with a hint of Eucalyptus. Juicy mouthfeel, with light tannins and a medium finish.
The wine paired very well with a variety of foods. Not only did it play nicely with the cheese, crackers and chocolates, but also some leftover sweet potato tots with Sriracha aioli and smoked Gouda mac-n-cheese with pulled pork.
The Sriracha sauce brought out some light allspice notes. The wine was especially good with the mac-n-cheese.
This is a really nice Merlot. We finished the bottle before we finished the food! That is a rarity for us. Thanks for the opportunity. TBH, was hoping for a lower case price but was not expecting the Merlot to be bundled with a Cab.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Whitehall Lane Mixed Reds - $35 = 11.11%
Whitehall Lane
2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
To start with a quick summary, at the conclusion of our tasting one of the three rats said, “this is what I look for in a wine!” That pretty much gives a sense of how the tasting went.
The Whitehall Lane Cabernet comes in a heavy bottle with simple, but elegant labeling. The color of the wine is a very deep, dark purple that is not at all translucent. The legs on the glass are strong and long lasting. The aroma is rich and fruity, smelling of blackberries and plums. It smells very smooth and mellow with no hints of bitterness or alcohol.
The first taste reveals lots of dark fruits, but not sweet fruit. The light, clear acidity that comes through on the tongue first thing debunks the notion that the strong fruit aroma would come from a jammy, sweeter wine. That is not this wine. The fruits are blackberry and plum, merging with prune and apricot and just the slightest hint of oak and something else very nice that none of us had the adjectives for. All in all it is delightfully flavorful with gentle but evident tannins and a lingering finish. We were doing a cocktail hour tasting so the food on hand was crackers with sharp cheddar cheese and peppery salami. The food enhanced the wine and the wine really rounded out the flavor of the appetizers. I can imagine that this wine would be excellent with all kinds of meals. Before we knew it the bottle was gone and the Lake County Cab we did have with dinner did not even come close to the Whitehall Lane Cab.
Very nice merlot. First taste was bold with many fruit flavors. Drier than I expected for some reason. And I like dry reds so I, of course continued sipping. As the overall punch of fruit began to settle, the finish held onto some tart berry flavors. Which I thoroughly enjoyed.
This wine will keep you sipping until the bottle is gone. A great bottle to share with someone who appreciates a flavorful red wine. Well done Whitehall Lane!!!
Quick and dirty copy/paste CliffsNotes version, the Cabernet:
92 James Suckling
Dark-fruited and chocolaty character here with sweet spice and bark undertones. Full-bodied with firm tannins and polished texture. Attractive bitter sweet citrus peel character at the end. A little chewy in the finish.
92 Wine Spectator
Vivid boysenberry and blackberry fruit drives along here, carried by a graphite edge. This nicely focused version picks up dark tobacco, warm earth and savory notes along the way. Drink now through 2034. 7,326 cases made.
92 Wine Enthusiast
Tobacco, leather and spice cascade over flavors of sweet plum and juicy mixed fruits. Full bodied and generous, this wine is persistent and full of melting tannins.
90 Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the 2021s, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (there s 2% Merlot and 1% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot) has a deep ruby/plum hue to go with a modern, plush, medium to full-bodied style carrying ample toasty oak, some darker currant and blackberry like fruit, and some subtle floral nuances. I think it s an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that will offer plenty of pleasure over the coming 7-8 years, if not longer.
90 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Black cherries and dusty loam notes are joined by hints of sage and thyme plus barrel-derived accents of vanilla and maple syrup. Medium to full-bodied, it’s silky and supple, easy to drink, yet with enough structure to partner rare beef.
Merlot:
92 Wine Spectator
Expressive and multilayered, showing handsome flavors of red currant and black cherry highlighted by mocha espresso and vanilla bean details before finishing with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2031.
92 James Suckling
Blueberries, plums, cassis blossoms and violets on the nose following through to a medium body with firm tannins. Structured with crunchy blue fruit at the center and a slightly grippy texture towards the finish. Drink or hold.
92 Wine Enthusiast
A full-bodied and flavorful Merlot, this wine fills the palate with cherries, plums, mixed herbs, and a hint of mint. Palate cleansing tannins and mouthwatering length complete the experience.
90 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Whitehall Lane’s 2021 Merlot is an attractive and well-priced offering. Scents of pipe tobacco, black cherries, vanilla and cedar appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is nicely rounded and charming, with just enough tannin to give it some spine and length.
