2017 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 375ml
92 Points - Wine Spectator
Tasting Notes
This beautifully blended 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is exquisitely balanced with excellent fruit concentration. On the nose, this wine offers fresh blackberries, black cherries, blueberry pie, graphite, toasted brioche, and a touch of lavender. The palate offers plush but concentrated tannins, mixed berry jam, dried black cherries, dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, cedar, and a touch of vanilla bean with a finish that softens and lingers. This offering is enjoyable today but will also evolve with cellar aging through 2030.
Vintage Notes
The 2017 year began with abundant rainfall, followed by a mild spring resulting in extended flowering with little shatter. The summer warmed up nicely, allowing the fruit to mature at an even rate and make optimum conditions for flavor development. A Labor Day weekend heat event kicked harvest into high gear, then cool weather allowed sugar levels to return to normal. Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot grapes were harvested in mid-September and the first week in October, when they were in perfect balance. The fruit is predominantly from Rutherford, St. Helena, and the Oak Knoll District appellations.
Winemaking Notes
Upon hand harvesting in the early morning hours, our grapes were carefully destemmed and sent to tank for a whole-berry fermentation. The grapes were cold-soaked in tank at 45Ā°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 82Ā°F, which allowed for a hot extraction on the skins. For fermentation cap management, the juice was pumped over the skins two times per day, wetting the cap evenly for a nice healthy fermentation. After fermentation and pressing, the 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 50% new French oak and 50% neutral oak for 20 months before bottling. The blend is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Napa Valley
Composition: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot
Alcohol: 14.8%
Winemaker: Jason Moulton
Whatās Included
6-bottles:
6x 2017 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 375ml
Case:
12x 2017 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 375ml
Whitehall Lane is a small, family owned winery in Napa Valleyās historic Rutherford appellation. We grow 157,435 grape vines in our eight estate vineyards including the Leonardini Vineyard in St. Helena. We are dedicated to growing and making the finest Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, using Napa Green certified and sustainable practices.
The winery continues to receive accolades and awards for producing some of the greatest wines in the world. In Wine Spectatorās 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.
In our 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 we continue to make.
The Leonardini Family follows a successful equation at Whitehall Lane Winery: grow the best grapes to make the best wine.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Half Bottle
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Half Bottle - $20 = 11.11%
LabRat checking in Friday, June 11th, 2021 the year of our lord. TGI2021- am I right? And Casemates sends me a space sub sandwich to labrat? No wonder woot sucks since bezoās hungry hungry hippoād it.
hāUP TOP! ^5
Whitehall Lane 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sawvingyownā¦. Half bottle. (See pic for Schwarzenegger / Devito side by side pic for reference)ā¦ not toastedā¦
The look:
Deep dark ruby. Good legs down the side of my glass after some swirling. Check on the bottle reads 14.8.%
The nose:
Currant, Plum, English breakfast tea, and Snazberries. Wiffs rich with alcohol smell to me.
Smells like it tastes rich and dense so onto thatā¦
The mouth:
A little peppery, but more spiced cherry than black pepper. Concentrated graphite tannins. A lot of flavors, mostly with what youād associate with dark. It gets a little paler on your palette overtime but the taste still lingers respectfully.
The aftertaste:
Tobacco, cedar, and dry oakā¦
The wrap up:
I hate to say it but this tastes like itās ready now and will still ready a few years from now. Iāll be copping a case for Hollywood bowl concerts and small last minute picnic type things, but Iāll keep in the fridge-fridge so you can pop the twist top and let it warm naturally. As fancypants as it is, I expect it to pair well with burgers and grilled num-nums and hard Oakcast stankonia hard cheese.
The letters āwhitehall laneā can be rearranged to spell āWhite Anal Hellā.
Half bottles of fine Cab for ~13.50ā¦. Whitehall Lane gets very good fruit and is well-situated in the Valley. I have always been happy with their wines. An rpmAutobuy!
I bit on their previous half-bottle offer, which was the 2016 vintage. It is a solid Cab, but (maybe because Iām spoiled by the bargain offers we get here for full bottles of other wines), I think the 375s would have to be better than just āsolidā to get me to bite on this offer.
@ecue ā Did you get the 2016? Can you compare that vintage with this one?
@moondigger I bought it on the last offer too. Iād buy it again, but itās going to be 96 degrees today. I donāt think I can have wine shipped for another 4 months.
@moondigger@rpstrong True, but wine canāt take an hour at 96 degree heat in an unairconditioned truck, much less a full day. UPS delivers late afternoon here, and my last couple of deliveries took several days longer than it was supposed to. I just donāt trust it.
