The 2021 vintage was considered a drought year, and has proven to be of great quality for regular wines. The season began with bud break in early March, followed by perfect flowering and the beginning of grape cluster fruiting in spring. The summer was also quite warm and long. The harvest came early in autumn. The drought resulted in low yields, but the grapes had a perfect juice-to-skin ratio and were full of concentrated flavor. Stable summer weather allowed Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot to ripen and complete the harvest from late September to October.
The grapes were hand-picked early in the morning and carefully destemmed before fermentation. They were then cold-soaked in tanks at 45°F for 4-7 days to enhance the extraction of color, aroma and flavor. After adding selected yeasts, the grape must (juice, skins and seeds) was fermented at 82°F. Two pump-overs were performed daily to ensure even fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the wine was aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral oak barrels.
A typical Cabernet from the valley floor, full of concentrated fruit and well-balanced. Sweet blackberry, dried fig, and black cherry fruit with hints of fragrant vanilla and cigar box. Rich, velvety tannins, dark chocolate-soaked cherries, black plums, mixed berry pie, toasted walnuts and complex layered flavors emerge. Can be aged in the cellar until around 2040.
Those who have visited Napa Valley may recognize the modern yellow winery building in the town of Rutherford along Route 29. Whitehall Lane is a historic and prestigious winery that has been producing high-quality wines using grapes mainly from its own vineyards on the valley floor since the winery was established in 1979. The vineyard itself was cultivated in the late 1800s, and Whitehall Lane, named after the area to the south of the vineyard, was inherited by the Leonardini family in 1993.
When the winery was put up for sale, owner Tom Leonardini, a wine lover, was convinced of the quality of the vineyards and immediately decided to purchase it. He vowed to make this business a success and expanded it with his family. Aiming for higher quality wine, they adopted various methods such as using the latest technology to analyze the soil of their own vineyards, measuring the water retention of the soil, and measuring the growth and maturity of the grapes using aerial photographs with infrared cameras. In addition to information from these high-tech technologies, vineyard managers and winemakers visit the vineyards daily to actually check the quality and growth of the grapes, which allows them to produce high-quality grapes. Their tireless efforts have been widely recognized, with the winery being ranked in Wine Spectator's Top 5 three times out of five years and selected as Wine & Spirits' Best Winery of the Year.
Whitehall Lane's own vineyards, five of which are located on the valley floor, centered around Rutherford, where the winery is located. Taking advantage of the warm climate and gravelly soil, the company carefully selects clones and varieties suitable for each field, cultivating a variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Orange Muscat.
Jason Moulton, who became winemaker in 2016, studied winemaking in New Zealand and then worked in various regions such as Canada, France (Bordeaux), and South Africa in addition to Napa Valley. He has experience with famous wine consultants such as Philippe Melka and David Ramey, and will use his knowledge and experience of both the Old World and the New World to lead Whitehall Lane's wines to even greater heights.