Winery - Leonetti Cellar
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
For more than two decades, Merlot has been the signature wine for Leonetti. This year’s version is dense and tannic. The immediate impression is of charcoal, ash and black cherries. As the wine opens up there are spices (black pepper, anise, bay leaf), roasted nuts, lush tannins and more fruits — berries, cherries and plums. Though young, tight and still tannic, with several hours breathing time this extraordinary Merlot begins to smooth out the rough edges and show its best stuff.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Leonetti seems to get more extracted fruit, more depth and power, more flat-out flavor from Sangiovese than virtually anyone else in the country. A lot of it, let’s face it, is the same Leonetti magic that is applied to other red wines: rich layers of buttery, nutty, luscious oak underscoring the strawberry/plum flavors of the Sangiovese grapes. About 20% Syrah is included in the blend. The result is an exciting wine, sensuous and sleek.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dense, aromatic, layered and rich, this wine explodes from the glass with scents and flavors of concentrated berries, cassis, black cherry, and more. The vines have reached a mature stage that amplifies the fruit and keeps the generous barrel flavors in perfect balance. The barrel notes roll on in a chorus of toasty accents, and the finish is as good in the last minute as the first whiff from the glass.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This full-throttle Bordeaux blend is big, tight, and a bit hard but dense and concentrated. Here are blue and black fruits, layers of smoke and bitter chocolate, yet a lifted, floral scent is also there. In the finish it feels chewy and substantial, with threads of cedar, cinnamon and caramel woven among the darker, smoky notes. Give it plenty of breathing time.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though the Leonetti Reserve is a bigger and more substantial wine than the Cabernet, it initially seems to be less complex. But what’s not to like? The fruit is juicy and lush, a mix of black cherry, blackberry and some tart boysenberry, and the wine is well structured, with richness, depth and plenty of ripe tannin.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
There was no Pepper Bridge or Seven Hills Merlot in the mix in 2004, but this as good as any other Leonetti Merlot, which is to say as good as it gets, aided by the inclusion of Cold Creek vineyard fruit. Soft, lush and beautifully aromatic; it’s just lightly dusted with chocolate and hints of spicy herb.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Reserve is their version of a classic Bordeaux blend; this vintage pencils out as 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, the rest split evenly between Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Sweet black cherry fruit is married seamlessly to layers of different flavored chocolates; long, silky, seamless and seductive. Styled for near-term enjoyment.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
No longer the biggest or oakiest Cab in the valley, this is a more sinuous, sensuous style, with a citrusy lift to the pretty cherry fruit, perhaps from the inclusion of a tiny bit of Syrah (there’s also a bit of Carmenère!). Still young and a bit tannic, this will benefit from three to five years of further bottle age.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is 100% varietal, from the Loess, Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge, and Mill Creek Upland vineyards. A deep, intense take on Merlot, it’s so dark and concentrated that it dances on the )edge of bitterness, but in a style reminiscent of the finest Italian Merlots, that use that flavor to define and elucidate a dark and potent wine. In the mouth it fills out with luscious cherry and plum and blackberry fruit, baking chocolate, coconut and nougat. Yet it remains sleek and stylish, with a strong licorice note.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though 2009 was a difficult vintage for Washington Merlot, this is a truly luscious wine. It welcomes the taster instantly with massive, generous fruit cloaked in toasty, chewy, mocha and caramel flavors. Tasted over the course of 48 hours, it held up well, developing broad, well-integrated flavors of berries to complement the hedonistic oak. Sure to be a favorite among all the current releases from Leonetti.
0 out of 0 people thought this note was helpful.