@Nel250 Here’s another one that would be good to split. I have the last order already, the Gary Farrell Zinfandel. If you’re interested in this one, I’ll split the case with you. Let me know.
Was ecstatic to see a Labrat shipment inbound. It’s my Birthday weekend, so it was an extra nice surprise that it is a Cabernet! Didn’t get it early enough to plan the perfect pairing but luckily, my spouse had planned a beef stir fry with rice for dinner.
After pouring a couple of glasses we dove in. It has a deep dark red color, and dense long legs upon first swirl. On the nose we were greeted with Dark fruits- blackberry, and cassis. My spouse noted Chamomile, and a hint of cedar. No harshness/alcohol blowoff, just beautiful aromas.
Palate wise, we noted Dark cherries, plum, and cassis, with hints of eucalyptus and a little vanilla. Very yummy.
Mouthfeel is a slightly tart, light note of refreshing citrus, medium acidity, but a soft velvety finish, some tannins but not too much- just the right balance for me. A little oak. Not much lingering dryness.
We really liked this one, and with a better food pairing such as a nice medium rare filet mignon it would be a blissful combo. That said, it paired nicely with our beef stir fry. Very lovely for a young Cab as-is, and I bet with a bit more time in the bottle, it will age nicely.
2021 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
92 Points, James Suckling
92 Points, Wine Spectator
92 Points, Decanter
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Vintage
Specs
2021 Whitehall Lane Merlot, Napa Valley
92 Points, James Suckling
92 Points, Wine Spectator
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Vintage
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$576.00/Case for 6x 2021 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley + 6x 2021 Whitehall Lane Merlot, Napa Valley at Whitehall Lane Winery
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 16 - Tuesday, Jun 17
Whitehall Lane Mixed Reds
4 bottles for $104.99 $26.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2021 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
2021 Whitehall Lane Merlot
2021 Whitehall Lane Merlot
TLDR: Four thumbs up!
I was the lucky recipient of a Labrat bottle for this offer. Happy Birthday to me!
Although I literally had to chase down the UPS driver to get the bottle. Jumped in my truck as soon as I got a text saying “missed delivery”. Found him down the street. He claimed to have rang bell and knocked. Whatever!
The wine is ruby colored, with good clarity and slow running legs. At first sniff, I get notes of cherry, plum and violet.
I put together some cheese, crackers and chocolates to taste with the wine, but initially, my LW and I tried a few sips without food. We both agreed that it drinks well on its own.
On the palate, notes of chocolate covered cherry, plum and cassis with a hint of Eucalyptus. Juicy mouthfeel, with light tannins and a medium finish.
The wine paired very well with a variety of foods. Not only did it play nicely with the cheese, crackers and chocolates, but also some leftover sweet potato tots with Sriracha aioli and smoked Gouda mac-n-cheese with pulled pork.
The Sriracha sauce brought out some light allspice notes. The wine was especially good with the mac-n-cheese.
This is a really nice Merlot. We finished the bottle before we finished the food! That is a rarity for us. Thanks for the opportunity. TBH, was hoping for a lower case price but was not expecting the Merlot to be bundled with a Cab.
Sorry no pics of wine in the glass. I attempted to take one over white paper and couldn’t get a pic without a prominent reflection.
@chipgreen Full Case too; musta been tasty!
I caved.
/giphy affable-lax-yarn
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
Whitehall Lane Mixed Reds - $35 = 11.11%
Whitehall Lane
2021 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
To start with a quick summary, at the conclusion of our tasting one of the three rats said, “this is what I look for in a wine!” That pretty much gives a sense of how the tasting went.
The Whitehall Lane Cabernet comes in a heavy bottle with simple, but elegant labeling. The color of the wine is a very deep, dark purple that is not at all translucent. The legs on the glass are strong and long lasting. The aroma is rich and fruity, smelling of blackberries and plums. It smells very smooth and mellow with no hints of bitterness or alcohol.
