Whitehall Lane Winery has a focus on red wines, more Cabernet driven wines. This 2019 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel offers notes of blackberry, blueberry, black cherry, boysenberry, and huckleberry. The fruit is fully structured by moderate to mature tannins, the use of judicious oak, and a mild acidity. There are back notes of vanilla, sandalwood, and light campfire. This is definitely a food friendly red wine to pair with a various dishes, but it’s also a wine that makes you remember how good Napa wines can be when they’re treated with restraint.
Since the early 1990s, Paraduxx has created blended red wine to show off the Napa Valley. A bit larger and more macerated than previous vintages, it is still nonetheless an enjoyable, solid wine. The tannins are a little more aggressive here with the fruit being both expressive but still subdued. The more noticeable element is the oak; an 18-month program of both French and Hungarian, with 40% of the barrels being brand new. The composition is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, then diminishing proportions of Zinfandel, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Sirah, in that order.
It’s not that Malbec is a forgotten grape, it’s that it doesn’t get the love it deserves, and too often wineries seem to want it to taste like Cabernet. Enter Whitehall Lane, who makes this impressive Malbec that you will love - a Malbec that tastes like a Malbec should. The fruit is supported by a tannic structure that provides an earthiness and rusticity to it. Blackberry brambleberry, huckleberry and boysenberry all work together to create a rich wine that’s not over the top but not subdued either. The mid-palate reveals the wines’ acidity with notes of sandalwood and cocoa powder.
This is a blend of 66% Merlot and 34% Cabernet Franc. It is consistently a great value in Right Bank Bordeaux and in good vintages (such as 2008) it often out performs the vintage. Purple in color with some ruby swirls, opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, cherries, coffee, slight chocolate and cigar box. Full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this is approaching peak. Some complexity and depth. Flavors of black cherries, cherries, spice, chocolate and char. Good finish. This will be better with food. It should work great with Lamb. Drink over the next ten years.
It’s always exciting to see a winery launch a new wine and for Acumen, this is their first ever Cabernet Franc. True, they have grown and used Franc for years, just not as its own bottling. This offers tight, dusty tannins supported by a mélange of dark red and black berry fruits. There is an earthy core with light black tea leaves, cigar notes and pomegranate. The oak program is evident (60% new French oak was used) but not overwhelming. Comprised mainly of Cabernet Franc, there are small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot added in to finesse this already lovely wine.
Another example of what great value there is in Bordeaux once one gets away from the classified growths. A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, plums, spice and char. Medium to full bodied. Medium tannins. On the palate, this has some depth. Notes of cherries, black cherries and black raspberries with some spice and a bit of earthiness. Nice finish. A very pleasant wine that is better with food. This would work well with roasted fowl or meat or even root vegetables. Drink over the next
Most wineries, like Acumen, love fruit grown on hilly terrain. The grapes have proper drainage, the addition of breezes keeps the leafy vines healthier and soils are richer in nutrients. Therefore, this Mountainside Cabernet has everything going for it. This wine requires a little bit of patience however, and decanting this for a few hours will be well worth your time. This shows the obvious black cherry, blueberry, boysenberry, and huckleberry notes that Cabernet typically has.