@gemeinschaft79@moondigger@rpstrong It would be a fun experiment to put some temperature sensors in some bottles of wine and ship them cross country to see what temperatures are actually experienced. I received a rat bottle yesterday for next week and it was fairly cool to the touch despite rolling around in the back of the UPS truck all day. Iām not sure if CM is still using the small ketchup ice packets anymore but that used to make a difference also.
@deadlyapp@moondigger@rpstrong I would love to see the results of an experiment like that. I used to pay extra for the ice pack shipping in summer. But even then, I had some bottles arrive pretty warm with the ice packs completely melted and warm to the touch. Itās like the surface of the sun in Florida in the Summer.
@deadlyapp@gemeinschaft79@moondigger@rpstrong@ScottW58 Finding out not much different in SC, although all of Jan and Feb pretty safe. Bought todayās offer cuz itās generally pretty good stuff and the 1/2 bottles scratched an itch. But they are headed to the cool weather of Wisconsin. Where itās been 92-96 all weekā¦ ha!
@deadlyapp@moondigger@rpstrong@ScottW58 Shipping window is about 3-4 months in FL Iād say. I hit it hard and my UPS delivery guy thinks Iām an alcoholic.
I havenāt received wine with those little ice packets. Thereās no way theyād stand up to the heat down here though.
@deadlyapp@gemeinschaft79@moondigger@rjquillin I was always a bit skeptical, and then they went away, which I took as a confirmation of my bias. But I value my collection, which stems largely from the Woot days. I mostly use them (loosely) in small drink coolers.
I think I was supposed to rat this but my shipment was delayed, UPS says it will arrive sometime today. I hope it was for tomorrowās offering! If todayās, Iāll chill it as soon as it arrives and try to post something this afternoon.
92 points. Ripe and alluring, with a lovely floral edge to the pure core of cassis and plum reduction flavors. A light licorice edge frames the finish, with a hint of singed mesquite. Offers some latent depth, so while approachable, this should also cellar well mid-term. Drink now through 2031. JM 11/2020
and the Suckling:
91 Points. Fresh blackberry and blackcurrant leaf on the nose with some bark and licorice. Itās medium-to full-bodied with firm, round tannins. Nice layers of fruit and spice, leading to dark chocolate on the finish. Try from 2021.
Iāve really enjoyed the 2016 half bottles that were offered a couple of months ago. Theyāre great in a house with a pregnant wife where I donāt want to run the risk of polishing an entire bottle. Takes some time to open up but itās quite nice
Honestly, half bottles are a waste of shipping, Styrofoam, and money. I know, I know, I am generalizing here, but a full bottle is, in my opinion, just better
My report will be abbreviated since I just got this bottle this afternoon. I usually spend a couple of hours doing a review. Today I cooled it and pulled it!
Bottle is nice for a halfsie. The label may be my favorite from Casemates so far, it is simple but printed on luxurious paper with some nice embossing. Very classy and befitting a fine wine.
On the pour, the color is a nice deep purple, my favorite on a Cab. Plenty of legs after a swirl. This wine looks like it has some viscosity to it, it is not watery at all.
Digging deeper I should say that I guess I got lucky and it wasnāt cooked in transit.
The nose is fantastic. Itās rich: a nice smooth Cab. At first I get some heat from the alcohol and then it mellows to some blueberries, a touch of wood and a hint of honeysuckle. I love the nose on this.
First taste is superb. Itās a rich, smooth Cab with some nice mouthfeel. @ecue nailed it calling the graphite tannins, I get that on the first sip. The wine mellows out with a fruit explosion, it is almost jammy. The long finish moves on to a coppery bite. This one is nice and smooth but with a pleasant bite, you could drink it with almost any red meat or tomato sauce. Drink now, no need for cellaring.
I love this wine, it ranks up there with my all-time favorite from Casemates. It reminds me of the Stewart Cellars Pinot I picked up here a couple years ago for the appearance and viscosity. It was also a fruit bomb. Go for the case! Iāll be vacationing elsewhere during the delivery window otherwise I would be getting a case for sure.
@GatorFL Did you get the 2016 vintage? Your notes on this one donāt match my impressions of the 2016. I would need this one to be better than the 2016 to merit spending $15 per half-bottle.
@WineDavid49 Any chance Iāll get this delivered by Monday June 28? Delivery window was 6/21 to 6/25. Knew I was cutting it close, but usually delivery beats your estimate. Iām leaving the current shipping address early 6/29. No neighbors to help, wonāt be back to shipping address for a couple of months or soā¦Iām assuming it just gets returned to you?
The case arrived a little bit ago here in the easy bay of CA. Contents seemed cool temperature wise. Gonna try one now and forget to report. Hope everyone elseās cases arrive safely and taste great.
