It’s the biggest weekend for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Napa Valley and excitement is high as Bennett Lane Winery gets ready to wave the checkered flag on their 2005 releases. February 2nd and 3rd will offer the unique opportunity to taste their highly lauded Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, not normally available for tasting. Much of this highly prized wine is pre-sold through the Wine Club so this is a rare opportunity for visitors to both try and buy the exclusive wine before it is no longer available.
The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignons garnered high praise from Wine Spectator’s James Laube who gave the Bennett Lane 2004 Primus Reserve Cabernet 91 points and the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon 92 points. “Our goal at Bennett Lane is to make wines of outstanding quality year after year,” Randy says. The 2005 vintage follows in this tradition. According to Winemaker Rob Hunter, “2005 was a classic vintage with good weather allowing for long hang-time. The wines exhibit bright, concentrated berry fruit with elegant tannin structure. The wines are superb.”
On top of the outstanding opportunity to taste the elegant 2005 Cabernet Sauvignons, visitors will be able to tour the winery and even get a chance to check out the Bennett Lane Winery NASCAR Ford before its heads back out on the track for another stellar season in 2008. Bennett Lane is the first California winery to own a NASCAR team and the 2007 NASCAR season was an exhilarating one for winery owners Randy and Lisa Lynch, whose NASCAR West team won their first Western series championship in 2007!

Bennett Lane Winery is located in an understated Mediterranean-style building at the secluded and beautiful northern end of the Napa Valley, and boasts terrific wines for a great value. Located at 3340 Highway 128, approximately two miles north of Calistoga, Bennett Lane Winery’s tasting room is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Guests are welcome to taste Bennett Lane’s wines ($10) and to use the winery’s picturesque picnic area with stunning views of Mount St. Helena. Every Saturday, the winery offers special dark chocolate and Maximus pairings. The pairing is so successful it has spawned Maximus-filled chocolates and even a Bennett Lane Maximus chocolate wine sauce! Tours are offered by appointment.
For those looking to do more than just taste wine, Bennett Lane offers the “Put a Cork in it!” Custom Blend Experience ($175 per person) for groups of six to eight. Upon arrival at the winery in Bennett Laney’s very own stretch limo, guests are escorted to the barrel room where they’ll meet with one of the winery’s experienced staff to try wines straight from the barrel – a rare opportunity in the Napa Valley. Guests are then taken through the process of making and blending wines. Each guest is encouraged to try using different amounts of Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from a variety of vineyard lots, creating a blend personalized to their tastes. After a favorite formulation has been selected, guests will blend, bottle, and cork the wine themselves. The Bennett Lane Winery Custom Blend Experience culminates with labeling of the wine, signed by each custom blend’s individual creator. Transportation to and from the Bennett Lane Winery from accommodations in the St. Helena or Calistoga area is included, as well as a wine and cheese pairing.
For more information about Bennett Lane Winery, go to www.bennettlane.com or call (707) 942-6684, or toll-free at 1-877-MAX-NAPA.

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