Tasty Cabernet from WhiteHall Lane Winery
Last week I was really in the mood for a nice, big California Cabernet Sauvignon. To quench my craving I went with the 2006 WhiteHall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon. WhiteHall Lane is located in St. Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley and has been making wine since 1979. The Leonardini family bought the winery in 1993 and “they updated the winemaking, instituted a new barrel-aging program and continued sourcing the finest vineyards.” WhiteHall lane now owns six vineyards including Whitehall Lane Estate Vineyard, Rutherford West Vineyard and Bommarito Vineyard in the Rutherford Appellation, the Leonardini Vineyard and Fawn Park Vineyard in St. Helena and the Oak Glen Vineyard in the Oak Knoll District.
The 2006 is comprised of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot and 5% Malbec and was aged for 18 months in a combination of French and American Oak.
A note on the vintage from the WhiteHall Lane site:
“A very wet and cool spring was followed by a mild summer and temperate fall in 2006. With all of the moisture in the soil after the winter and spring rains, the grape clusters and leaf canopy grew beautifully through the summer. Leafing and thinning was the routine in the vineyards in 2006 to keep the ripening process on track.”
My Tasting Notes:
nose: blackberry, mulberry, cedar, cigarbox
taste: black currant, black cherry, cola, rhubarb, eucalyptus
mouthfeel: full body, velvety and rich, leathery tannins, spicy
finish: long, dark fruit, slightly fuzzy
This is a great Cabernet, big, but not over the top with very manageable tannins for it’s young age. It had an amazing “lushness” that can sometimes be obnoxious but was well balanced with the structure and flavor profile of the wine. Nice elements of cedar showing up from the American oak, and earthy rhubarb and cigarbox notes help round out the bold fruit flavors.
We currently have it on sale for $37.45 down from $45.
Cheers
