Whitehall Lane Winery Merlot 2019

Viticulture

2019 was a long, ideal growing season for our Napa Valley Merlot grapes. Bud break occurred from late March through April, this long flowering 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 our Merlot grapes to fully ripen from mid-September to late October when the grapes were in perfect balance. The fruit was harvested from our vineyards in St. Helena, Rutherford, and the Oak Knoll District appellations.

Vinification

Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, the grapes were careful- ly 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. This 2019 Napa Valley Merlot was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting notes

Notes of raspberry croissant, red currants, cocoa pow- der, and layers of graphite. The palate showcases fine, firm tannins along- side chocolate cherry lollipop, red plums, dried goji berries, and toasted brioche.

Producer Description

Whitehall Lane is a small, family-owned winery in Napa Valley's historic Rutherford appellation. Estate vineyards are comprised of approximately 140 acres of prime Valley-floor vineyards including the Leonardini Vineyard in St. Helena.

Whitehall Lane has received accolades and awards for producing some of the greatest wines in the world. In Wine Spectator Magazine'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 from the Quarterly Review of Wines and Wine and Spirits Magazine.

Whitehall Lane was founded in 1979 but the history of soil cultivation dates back two centuries. In the mid-1800s, Napa Valley settlers were drawn to the deep, loamy soils and ideal climate, planting high-quality grape vines at the Whitehall Lane Winery site. A barn constructed in the early 1900s for equipment storage is still used today. In 1979, two brothers started the winery and directed their winemaking efforts successfully to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They named the winery after the road that runs along the southern border of the property, Whitehall Lane.

In 1993, the Leonardini Family of San Francisco took control of the Whitehall Lane estate. They updated the winemaking, instituted a new barrel-aging program and continued sourcing the finest vineyards. What started with only one vineyard is now seven prime vineyards that are the cornerstone on which the wines are made and include the Whitehall Lane Estate Vineyard, Millenium MM Vineyard and Bommarito Vineyard in the Rutherford Appellation, the Leonardini Vineyard and Fawn Park Vineyard in St. Helena, Oak Glen Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District and Rassi VIneyard in Sonoma. The Estate Vineyard is 25 acres of "Rutherford Dust" offering beautiful Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The Millenium MM Vineyard offers outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon fruit while the Bommarito Vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The Leonardini Vineyard is 14 acres of gravely soil yielding powerful Cabernet Sauvignon fruit and elegant yet intense Merlot grapes that go into the "Leonardini Vineyard" vineyard-designated wine. The Fawn Park Vineyard is on a gentle slope of the eastern hillside and produces intense Cabernet Sauvignon. The 25-acre Oak Glen Vineyard produces flavorful Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

In its 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 they continue to make.