Whitehall Lane Winery
1563 St Helena Hwy, St Helena, CA 94574
Website: http://www.whitehalllane.com/
Whitehall Lane is a small, family owned winery in Rutherford. The winery was started by two brothers in 1979 and named after the road that runs along the south border of the property. At the time, winemaking was dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The winery was purchased by the current owners, the Leonardi family, in 1993. The family is from San Francisco and consists of proprietor Tom Leonardi Sr., his wife and five kids. The Leonardi’s upgraded the winery with a barrel aging program and state-of-the art equipment and expanded from one vineyard to six. Today the winery sells their wines internationally and has received a number of accolades from well-known wine magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine and Spirits Magazine based on the quality of their wines.
Whitehall Lane Tasting Room
Today, Whitehall Lane focuses its wine production on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Reserve wines. Their Current Release tasting menu includes each varietal and a couple of Reserve wines. Whitehall Lane also offers a tasting of their Reserve only wines. When I visited I split a tasting with my husband and sister and sampled all of the wines offered on the Current Release menu. I found them all to be pleasing. One of my personal favorites was the Belmuscato Estate Dessert Wine.
The exterior of the winery has a modern look with some vines surrounding the parking area. There is a pergola covered in vines and purple flowers leading from the parking lot to the entrance that adds a little Tuscan charm. The greenery and flowers are very pretty when they are in bloom and provide a nice contrast to the yellow stucco façade of the winery.
Whitehall Lane Tasting Bar
The interior of the tasting room is a little rustic and refined at the same time. The walls are stark white with minimal decorations and the tasting room feels wide open. The tasting bar is to the left of the entrance. The bar itself it made of black wood panels that resemble the siding of a barn. The bar is L-shaped with a good amount of room to fit several small groups of people at one time. In front of the bar is a large glass window that looks into the fermentation room. On the wall behind the bar is a beautiful panoramic photo of the vineyards. Our server mentioned that she was new. Regardless, she was very friendly and helpful. A couple of the other servers around her were willing to help out when we had questions she was unsure of. We visited toward the end of the day and the atmosphere was inviting and relaxing.
This winery is open to the public until 6 p.m., although the last tasting begins at 5:30 p.m. The winery offers tours twice a day for a very reasonable fee that includes a walk through the vineyard patio, fermentation cellars, crush pad, barrel room and wine library. The winery also offers seated tastings that can be paired with food in the Club Room by appointment. Whitehall will allow guests to picnic in the small, Tuscan inspired garden in their estate vineyard by appointment. The garden, Barrel Room, Reserve Room, and Club Room can be booked for private events as well. See their website for details.