Review: Wines of Whitehall Lane, 2025 Releases
Whitehall Lane is a family-owned winery and vineyard in Napa. I’ve visited it many times over the years since its founding in 1979, but haven’t tasted any of its production in ages — and we’ve never formally reviewed the wines here, either. Today we remedy that with a look at three new bottles from Whitehall’s extensive product selection.
2023 Whitehall Lane Rose of Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap – Quite acidic, almost fiery at times, with bright lemon and grapefruit citrus notes that would work just as well in a sauvignon blanc as they do here. A whiff of strawberry on the finish (sparring with a gentle, lightly wet grassiness) is the only hint that this isn’t a white wine (aside from the light pink hue, of course), but it turns out that’s just fine. This is a rose that drinks like a white, so plan accordingly and it will all work out. A- / $35
2023 Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford – An initial burst of melon kicks off this otherwise straightforward expression of sauvignon blanc, which soon turns its attention to a very tart lemon character, lightly salty with a hefty mineral component. Gently bitter and tart on the finish, the conclusion feels a touch unripe, more citrus pith than citrus-ade. B / $30
2021 Whitehall Lane Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap Sonoma Stage Vineyard – Quite a surprise, this is a doughy, earthy expression of pinot that still feels like it’s trying to crawl its way out of the ground. Fruit is underdeveloped at first, but time in glass helps some denser berry notes to creep into focus. In time, blackberries and tart cherries make an appearance alongside a healthy slug of bitter-tart rhubarb, the finish meandering into notes of green tea and licorice. Things turn slightly tarry on the fade-out. This is a scattered wine that never finds its footing; I don’t think I would have pegged it as a pinot noir at all if tasted blind. B- / $42
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