http://www.bennettlane.comRSS feeds for BennettLaneWinery60http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/34/Wine-Spectator-April-30-2008.aspx#Comments0http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=58&ModuleID=467&ArticleID=34http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=34&PortalID=0&TabID=58http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/34/Wine-Spectator-April-30-2008.aspxWine Spectator - April 30, 2008 Bennett Lane Maximus Red Napa Valley 2005 90 Points and Outstanding Value Firm, rich and intense, with ripe, vivid blackberry and wild berry fruit and a mix of currant and raspberry. Keeps a tight focus on the finish. Former race car driver Randy Lynch and his wife, Lisa, purchased their Napa home and surrounding vineyards in 2003. They inherited some Syrah grapes and blended them unconventionally, with Bordeaux varietals. The result is Maximus Red, a Cabernet Sauvignon - based blend that includes Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, named after wine loving Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. Most of the grapes for this wine come from Bennett Lane's own 22 acres of Napa vineyards in Calistoga. The winery also produces an unconventional white blend (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Muscat) called Maximus White. View ArticlenovaWed, 30 Apr 2008 19:29:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:34http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/31/The-Press-Democrat-April-23-2008.aspx#Comments0http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=58&ModuleID=467&ArticleID=31http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=31&PortalID=0&TabID=58http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/31/The-Press-Democrat-April-23-2008.aspxTasting Room - Cabernet Sauvignon & Bordeaux R Bennett Lane 2005 Maximus Napa Valley Three and a half stars - A ripe, showy wine with bright acidity. Youthful, with notes of cherry, berry, toasty oak and spice. Medium Complexity.novaWed, 23 Apr 2008 19:27:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:31http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/32/Augusta-Chronicle.aspx#Comments0http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=58&ModuleID=467&ArticleID=32http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=32&PortalID=0&TabID=58http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/32/Augusta-Chronicle.aspxCalifornia Winery Hits the Fast Lane by Brian Goodell A few sounds that are music to Rob Hunter's ears: The pop of a cork on one of his Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, the roar of the engines at a NASCAR track and the chatter in his headphones between driver and pit crew during the race. Mr. Hunter is the winemaker at Bennett Lane Winery in Calistoga, the first California winery to own a NASCAR team. Although he's certifiably hooked on it now, it wasn't always that way. "When this (the NASCAR team) started, I didn't want anything to do with it," he says. "Then I got invited to a race down in Florida where I got to wear the headphones and listen to the driver and the crew chief. "I never knew there was so much strategy. All of a sudden I was cheering and feeling like, 'that's my car!' Now I can't get enough of it." Bennett Lane Winery and the glistening yellow cars that run in the Grand National West (formerly Winston West) Series are the brainchild and labor of love of owner Randy Lynch. The wines have already achieved several ratings of 90 and above and driver Mike David won the 2007 championship, despite 2005 being their inaugural vintage. A few years ago, this might have seemed like a most unusual marriage, but the recent surge in wine consumption among NASCAR fans, in addition to the overall upward trend in popularity of both simply shows that Mr. Lynch was right on the leading edge. "I want to turn beer guzzlers into wine drinkers," he says, "one race at a time." Mr. Lynch has a penchant for being in the right place at the right time and for knowing when to take action. After earning his fortune in advertising, he decided to buy a second home in the Napa Valley, right during a downturn in the wine business. The house had acreage and vineyards, but no one was buying the grapes. When Mr. Lynch was told that there was a custom crush facility nearby, he visited. After learning the custom crush location was for sale, he bought it and turned it into Bennett Lane Winery. Soon after, Mr. Hunter, former winemaker at Lyeth, Markham, and Sterling Vineyards, was brought on to oversee production. Now, Bennett Lane makes 6 wines: a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($55), a Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($95), a Los Carneros Reserve Chardonnay ($45), a limited production Port style dessert wine ($60), and their two popular Maximus blends. Dubbed "feasting wines," these are nontraditional blends of Cab, Merlot