Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2019
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Robert
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James
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc offers a great deal of complexity. On the nose, it evokes fresh melon, Golden Delicious apples, honeysuckle, white flowers, grapefruit zest, and a touch of vanilla brioche. Though crisp up front, the mid-palate offers a medium-bodied texture. Its flavors include ripe golden pineapples, Bartlett pears, fresh honeydew melon, yellow peaches, toasted walnuts and baked apple tart. The finish has beautiful length with fresh acidity and subtle toasty notes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
With 11% Sémillon, this white is balanced in acidity and weight, with a viscosity that presents as opulent and lush. Stone fruit, Meyer lemon and green apple accent a lengthy, complex palate of varietal expression and exuberance.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a juicy, mouthwatering mix of mango, tangerine, poached pear and lemon curd, with a touch of lemon verbena on the finish, showcasing a sleek body and refreshing acidity.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Composed of 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Semillon, the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc races out of the glass with zesty notes of freshly squeezed lemons, lime leaves and green apples plus suggestions of dill seed, wet pebbles and mown grass. Medium-bodied, the palate is light on its feet and packed with zing, featuring citrusy fireworks and a refreshing mineral-tinged finish.
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James Suckling
A lively, fruity white with aromas and flavors of lime zest, green apple, guava and white asparagus. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity.
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Whitehall Lane Winery was founded in 1979, but the history of the soil cultivation dates back two centuries. In the mid 1800's, Napa Valley settlers were drawn to the gravelly-loam soils and ideal climate, planting high quality grape vines at the Whitehall Lane Winery site. A barn constructed in the early 1900's 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 purchased the Whitehall Lane Winery estate. They updated the winemaking and barrel-aging program and introduced a scientific approach in the vineyards. The winery now owns seven prime vineyards that are the cornerstone on which the wines are made. They include two vineyards in the St. Helena Appellation, three vineyards (including the winery) in the Rutherford Appellation, one vineyard in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley and one vineyard in Sonoma Valley.
In its short history, Whitehall Lane has developed into a world-class winery. The efforts of the Leonardini Family are evident in the run of accolades from wine publications but are even more apparent in their elegant, beautifully made wines.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.