2023 Whitehall Lane - Rassi Cabernet Sauvignon (750ml)

The Rassi Vineyard sits on a gravel stratum on the eastern slope of Sonoma Valley, at the base of the Mayacamas Mountain range. This hillside location gets excellent afternoon sun exposure through the long, warm summer, ideal for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, and the property carries real history, originally part of General Vallejo's 1,864-acre Rancho Agua Caliente land grant before becoming part of the Duncan family ranch in the 1940s. Dennis Rassi, grandson of the original owners, tended the vineyard for years before selling it to the Leonardini family of Whitehall Lane Winery in 2012.

This beautifully blended 2023 Rassi Cabernet Sauvignon is exquisitely balanced with excellent fruit concentration. On the nose, expect fresh blueberry pie, blackberries, Mission figs, lavender, and a touch of toasted bread. The palate offers smooth but delicate tannins, bursting with rich blackberry cobbler, stewed black plums, black cherries, and toasted walnuts that linger on the finish.

This is evidently a hillside Cabernet on tasting, cool, mineral, and highly defined, with layers of red fruit to the fore, supported by complexities of cherry cola, rhubarb, and toasted brioche with burnt edges. A cocoa powder bitterness emerges alongside chalky, fine tannins, characteristic of the site, leading to a long, focused finish. This is a terroir-driven Cabernet built on structure and acidity rather than sheer body, making it a great choice for those who appreciate ageable, site-expressive wine.

Enjoyable now with grilled fare, it will also reward a year or more of cellar time.