2017 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 375ml
92 Points - Wine Spectator
Tasting Notes
Vintage Notes
Winemaking Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $288/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 21 - Friday, Jun 25
Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Half Bottle
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 375ml
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Half Bottle - $20 = 11.11%
Good stuff indeed!
LabRat checking in Friday, June 11th, 2021 the year of our lord. TGI2021- am I right? And Casemates sends me a space sub sandwich to labrat? No wonder woot sucks since bezoās hungry hungry hippoād it.
hāUP TOP! ^5
Whitehall Lane 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sawvingyownā¦. Half bottle. (See pic for Schwarzenegger / Devito side by side pic for reference)ā¦ not toastedā¦
The look:
Deep dark ruby. Good legs down the side of my glass after some swirling. Check on the bottle reads 14.8.%
The nose:
Currant, Plum, English breakfast tea, and Snazberries. Wiffs rich with alcohol smell to me.
Smells like it tastes rich and dense so onto thatā¦
The mouth:
A little peppery, but more spiced cherry than black pepper. Concentrated graphite tannins. A lot of flavors, mostly with what youād associate with dark. It gets a little paler on your palette overtime but the taste still lingers respectfully.
The aftertaste:
Tobacco, cedar, and dry oakā¦
The wrap up:
I hate to say it but this tastes like itās ready now and will still ready a few years from now. Iāll be copping a case for Hollywood bowl concerts and small last minute picnic type things, but Iāll keep in the fridge-fridge so you can pop the twist top and let it warm naturally. As fancypants as it is, I expect it to pair well with burgers and grilled num-nums and hard Oakcast stankonia hard cheese.
The letters āwhitehall laneā can be rearranged to spell āWhite Anal Hellā.
@ecue Uhm, wow, this is a fun review to read! Thanks for this!
Iām frustrated everytimes I do one of these and attempt to post pictures. Sorry everyone, youāll have to use your imagination.
@ecue I gave up on pics awhile back.
Half bottles of fine Cab for ~13.50ā¦. Whitehall Lane gets very good fruit and is well-situated in the Valley. I have always been happy with their wines. An rpmAutobuy!
I bit on their previous half-bottle offer, which was the 2016 vintage. It is a solid Cab, but (maybe because Iām spoiled by the bargain offers we get here for full bottles of other wines), I think the 375s would have to be better than just āsolidā to get me to bite on this offer.
@ecue ā Did you get the 2016? Can you compare that vintage with this one?
@moondigger I bought it on the last offer too. Iād buy it again, but itās going to be 96 degrees today. I donāt think I can have wine shipped for another 4 months.
@gemeinschaft79 @moondigger Bear in mind that it is two-day shipping now, in styrofoam.
@moondigger @rpstrong True, but wine canāt take an hour at 96 degree heat in an unairconditioned truck, much less a full day. UPS delivers late afternoon here, and my last couple of deliveries took several days longer than it was supposed to. I just donāt trust it.
@gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong It would be a fun experiment to put some temperature sensors in some bottles of wine and ship them cross country to see what temperatures are actually experienced. I received a rat bottle yesterday for next week and it was fairly cool to the touch despite rolling around in the back of the UPS truck all day. Iām not sure if CM is still using the small ketchup ice packets anymore but that used to make a difference also.
@deadlyapp @moondigger @rpstrong I would love to see the results of an experiment like that. I used to pay extra for the ice pack shipping in summer. But even then, I had some bottles arrive pretty warm with the ice packs completely melted and warm to the touch. Itās like the surface of the sun in Florida in the Summer.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong
Yeah I think Florida only has a 3 week shipping window every year!
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger Do these ring a bell?
My Rat bottle just arrived, itās really warm. I donāt have the right kind of thermometer to check but Iād guess 85 degrees.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong @ScottW58 Finding out not much different in SC, although all of Jan and Feb pretty safe. Bought todayās offer cuz itās generally pretty good stuff and the 1/2 bottles scratched an itch. But they are headed to the cool weather of Wisconsin. Where itās been 92-96 all weekā¦ ha!
@GatorFL Might be a little flabby right now.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong
Given the thermal mass differential between those and a 750; absolutely worthless. But, yes, many of them.
@deadlyapp @moondigger @rpstrong @ScottW58 Shipping window is about 3-4 months in FL Iād say. I hit it hard and my UPS delivery guy thinks Iām an alcoholic.
I havenāt received wine with those little ice packets. Thereās no way theyād stand up to the heat down here though.
@GatorFL I hope itās not cooked!