and Syrah in the red ($35) and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat in the white ($28). Visitors to the tasting room will enjoy the friendly atmosphere and free picnic area. There is also a "petting vineyard" where tourists can see the differences in grapes up close. If you want to go all out with the custom blending experience, the Bennett Lane Limo will pick you up and take you to the winery to blend, label and bottle your own Maximus blend. To make an advance appointment, call the winery at (877) MAX-NAPA. Although the wines are limited production bottlings, they are distributed in many states. They can also be purchased online at www.bennettlane.comnovaWed, 23 Apr 2008 19:27:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:32http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26/Avenue-Vine-April-2008.aspx#Comments0http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/RssComments.aspx?TabID=58&ModuleID=467&ArticleID=26http://www.bennettlane.com/DesktopModules/DnnForge%20-%20NewsArticles/Tracking/Trackback.aspx?ArticleID=26&PortalID=0&TabID=58http://www.bennettlane.com/Winery/Reviews/tabid/58/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/26/Avenue-Vine-April-2008.aspxNASCAR and Wine Buddy Up Further You may consider NASCAR to be the domain of tank tops, bad hairdos and beer drinking. Oh, come on NASCAR has been mixing wine, beer and whisky on the circuit for years! The inclusion is mutually beneficial to all parties... Never the less one Napa Valley wine producer (not to mention Richard Childress and Mike Skinner–see below) is trying to change the beer-drinking part of the equation. Bennett Lane Winery owner Randy Lynch has recently announced a two-year partnership with Sonoma, Calif.'s Infineon Raceway, in which his winery will be the title sponsor of the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Series West Event. The raceway will also begin serving Bennett Lane Maximus and Cabernet Sauvignon by the glass. Lynch, himself a former amateur racecar driver, is no stranger to the racetrack. He currently owns a NASCAR West division team, whose No. 2 Bennett Lane Winery car won the 2007 West Series championship. This year Lynch's wife, Lisa Lynch, will be heading up a second Bennett Lane team, represented by the No. 24 Maximus, which will compete against the No. 2 Bennett Lane car. Unfiltered is still working out the kinks on its own racecar, which will feature a wine fridge in the trunk, a cork dashboard and an engine that runs on grape pomace Richard Childress: When Richard Childress was 17 years old, he began racing a 1937 Plymouth he bought for $20. He eventually made his way onto the racing circuit as a driver, but after only a few years, he turned to running a team and brought on the now legendary, late Dale Earnhardt. Since then Richard Childress Racing has racked up 125 victories over the past 36 years, and today has top-ranked drivers Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Dave Blaney behind the wheel of three teams in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup Series. And just like a rookie driver trying to overcome the critics' doubts, Childress is trying to defy the skeptics who wouldn't dream of growing grapes or making wine in North Carolina. With Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon planted and a winery that opened just last year, Childress wants to make wine that everyone will like--even NASCAR fans. More On Bennett Lane: Who: Randy and Lisa Lynch, who purchased a second home with a dozen or so acres of vineyards in Calistoga at the northern end of Napa Valley. A former race-car driver, Lynch also owns a NASCAR West division team and an ad agency. Rob Hunter, formerly of Sterling and Markham, signed on as consulting winemaker in 2005. When: After purchasing their new home and the accompanying vineyards, the Lynches considered selling off their fruit, but a glut of grapes in the area was pushing down prices. Instead, they decided to make their own wine. They found a custom-crush facility, Bennett Lane, that happened to be for sale, and they bought it just in time for the 2003 harvest. Where: Lynch is using as much of his property as possible for grapegrowing. He owns a total of 22 acres in Calistoga--10 acres at the winery and 12 around his home, where, he says, "all that isn't a driveway or house" is planted to vines, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Petit Verdot and Merlot. The couple sources the rest of their fruit from another 40 acres in Napa Valley, buying additional Chardonnay grapes from Sources: Unfiltered: "Plus, the relationship between wine and NASCAR gets cozier"; "Wine Talk: Richard Childress," Eric Arnold; "Wine Talk: Mike Skinner," Laurie Woolever; "New Wines, New Faces: Bennett Lane," Robert Taylor and MaryAnn Bovio, Wine Spectator, April 17, 2008 Avenue VinenovaFri, 18 Apr 2008 17:49:00 GMTf1397696-738c-4295-afcd-943feb885714:26