Whitehall Lane Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - 2 Pack
$89.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Red
PRODUCTS:
1 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Anniversary Reserve, Napa Valley
1 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Napa Valley
CT links above
Whitehall Lane on Facebook
Whitehall Lane on Twitter
Whitehall Lane on Yelp
I have been to this winery on one of our visits to Napa Valley. The wine was spectacular, even if it was pricey. Even if we didn’t have this particular vintage, my guess is it’s well worth the buy for those occasions when you want to splurge
For scoring well enough, CT reviews/comments don’t seem to be very generous to these two bottles…
The 2005 Reserve:
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=518138
The 2004 Silver Anniversary Reserve:
http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=405111
Price is kinda right I guess (for the score), but I wonder how much is just for the glass stopper novelty.
I’m a pass. Good luck to all!
Looks like these aren’t sealed with corks, but with glass (Vino-Seal). If the winemaker is available I would be interested in hearing the pros and cons of this method in relationship to the aging potential of the wine. There are some schools of thought that believe that actual cork seals add to the complexity of the aged wines…
why not price the real thing?
I have had both of these and they are excellent. I have 2 of the silver anniversary wine in my cellar. This is a great price for the two pack. Highly recommend.
Hmm… Can you be more specific? Fruit-forward or restrained?
On the winery website $160 for both plus $17 shipping to KS
Here is a rundown on non-traditional closures for wine bottles, including the vino-lok
I would say both are not fruit forward. Medium body and well balanced.
i remember going to this winery and liking but not loving the wine there. i did not try these, just the standard issue non reserve.
and i think most if not all their wines used the cool little glass stopper dealy.
i might have to think about this
From WE on the 2005 Reserve:
“Made from 100% Cab, this wine pours inky black, and feels softly ripe in the mouth, with pie-filling blackberries, cherries, mocha, plums, tobacco and sweet dusty spices. Shows a tannic astringency that strongly suggests cellaring, although it’s flashy now. Best after 2011 and beyond.” - S.H. (5/1/2009)
At last another Black Tie
Those in KS can buy,
Not sure that I deserve,
Not one but two Reserve.
I will await the opine of the masses
and also to see if RPM passes.
But with that nifty vino-seal,
I just want to close the deal.
I’ve been learning about alternative wine closures recently.
You’re right about that school of thought, but unfortunately, it’s pretty much only thought at this juncture. Since the Vino-Seal was introduced in 2003, there’s no way to test its effect on long-term aging except to wait.
The Vino-Seal lets in even less oxygen that do other alternative closures, such as screwcaps or synthetic corks. Oxygen can be bad for wine - see Jamie Goode’s article on oxidation. However, it seems that too little oxygen may also be a problem - see Jamie Goode’s article on sulfur compounds that gcdyersb linked to a couple of days ago.
The Vino-Seal is the most expensive of the common alternatives, and is usually applied manually in the USA. That’s why you’ll generally only see it on expensive wines.
Of course, the biggest advantage of all of the alternative closures is that there’s no cork taint.
I’ve heard that there is a company that is developing synthetic corks that breathe much the same as natural corks do. If they can be perfected, they may change the wine industry.
Dear Winery person when you get here:
It would be useful to know some basic data for each of these wines:
Thanks in advance.
I’ve had both of these. The Silver Anniversary was a few years ago, before I started to “remember what I drank”, but it led me to seek out Whitehall Lane wines when I could find them.
My favorite local wine retailer has (had?..w/ SIWBM I haven’t checked) the Reserve at $45.99 (I checked the website and they’re out of the Reserve), and I have had several. Good bottle of wine. As it sits and decants, it does get smoother…balanced tannins, and a very silky mouth-feel. Not a fruit forward wine, but it is pleasantly noticeable.
The neat thing about the closures (one of the reasons I and a friend made a run on this) is that, on 60-75% of other wine bottles, it is a nice way to stopper a bottle overnight ILO pumping or gassing. The little glass stopper lets in a bit of air, but you’ve got good wine left overnight.
Edit: BTW the stopper is shrink wrapped with stiff plastic sealing tape before you open…this, I guess, is what seals out the oxygen so efficiently. Once open the stopper is a cool little item.