The Phone Call That Brought Katie Leonardini To Whitehall Lane
From a surprise phone call in 1993 to leading one of Napa Valley’s respected family wineries, Katie Leonardini’s journey began with her father’s leap of faith
When Katie Leonardini got a call from her father saying he was buying a Napa Valley winery, she didn’t know it would mark the start of her own journey into the wine world.
It was 1993, and the Managing Member at Whitehall Lane Winery in Napa Valley was in college. She marks the moment as when her family’s Whitehall Lane story began.
“My dad opened a wine shop in San Fransisco in the early 1980s,” Leonardini said. “He learned that a small winery was going on the market. So he reached out, jumped up and bought it within a week.”
Such is the nature of her dad, Tom Leonardini Sr. A self-made business man with an entrepurnial spirit. She knew he’d navigate his way through any pitfalls that await.
“My dad’s a self-made guy,” Leonardini said. “He had one year of college, hit the ground running and has been going ever since. So I wasn’t that surprised when he told me that.”
What she didn’t count on was a career that would bring her to Napa Valley. She’d lived in San Francisco and San Mateo - prior to its boom into Silicon Valley - but never Napa. Her career in financial services featured stints in Hong Kong and Philladelphia.
But, three children in a three-year span and her dad closing on a new property with a house on it that he could rent to her for a sweet deal was too tempting. Napa Valley felt like a good place to raise a family so she embarked on a new adventure.
“It felt like coming back home, even though Napa Valley was new to me,” she said. “There aren’t many places like St. Helena in the country anymore, a safe place with a strong sense of community.”
Whitehall Lane’s wines remain rooted in the family’s original vision, with a focus on approachability, value and a clear identity which is reflected in the prices of their flagship wines.
“People always ask me, about our Cabernet and Merlot,” Leonardini said. “They’ll say, ‘this is really good, so why are they so cheap’?
“To me, $56 isn’t cheap! I believe we have to deliver with every bottle and $56 is expensive.”
Because the flagship Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 ($56) checks in at such an affordable price, the shock comes in value and quality. The estate’s style is charming; flavors of black cherry, toasty vanilla and the sweet essence of pipe tobacco, framed by firm yet balanced tannins.
With its plush mouthfeel and soft tannins the Whitehall Lane Napa Valley Merlot 2021($40) might be the best value in its category. Highly aromatic, it offers red plum and dusty milk chocolate on the nose, leading into flavors of plum, strawberry compote and hints of dusty earth on the finish.
Any lingering prejudices from Sideways, a 2004 film with a popular scene that demonized Merlot, seems to have dissipated. A new generation of wine consumers are too young to have caught the film at its pop-culture peak and are being lured into the easy drinking nature of the varietal.
“We’ve always been known for Merlot,” Leonardini said. “There was a little downturn, but we have no problem selling it. It’s value-driven.”
The Leonardini family has weathered recessions, wildfires and a pandemic, all while keeping the business lean.
“Dad always taught us to be strong with financial discipline,” Leonardini said. “We’ve never had to lay people off. We question every invoice and practice, and look at how we can do things more efficiently.”
Her father officially retired earlier this year at 83.
“It’s the best case scenario,” she said. “He’s still here, still healthy, and I can still run things by him. I thanked him for giving me a runway.”
For Leonardini, the focus is now on guiding Whitehall Lane into the future.
“I feel like I owe it to the next generation to make sure we are in a good place,” she said. “It’s my obligation to help the winery thrive.”