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong @ScottW58 Yes agreed 3-4 months. We had a cooler winter this past season so Nov-April was good for Casemating.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong I do! Itās Crystal Heinz, right? From the 90ās? I canāt believe that never took off.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rjquillin I was always a bit skeptical, and then they went away, which I took as a confirmation of my bias. But I value my collection, which stems largely from the Woot days. I mostly use them (loosely) in small drink coolers.
@deadlyapp @gemeinschaft79 @moondigger @rpstrong The āketchupā ice packs ā¦ you kept 'em too?
I think I was supposed to rat this but my shipment was delayed, UPS says it will arrive sometime today. I hope it was for tomorrowās offering! If todayās, Iāll chill it as soon as it arrives and try to post something this afternoon.
That Spectator reviewā¦
92 points. Ripe and alluring, with a lovely floral edge to the pure core of cassis and plum reduction flavors. A light licorice edge frames the finish, with a hint of singed mesquite. Offers some latent depth, so while approachable, this should also cellar well mid-term. Drink now through 2031. JM 11/2020
and the Suckling:
91 Points. Fresh blackberry and blackcurrant leaf on the nose with some bark and licorice. Itās medium-to full-bodied with firm, round tannins. Nice layers of fruit and spice, leading to dark chocolate on the finish. Try from 2021.
fwiw
Iāve really enjoyed the 2016 half bottles that were offered a couple of months ago. Theyāre great in a house with a pregnant wife where I donāt want to run the risk of polishing an entire bottle. Takes some time to open up but itās quite nice
@deadlyapp Polishingā¦ Hummm
/giphy pessimistic-provocative-star
Honestly, half bottles are a waste of shipping, Styrofoam, and money. I know, I know, I am generalizing here, but a full bottle is, in my opinion, just better
@salpo I disagree, my wife doesnāt really drink red wine so they are nice to open just for me.
@CorTot @salpo Ar
@salpo Iām the only wine drinker in my house, so I like having a small bottle that I can finish in just a few glasses.
@rjquillin Too soon for Talk Like a Pirate Day!
@gemeinschaft79 @CorTor I understand. And I agree. I just think that a full bottle makes more sense. Vacuum it: it will be fine even in a few days
@gemeinschaft79 @salpo Ar; it will be good for monthsā¦
My report will be abbreviated since I just got this bottle this afternoon. I usually spend a couple of hours doing a review. Today I cooled it and pulled it!
Bottle is nice for a halfsie. The label may be my favorite from Casemates so far, it is simple but printed on luxurious paper with some nice embossing. Very classy and befitting a fine wine.
On the pour, the color is a nice deep purple, my favorite on a Cab. Plenty of legs after a swirl. This wine looks like it has some viscosity to it, it is not watery at all.
Digging deeper I should say that I guess I got lucky and it wasnāt cooked in transit.
The nose is fantastic. Itās rich: a nice smooth Cab. At first I get some heat from the alcohol and then it mellows to some blueberries, a touch of wood and a hint of honeysuckle. I love the nose on this.
First taste is superb. Itās a rich, smooth Cab with some nice mouthfeel. @ecue nailed it calling the graphite tannins, I get that on the first sip. The wine mellows out with a fruit explosion, it is almost jammy. The long finish moves on to a coppery bite. This one is nice and smooth but with a pleasant bite, you could drink it with almost any red meat or tomato sauce. Drink now, no need for cellaring.
I love this wine, it ranks up there with my all-time favorite from Casemates. It reminds me of the Stewart Cellars Pinot I picked up here a couple years ago for the appearance and viscosity. It was also a fruit bomb. Go for the case! Iāll be vacationing elsewhere during the delivery window otherwise I would be getting a case for sure.
@GatorFL Did you get the 2016 vintage? Your notes on this one donāt match my impressions of the 2016. I would need this one to be better than the 2016 to merit spending $15 per half-bottle.
@moondigger Sadly I didnāt.
/giphy woolen-legible-salamander
@WineDavid49 Any chance Iāll get this delivered by Monday June 28? Delivery window was 6/21 to 6/25. Knew I was cutting it close, but usually delivery beats your estimate. Iām leaving the current shipping address early 6/29. No neighbors to help, wonāt be back to shipping address for a couple of months or soā¦Iām assuming it just gets returned to you?
@winedavid49 Ok, so 10 seconds ago I get a shipping notification for delivery Thursday, 24thā¦ yay! Fingers crossed, ye of little faith etcā¦
@kaolis phew!!
The case arrived a little bit ago here in the easy bay of CA. Contents seemed cool temperature wise. Gonna try one now and forget to report. Hope everyone elseās cases arrive safely and taste great.
I must have been drinking when I purchased this; I opened it up wondering wtf happened when I saw a case of half-bottles.