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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.5 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 85 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Scottlmatthews on 1/9/2024 & rated 83 points: Beautiful nose of crushed berries, cherries, and pomegranate, dark, cherry, orchard, stone fruit with herbs and spice allspice balances out the nose. The pallet follow suit with the nose of crushed berries and reminiscent of blackberries, blueberries, and an acidic pomegranate. The finish is medium, too short due to the age of over 15 years, but balanced with tenants giving to its age-, giving a satisfying finish. (676 views) | | | Tasted by curtr on 9/25/2023 & rated 94 points: Decanted 1 hour. Bold with sirloin steak. Drink now to 2027 (942 views) | | | Tasted by PhN on 5/28/2023 & rated 90 points: 45 minutes to open, but then a delicious, medium bodied Cab with great varietal character. I think this wine will age well for a while longer. (1006 views) | | | Tasted by Roentgen Ray on 12/6/2022: Cellared since release at 55-65ºF.
Perfect cork.
Splash decanted.
Very aromatic, it fills the room with blackberry from the decanter.
In the mouth, it's bright with lots of juicy blackberry and strawberry, leather, and dusty minerality.
It's medium bodied and the tannins are seamlessly integrated and polished now.
This is in a good place today and worth trying if you have a few and haven't tried one 4-5 years. (1393 views) | | | Tasted by MemorialWineFan on 3/31/2022 & rated 92 points: Really great fruit and structure. Better than the 2008. I can see that the bottle is thicker and cork improved. Wine barely had touched the cork so this can be held long term. (2026 views) | | | Tasted by jkwoodward on 3/27/2022 & rated 94 points: Spot on washington can, loaded with fruit but wonderful graphite and cassis as well. Reminds me why I buy this and wait for it. Yum. (1651 views) | | | Tasted by wineismylife on 2/10/2022 & rated 93 points: WIML93
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Graham cracker, cocoa powder and currants. Flavors of black cherries, black berries and plums. Medium acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. (1633 views) | | | Tasted by noni15 on 7/20/2021 & rated 93 points: Day 1 : 92 pts.
Day 2 : 93 pts. Very thin sediments, therefore, decanting is a must or cheese cloth....Other than that excellent Cab from Walla Walla, more time to go but it is on its peak, smooth and long finish. (2119 views) | | | Tasted by hkbob on 6/17/2021 & rated 95 points: Opaque purple-black. Brooding nose of dark brambly fruit, boot polish, tar and charcoal. Blackberry, dark cherry, mocha, cappuccino and a herbal note on the long, concentrated finish. This came across as very youthful still and our biggest issue was not decanting the wine - it really started to strut its stuff after about 45 minutes just as we finished the bottle. (1733 views) | | | Tasted by dfaircloth on 4/24/2021 & rated 97 points: Silky tannins and still quite structurally sound. Black cherry and graphite. (1483 views) | | | Tasted by mactheknife on 2/24/2021 & rated 94 points: Exceptional and beautifully balanced. A cross between old and new world. Plenty of life left. At least 10 years. (2258 views) | | | Tasted by RobertBellinger on 2/20/2021: RP 97 (2016 views) | | | Tasted by Mark1npt on 11/8/2020 & rated 94 points: Dead bang on score wise with my CT brethren on this one....Carol (who finished her wine well before dinner!) scored it in 1/10th of a second when I asked her.....she's that goooood! But I digress......I'm giving it a 94. If it lasted longer in my glass and took on more air I might have graded it even higher.
This had a bit of stewed fruit on opening but that disappeared after an hour or so of air, replaced by beautiful red/black berries and and an earthy/briar component. This is soft and refined by age but still just a little grip to the tannins on the back end. It has a full front, mid and back palate of beautiful fruit and weight with no voids to it. There is still some pleasant acidity and the feeling that this wine has many more years ahead of it, however, this bottle picked up at auction, had a bit of a loose cork that came out very easy with the ah-so. Makes me think in just a short while longer, cork failure would have rendered this bottle useless so glad I opened it tonight. Tremendous wine in a great spot. I am very happy to have kept it and opened it at this time. If you have better provenance than I do, keep these for a while longer, then enjoy! (3318 views) | | | Tasted by Filippo on 5/9/2020 & rated 92 points: Very balanced and in perfect shape. (1979 views) | | | Tasted by lbrooks on 12/25/2019 & rated 93 points: A great cab with a Christmas Tenderloin. It starts with a nice subtle blueberry and raspberry blend. The middle is very mellow and the berries slightly mute. It finishes very light and smooth. It’s really good Cabernet. (2068 views) | | | Tasted by stevetsukuno on 9/13/2019: Dinner with Jeff & Ellen (2049 views) | | | Tasted by MAXIMUM SATISFACTION on 2/15/2019 & rated 93 points: Like the 2010 Quilceda before it this took time open to mellow. Blackberry, lead, cassis, resin, and confectioners sugar. Sharp and prickly on the edges with a touch of heat. Possibly the 2010’s need 3-4 more years to mellow. (2836 views) | | | Tasted by Giacomo on 11/22/2018 & rated 92 points: 4/5, very good, excellent with prime rib dinner for Thanksgiving, delicious, price is substantially too high for this quiality level. Nice fruit flavor and intensity, varietally correct, low+ acidity, balanced, medium long finish, very nice dusty tannins on the finish, very much enjoyed drinking it. Would not buy again at this price - too many other bottles of equal quality at half the price. (2733 views) | | | Tasted by BigBoy_Sonoma on 7/13/2018 & rated 95 points: Blackberries, blueberries, acidity, cedar, tobacco, chocolate, and finishes with some candied cherry notes and oak. A (2978 views) | | | Tasted by BigBoy_Sonoma on 3/29/2018 & rated 93 points: Black fruit, cedar, chocolate, spice, cocoa, pepper and acidity. Layered complexity. A/A- 93. (3084 views) | | | Tasted by PhN on 3/19/2018 & rated 93 points: When opened three days ago the wine was tight, closed and uninteresting, even after two hours. Worked well enough with a flavorful meatloaf. The last glass left in the bottle for 48 hours, gassed with a stopper, was fantastic. The wine had come together, fruit was forward with still plenty of tannin. The rest stays down for several more years. (2812 views) | | | Tasted by PhN on 10/16/2017 & rated 94 points: Needs an hour to open and then wonderful. This wine will have a lot of legs. I will hang on to what I still have for a while. (3349 views) | | | Tasted by kwn70 on 6/4/2017 & rated 92 points: Similar to mclancy10006, there was a bit of (unexpected) brett upon opening. Lots of sediment too. The brett seemed to blow off upon decanting and the wine started hitting it's stride a couple hours in (on the last glass). Paired nicley with my short ribs.
Seemed very young and will likely benefit from 5+ years of cellaring to finally come around. (3886 views) | | | Tasted by Skip4wine on 4/23/2017 & rated 90 points: I was really looking forward to trying my first Leonetti. Decanted for an hour. Dark purple and a little muted nose. Still lots of tannin. Obviously a well made wine and will achieve more balance with age but does not have the complexity or richness of the better cabs. (3347 views) | | | Tasted by mclancy10006 on 4/21/2017 flawed bottle: lots of Brett on this for me. Others at the table liked its complexity which I suspect was the Brett to which I am hypersensitive.
Restaurant purchase with superficial decant. The defect did not burn off sitting int he glass either. (3095 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Owen Bargreen
Decanter, Leonetti producer profile (6/19/2020)
(Leonetti Cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley, Washington, USA, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2013, IWC Issue #171
(Leonetti Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley) Subscribe to see review text. | By Sean Sullivan
Washington Wine Report (12/4/2013)
(Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley) Aromatically locked up at present with scorched earth, black cherry, and toasty spices. The palate is intense, rich, weighty, and structured with equal parts power, and grace with a firm grip of tannins that occasionally run a touch dry and cranberry like tartness. Needs more time to develop but has a long life in front of it. 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, and 4% Carmenere. Seven Hills, Mill Creek Upland, and Loess vineyards. Aged 22 months in French oak. 2,330 cases produced. Sample provided by winery. ***** points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and Washington Wine Report. (manage subscription channels) |
| Leonetti Cellar Producer website
For more than 30 years, the Figgins Family has been producing wines of consistently high quality at Leonetti Cellar, which was bonded in 1977 by Founders Gary and Nancy Figgins. What started as Gary’s vision to make world-class wines in Walla Walla has turned out to be a true American success story. Today, Leonetti Cellar produces some of the most sought after wines in the world.Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.Washington Washington Wine Commission | Credit to Washingtonwine.org for this article
Washington Wine
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Wineries
With 30,000+ acres planted, the state has ideal geography and conditions for growing premium vinifera wine grapes. Primarily grown on their own root stocks, the vines produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. While its focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the region also produces a wide range of other spectacular whites and reds.
Growers
Winemakers from all over the world have chosen to establish themselves in Washington, where they can create wines reflecting this region's unique characteristics. Their hand-crafted wines are receiving wide acclaim from critics regionally, nationally and internationally for their consistently high quality. Many of them have received scores of 90 and above from the major wine media. Overall this is a higher percentage than other leading wine regions.
Regions
As the state's fourth largest fruit crop, the Washington wine industry is an important contributor to the long-term preservation of Washington agriculture. The industry is committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation of water resources.
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Varieties
Washington produces more than 20 wine grape varieties - a ratio of 56 percent white to 44 percent red. As the industry matures and experiments, it finds many grape varieties that thrive throughout Washington's microclimates. There are more than 16,000 vineyard acres of red wine varieties statewide.
History & Vintages
Washington's wine future is limitless. As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally. New acreage and wine varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace. Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.
State Facts
Washington's wine industry generates more than $3 billion to the state economy. It employs more than 14,000 people, directly and indirectly, with projections to add nearly 2,000 more jobs by 2006. In terms of tax revenues accrued to the state and federal government, wine grapes are among the highest tax generators of any agricultural crops. Furthermore, Washington wine tourism attracts nearly two million visitors annually contributing to the positive growth of local and regional economies.
