Happy #MerlotThursday! This week’s bottle was recommended and enjoyed at The Wine Authority in Richardson, Texas.
I was in the wine shop for a LunaGaia tasting event. They were all biodynamic Sicilian wines from the 2023 vintage. After challenging my palate with those acids and tannins and native yeasts and unfamiliar grapes, I was ready for the warm, soft embrace of a California Merlot.
Not too soft, though! Whitehall Lane is a structured and layered Merlot-based blend. (It drinks a bit like a Cab, if I may dare say so on a Thursday).
Deep ruby with a thin garnet rim. Aromas of fresh ripe blackberry, cocoa powder, buttered popcorn, raspberry jam, and green bell pepper.
The fruity and buttery nose is a prelude to a very dry and tannic mouthful. The body is almost full and the acidity is medium. Flavors of extra-ripe raspberry, light smoke, old leaves, peppercorns, and black plum. After some time in the glass it develops warm-wood notes of sandalwood and cedar. The quite-high alcohol conveys flavors of chocolate-raspberry liqueur, which adhere to the palate thanks to an abundance of fine silty tannins.
Minor quibbles: I feel like it finishes a little thin. And at just a smidge under 15%, the alcohol is occasionally intrusive.
Whitehall Lane employed whole-berry fermentation for this Merlot and aged it for 20 months in 35% new French oak. I tasted the 2019 vintage (the 2021 is out now).
Embodying both varietal character and complexity, this is the style of Merlot that I like to invite to dinner. Its berries, chocolate, and scented wood notes yell “Merlooooooot!” Yet there’s enough spicy and vegetal components to keep things interesting. I paired it with DoorDash: Lamb gyros, beet salad, and tabbouleh from Andalous.
Bottle: Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Merlot (2019)
Variety: Merlot (87%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), Malbec (3%), Petit Verdot (2%)
ABV: 14.9%
Suggested retail: $44.99
My rating: 8.8 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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