The first taste reveals lots of dark fruits, but not sweet fruit. The light, clear acidity that comes through on the tongue first thing debunks the notion that the strong fruit aroma would come from a jammy, sweeter wine. That is not this wine. The fruits are blackberry and plum, merging with prune and apricot and just the slightest hint of oak and something else very nice that none of us had the adjectives for. All in all it is delightfully flavorful with gentle but evident tannins and a lingering finish. We were doing a cocktail hour tasting so the food on hand was crackers with sharp cheddar cheese and peppery salami. The food enhanced the wine and the wine really rounded out the flavor of the appetizers. I can imagine that this wine would be excellent with all kinds of meals. Before we knew it the bottle was gone and the Lake County Cab we did have with dinner did not even come close to the Whitehall Lane Cab.
Very nice merlot. First taste was bold with many fruit flavors. Drier than I expected for some reason. And I like dry reds so I, of course continued sipping. As the overall punch of fruit began to settle, the finish held onto some tart berry flavors. Which I thoroughly enjoyed.
This wine will keep you sipping until the bottle is gone. A great bottle to share with someone who appreciates a flavorful red wine. Well done Whitehall Lane!!!
Quick and dirty copy/paste CliffsNotes version, the Cabernet:
92 James Suckling
Dark-fruited and chocolaty character here with sweet spice and bark undertones. Full-bodied with firm tannins and polished texture. Attractive bitter sweet citrus peel character at the end. A little chewy in the finish.
92 Wine Spectator
Vivid boysenberry and blackberry fruit drives along here, carried by a graphite edge. This nicely focused version picks up dark tobacco, warm earth and savory notes along the way. Drink now through 2034. 7,326 cases made.
92 Wine Enthusiast
Tobacco, leather and spice cascade over flavors of sweet plum and juicy mixed fruits. Full bodied and generous, this wine is persistent and full of melting tannins.
90 Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the 2021s, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (there s 2% Merlot and 1% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot) has a deep ruby/plum hue to go with a modern, plush, medium to full-bodied style carrying ample toasty oak, some darker currant and blackberry like fruit, and some subtle floral nuances. I think it s an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon that will offer plenty of pleasure over the coming 7-8 years, if not longer.
90 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Black cherries and dusty loam notes are joined by hints of sage and thyme plus barrel-derived accents of vanilla and maple syrup. Medium to full-bodied, it’s silky and supple, easy to drink, yet with enough structure to partner rare beef.
Merlot:
92 Wine Spectator
Expressive and multilayered, showing handsome flavors of red currant and black cherry highlighted by mocha espresso and vanilla bean details before finishing with zesty tannins. Drink now through 2031.
92 James Suckling
Blueberries, plums, cassis blossoms and violets on the nose following through to a medium body with firm tannins. Structured with crunchy blue fruit at the center and a slightly grippy texture towards the finish. Drink or hold.
92 Wine Enthusiast
A full-bodied and flavorful Merlot, this wine fills the palate with cherries, plums, mixed herbs, and a hint of mint. Palate cleansing tannins and mouthwatering length complete the experience.
90 Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Whitehall Lane’s 2021 Merlot is an attractive and well-priced offering. Scents of pipe tobacco, black cherries, vanilla and cedar appear on the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is nicely rounded and charming, with just enough tannin to give it some spine and length.
fwiw
@Nel250 Here’s another one that would be good to split. I have the last order already, the Gary Farrell Zinfandel. If you’re interested in this one, I’ll split the case with you. Let me know.
Whitehall Lane 2021 Cabernet
Was ecstatic to see a Labrat shipment inbound. It’s my Birthday weekend, so it was an extra nice surprise that it is a Cabernet! Didn’t get it early enough to plan the perfect pairing but luckily, my spouse had planned a beef stir fry with rice for dinner.
After pouring a couple of glasses we dove in. It has a deep dark red color, and dense long legs upon first swirl. On the nose we were greeted with Dark fruits- blackberry, and cassis. My spouse noted Chamomile, and a hint of cedar. No harshness/alcohol blowoff, just beautiful aromas.
Palate wise, we noted Dark cherries, plum, and cassis, with hints of eucalyptus and a little vanilla. Very yummy.
Mouthfeel is a slightly tart, light note of refreshing citrus, medium acidity, but a soft velvety finish, some tannins but not too much- just the right balance for me. A little oak. Not much lingering dryness.
We really liked this one, and with a better food pairing such as a nice medium rare filet mignon it would be a blissful combo. That said, it paired nicely with our beef stir fry. Very lovely for a young Cab as-is, and I bet with a bit more time in the bottle, it will age nicely.
Sounds like a pair to wait for, awhile.
/showme bad-vicarious-pilsner