2006 Whitehall Lane

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  6/16/2009 - riverbend wrote:

  Pronunciation SOH-veen-yown blahnk, seh-mee-YOHN
  Blend
  62% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Sémillon;
  
  70% of the fruit was fermented in stainless steal, 30% in new French oak barrels and aged "on the less" for seven weeks. This is done to bring out the soft fig and melon character of Sauvignon Blanc.
  
  Color, Body, Nose, Flavors
  COLOR: pale golden; BODY: medium; NOSE: tropical fruits and peach; FLAVORS: citrus - grapefruit
  
  Region Description
  Blending Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon is a common practice in California. Many California vintners use the term fumé blanc in marketing their Sauvignon Blancs. However, both fumé blanc and sauvignon blanc are made from the same sauvignon blanc grapes.
  
  Details
  Combine Sémillon with SAUVIGNON BLANC and the resulting wines can be quite extraordinary. Sémillon marries well with oak and tends to produce high-ALCOHOL wines that have good EXTRACT and TEXTURE but what are often low in ACID and on AROMA. Sauvignon Blanc adds the missing acidity and aroma while Sémillon tempers Sauvignon Blanc''s tendency toward GRASSINESS. Blending the two grapes creates a richer, more COMPLEX wine than either can create alone. Indicative of this style are the white wines from BORDEAUX, which often use from 50 to 80 percent Sémillon in the BLEND, producing dry, marvelously complex wines with great AGING ability.
  
  Vintner / Wine Maker
  Whitehall Lane is a family-owned estate vineyard in Rutherford, CA. Arguably one of the busiest tasting rooms for its size along Highway 29 in Napa, Whitehall Lane Winery began in 1979 when two brothers bought the 26 acre vineyard on Whitehall Lane. Today, the Leonardi family owns the winery. In the Wine Spectator magazine’s year-end ranking of wines, Whitehall Lane has been honored several times for producing wines rated among the top five in the world (in each case for their Cabernet Sauvignon). The winery has also been a Wine & Spirits Magazine “Winery of the Year” for five consecutive years.
  Recognized as a premier producer of Napa Valley wines, Whitehall Lane is also viewed as a screwcap pioneer advocating alternative closures in Napa. To protect the integrity of the wine, even their $75 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon has an alternative closure.
  
  Food Pairings
  This fresh wine can be enjoyed as an aperitif. It a great match with salads and chicken, but at it's best with freshly-shucked oysters or fish with sauces, particularly sea bass or lobster.

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