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WINERY FEATURE | WINE COUNTRY THIS WEEK
BENNETT LANE WINERY
Anxiously Awaited 2006 Maximus to be Released March 27
by Charles Neave
It was in their travels through Italy that
Bennett Lane Winery founders and owners
Randy and Lisa Lynch began an enthusiastic
and continuing love affair with fine wine. To
pursue their passion they found a spot at the
northern end of the famous Napa Valley
known as the “Pinnacle of the Valley.” It is the
place where the Vaca Mountains on the east
side of the valley meet up with the Mayacamas
to the west. This combination of cliffs
and other geographical features, combined
with acres of pristine vineyards, also offers
spectacular vistas. And there is no place
better from which to view it than at this
charming small winery Randy and Lisa
started about seven years ago.
This also makes the winery an ideal for
picnicking, with unobstructed panoramic
views of Mount St. Helena and the Palisades.
The grounds are impeccable but also very
welcoming, as is the tasting room. And small
groups are welcome to take advantage of this
beautiful spot to relax, have some Bennett
Lane wine, and as simple or elaborate picnic
as you desire, depending on what you pick
up the markets visitors will find in the towns
and alongside the roads throughout the Napa
Valley.
A visitor to Bennett Lane affords tasters
another rarity: a likely meeting – and perhaps
a last minute barrel tasting if you are lucky –
with Randy or Lisa (or both). Or perhaps a
personal tour of the winery with one of the
knowledgeable, fun and friendly tasting room
staff.
When it came to choosing a direction for
their new winery, Randy and Lisa decided at
the beginning to create a classic red wine that
would easily find a place at the table. They are
both wine and food lovers, as are so many
discerning wine lovers. And they did, most
definitely, succeed in this very European
approach.
The Bennett Lane wine named Maximus,
after the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus –
himself no small fan of the wine grape – was
their first bottling. Since that initial vintage
many of the leading wine experts and publications
in the country and beyond have identified
themselves as among the winery’s
biggest fans.
The much-awaited 2006 Maximus is a
carefully crafted blend of Cabernet, Merlot,
Syrah with a touch of Malbec and Petit
Verdot. It is made mostly from Cabernet
Sauvignon (64%), and at $35 a bottle is
unquestionably one of the best deals in the
valley for a Napa Valley Cabernet-based wine.
In fact Bennett Lane’s Maximus is consistently
featured in leading publications as a “Best
Value.”
The wine, which was aged for 14 months
in new French oak barrels, will be released to
an anxious public at the winery on March 27
from noon until 4 p.m. It should be a memorable
day for the legion of Maximus and
Bennett Lane fans. What a perfect way to
usher in a glorious springtime in Wine
Country, as buds will soon burst on the vines
and another vintage begins to take shape.
In addition to the famous Maximus, today
their roster of wines includes a Los Carneros
Reserve Chardonnay using only Chardonnay
grapes from the Sangiacomo Vineyards
located in Carneros, then aged in 30 percent
new French oak for seven months. Then
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