Washington State - the perfect climate for wine = ideal growing conditions, quality wines, business innovation, lifestyle, and social responsibility. All are key elements of this world-class wine industry.
Vintages
"2008 and even more so 2010 and 2011 were cool, even cold vintages (think: 2002 in the Barossa) without the extreme ripeness, extract and higher alcohol that had become the norm in the state’s post 1995 world. 2008 was manageable but the duo of 2010/2011 nearly caused a “great depression” in Washington State." - Jon RimmermanColumbia Valley Columbia Cascade Winery Association
The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.Walla Walla ValleyThe name translates as easily as it rolls off the tongue: Walla Walla. Many Waters. To the earliest Native tribes, the many waters came from the nearby Blue Mountains and gathered to form the Walla Walla River on its way to join the Columbia to the west. The waters flowed first; however, into a fair-sized Valley carved in the mountain's foothills, and bordered in part by the terrain of what is known as the Columbia Plateau. Tribal members knew the Valley's generally milder climate could maintain their people in winter villages. There were lush wild grasses which could sustain horses and attract game from the winter snows of the nearby Blues, or from the giant high plateau that becomes desolate and dangerous during the cold season. The rolling terrain and numerous watersheds offered protection from nature and other hazards of the day. Here the water was plentiful and full of fish and seldom froze, even in the coldest years. The meadows were wonderful places to gather with other people to trade, compete and celebrate treaties. Compared to the region around them, the Walla Walla Valley was a safe refuge from the treacherous conditions which can often be found during the winter for hundreds of miles around. In this unique growing region, most of the earliest records of grapes and winemaking reference the Italians who had immigrated here in the mid to late 1800's and who brought with them their tradition of growing, making and drinking wine. Vines with these origins still exist in the Valley today. The first post-prohibition winery was Blue Mountain Vineyards. It was bonded in 1950 by the Pesciallo family where they produced Black Prince and other Italian varietal wines for a period of several years before succumbing to economics and climate. To the wine world of today, Walla Walla has become know for the quality and style of its red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Syrah gaining notoriety in recent years. In the1970's, the pioneers of today's wine community began to think similar thoughts: that the Walla Walla Valley, with its long history of fruit growing, moderate climate, wine-making heritage, and interesting terrain might just be a place to grow vines and make wine on a commercial scale. These pioneers of the region applied for and received approval of the Walla Walla Valley as a unique American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1984. It was the third in Washington State and also includes a portion of land in Oregon. In the time leading to the recognition of the appellation, four wineries had been bonded starting with Leonetti Cellar, and shortly thereafter, Woodward Canyon. L'Ecole Nº 41 and Waterbrook soon followed. In addition to the smaller vineyards that were being planted, the Valley's first large-scale, commercial vineyard Seven Hills was established. By the time the BATF recognized the Walla Walla Valley AVA, the Valley was beginning to gain attention from within the wine industry, as well as attracting publicity from journalists and media outside the region. The foundation for today’s industry had been laid and the benchmark for quality had been set. In addition, fruit from the area was now being harvested and a baseline for understanding the local growing conditions was being constructed. Every few years another winery would join the fold and take up the challenge of producing the highest quality wine and the growing of outstanding fruit. Seven Hills Winery and Patrick M. Paul each got their start during this time. More vines were added, although acreage increases were small each year. The industry was small and everyone knew everyone else involved, while the welcome mat remained out for any newcomers. Growers and winemakers alike regularly shared time in the cellar or at the table and together learned more about wines and vines. By 1990 there were just six wineries and the Valley's grape acreage stood at perhaps 100 acres. The total collective production of wine was microscopic by any measure, but it was the quality that was being noticed by many inside and outside the trade. As the tiny trickle of wine produced in the Walla Walla AVA began to flow to the outside world, a "wine renaissance" was beginning to happen globally. The Pacific Northwest had staked a claim in this new wine world and as people learned about the region, they also began to hear about Walla Walla. This interest spread rapidly to those with Walla Walla connections. The early 1990s saw the planting of more vines and the establishment of another large-scale vineyard, Pepper Bridge. At the same time, a group of local investors, working closely with the Napa based Chalone Wine group, laid the foundation for Canoe Ridge Vineyard, the Valley's first winery supported in part by a major outside investor. As the industry has grown, many new wineries have gotten their start in the arms of an established winery. Waterbrook Winery's modern production facility started the trend, sharing space, equipment, and any help needed. Other wineries also adopted “extra guests,” a practice that has helped form close, personal relationships throughout the local industry. By the turn of the new century, the Walla Walla Valley wine industry had 22 wineries and 800 acres of grapes. In the year 2000 the AVA had been expanded back to the original boundaries proposed in the1984 application. The year 2000 also saw the formation of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance with 100% of the Valley's wineries and 98% of the Valley's planted acreage represented. Today, more than 60 Walla Walla Valley wineries and more than 1,200 acres of Walla Walla Valley grapes contribute to the ever growing, international acclaim garnered by the wines of this newly-emerging region of Washington State. |
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