One of the great spots in the Napa Valley to taste, Whitehall Lane was founded by Art Finklestein and Alan Stein in 1979 on the 25 acre site that had first been planted back in the 1800s. They operated for over a decade before selling the winery to the Leonardini Family in 1993.
Today they produce a great range of wines, focusing on Cabernet Sauvignon. Jason Moulton has served as their winemaker in 2016. Moulton has a longstanding history in the industry having completed his winemaking degree from the Lincoln University Viticulture and Enology program in New Zealand. He spent more than a dozen years making wine in Napa Valley, Russian River, Canada, New Zealand, Bordeaux and South Africa. He has worked with renowned winemakers Philippe Melka, David Ramey, Kale Anderson and Ashley Heisey. The new wines were really good. I was most impressed with a wine from the more than difficult 2020 vintage. The outstanding 2020 Whitehall Lane ‘Millennium MM Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 94) comes off clean and shows a great core of black fruits. Learn more about this outstanding winery at https://whitehalllane.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Whitehall Lane.
2022 Whitehall Lane ‘Swan Clone’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Swan Clone’ comes from the Sonoma Coast AVA. It comes off neatly textured and salty with ripe red cherry and red raspberry flavors with hints of cola, dried herbs and orange peel. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2019 Whitehall Lane Merlot- Coming from several sites throughout the Napa Valley, the 2019 Merlot delivers concentrated black currants and cocoa powder flavors that mingle with loamy soils and beautiful texture on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, and showing good poise, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2024-2034- 92
2019 Whitehall Lane ‘Leonardini Estate’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The outstanding 2019 Whitehall Lane ‘Leonardini Estate’ combines 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 7% Merlot, 6%, Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It is elegant and rich Cabernet that offers dark chocolate shavings and graphite tones on the palate, alongside wet stone, creme de violette and tar notes. Full-bodied and fully delicious, enjoy now and over the next fifteen years. Drink 2024-2039- 94
2020 Whitehall Lane ‘Millennium MM Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This awesome 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon by winemaker Jason Moulton hails from the Millennium MM Vineyard located in the Rutherford AVA. 100% varietal, this is inky in the glass, revealing espresso grounds, cassis, Black Forest cake and pencil lead notes on the palate, with a refined texture. Full-bodied and delicious, this is a glorious wine from a more than tough vintage. Drink 2024-2030- 94