Vindicated Tre Leoni Napa Reds with DOC Butcher's Cheese Plate

Vindicated Tre Leoni Napa Reds with DOC Butcher's Cheese Plate

For a casual impromptu wine tasting experience, Linda and I stopped in at DOC Wine Bar and Restaurant at Yorktown in Lombard. We selected two new release Napa Reds BTG (by the glass) from the dozen plus offerings, to accompany the Butcher's Platter cheese and meat plate - Vindicated Napa Cabernet and Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni Red Blend. We selected the blue cheese, Old Amsterdam Dutch cows cheese, aged cheddar, brie with pear and  Nueske's Wisconsin Smoked Duck Breast, with fresh bread.


Vindicated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Lot #4 2012 

The stylish branding features an interesting artistic label that provides attribution on their published trade targeted tasting notes download, but not on their front or rear labels (shown below). Is the grecian angelic figure pencil sketch figure seeking to mimic or follow the super premium Harlan Estate 'Maiden' red wine label (shown below)? According to their web download, the label art is attributed to a lithograph from the Thomas Addis Emmet Collection of illustrations at the New York Public Library, (1828 -1919).

There is little information provided about the source of the fruit other than the "Lot #4" designation on the rear label. A major large production, highly prolific negociant uses the 'lot' designation to identify the source of the product so that subsequent releases from the same source can be so associated.

There is also similar lack of information provided on the producer who according to the rear label 'vinted and bottled' the product, other than their website url and city of origin, Healdsburg.

I suspect this is a negociant produced wine with its vagueness and anonymity of attribution and lack of 'estate' designation, which would indicate the fruit being sourced from the producer's property.

As I have written in the past, subsequent releases of this label may be from the same source, or not, hence the lack of terrior, or sense of place of the site should be considered. It will be interesting to compare such releases, if they appear.

This 2012 release has dark garnet colored, medium to full bodied, ripe black cherry and black raspberry fruits with tones of cassis and hint of cedar and spicy oak on the tangy moderate tannin finish.

RM 88 points.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2067509

 vindicatedwines.com




Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni (Three Lions) Napa Valley Red Wine 2012

A newly discovered label that offers a pleasant easy drinking wine that is also complex and sophisticated enough for food from this long time popular producer, that provides great QPR - quality price ratio if you can find it.

The name Tre Leoni refers to three generations of the Leonardini Family, proprietors of Whitehall Lane. This is an interesting blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. This is the third release of this label.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, smooth and nicely balanced black berry and raspberry fruits with layers of sweet spicy oak and mocha on a moderate tannin lingering finish.

RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2023928

http://www.whitehalllane.com/