Whitehall Lane Winery Chardonnay 2023

Viticulture

This 2023 Sonoma Stage Vineyard Chardonnay is our inaugural release of the first single vineyard Chardonnay that we have farmed from start to finish at Whitehall Lane. Planted in 2020, the Chardonnay clones used for this wine are Dijon clones 76 and 78, which are long sought-after clones of Chardonnay from Burgundy. 

The 2023 vintage is being hailed the “vintage of a lifetime”. Winter and Spring brought roughly forty inches of rain, which provided a boost for the Petaluma Gap AVA. This vintage moved California out of a drought and into a good position for years to come. Budbreak arrived 2 weeks later than 2022 due to the spring rain events. The moisture in the soil led to a perfect flowering condition in the vineyard. The vines, as a result, provided an even crop with perfect fruit set for the grape clusters. Summer was moderately warm, allowing the grapes on the vine to develop slowly. Autumn had a few hot days, that pushed the vines into perfect maturity, leading to a late harvest season. The consistent summer weather encouraged our Chardonnay Dijon clone grapes to ripen in early October.

Vinification

After handpicking at night, the fruit was hand-sorted and whole-cluster pressed in a gentle Champagne press cycle. The juice was then cold settled and racked to barrels on its lees. The Chardonnay then underwent a native yeast barrel fermentation in 100% French oak barrels (25% new and 75% neutral). This wine went through 85% malolactic fermentation to enhance body and mouthfeel. Lees stirring was performed every 3 weeks to build upon body, texture and structure. The wine was aged on the lees for 14 months before filtration and bottling.

Tasting notes

Attractive aromas of Bosc pears, Golden Delicious apples, nectarines, grapefruit, apple crisp and a touch of nutmeg. It is vibrant, rich and softly textured with a very long and crisp finish. Its palate provides a full-bodied wine with yellow peaches, golden raisins, caramel apple, fresh baked brioche and a toasted walnut finish. 

Winery 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.