2016 Leonetti Cellar Reserve Walla Walla Valley

• By Eric Guido
  Making History: 21 Vintages of Leonetti’s Red Wine Reserve (Oct 2023), 10/1/2023, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Leonetti Cellar Red Wine Reserve Washington Red) Login and sign up and see review text.

• By Stephen Tanzer
  New Releases from Washington: A Bonanza for Consumers (Dec 2019), 12/1/2019, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Leonetti Cellar Red Wine Reserve Washington Red) Login and sign up and see review text.

JamesSuckling.com

• By James Suckling
  4/26/2019, (See more on JamesSuckling.com...)

  (Leonetti Cellar Walla Walla Valley Reserve, Red, United States) Login and sign up and see review text.

JebDunnuck.com

• By Jeb Dunnuck
  The 2016s From Washington State, 4/11/2019, (See more on JebDunnuck.com...)

  (Leonetti Cellar Reserve Red) Login and sign up and see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Leonetti, 3/24/2019

  (Leonetti Reserve) Hello friends. Today we have one of our annual Full Pull rites: new releases from the inimitable Leonetti Cellars. Deep in the stubborn gloom of March, it’s a bud pushing through cold earth: a clear indication that spring is on the ascendancy. It’s one of my favorite offers to write each year. After all, it isn’t every day that you get to write about the grand dame of the Walla Walla Valley, the founding winery in that AVA that quickly became one of Washington’s few cult producers. Founded in 1978 by Gary Figgins, Leonetti rapidly established a reputation as one of Washington’s top Cabernet and Merlot producers, helped along by their 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon being recognized as best in nation in a Wine & Spirits Magazine blind tasting. Brisk mailing list sales followed, and soon thereafter, the mailing list closed and the waiting list opened. Currently it’s the second generation helming the winery, in the form of Chris Figgins. Chris has subtly shifted the emphasis of the winery towards its estate vineyards over the past decade, and the results have been outstanding. I have also been lucky enough to taste vintages of Leonetti wines from the ‘80s and ‘90s, as well as plenty of more recent vintages. These are wines that can age in profoundly beautiful directions (if you can resist their youthful charms). The transition to Leonetti’s second generation is just about complete, and the future for this Mt. Rushmore-level Washington winery looks bright indeed. Now, a quick logistics reminder: This is a pre-release offering, where we’re sending the offer before we know our allocations. Using this model allows us to advocate on behalf of our list for allocations that most accurately reflect our overall demand. The flip side is: some pre-release offerings turn out to be mirage wines: wines where we end up receiving smaller-than-expected allocations and then need to under-allocate. Apologies in advance if that’s the case here. As far as timing goes, we should be able to send out allocation notices in 1-2 weeks (orders will remain Pending until then), and the wines should arrive by mid-April. Now let’s dig into them: [Note: The production of the 2016 Reserve is 60% lower than the 2015, and I’m hearing allocations are going to be brutal. I’m moving the ceiling on order requests down to 1 bottle, but a zero-allocation is a real possibility here, so if you have other potential sources for this wine, please considering using those as well.] While they had produced Reserve Cabernets before 2000, it was at the millennial turn that Leonetti dropped the varietal designation on their Reserve, freeing them to create a Bordeaux blend in whatever proportions would craft the finest wine possible. In 2016, the blend is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, rounded out with 22% Malbec and 5% Cabernet Franc. The vineyards involved are again all five Leonetti estate sites (that Holy Roller made the cut for Reserve in its first usable vintage really says something about that site), along with the old vines at Seven Hills. The wine was aged for 22 months in new and once-filled French oak barrels, and neutral French oak oval botti. Listed alc is 14.4%. No reviews yet for the 2016, but the 2010 received a game-changing/eye-popping 100pts Dunnuck (Wine Advocate), and more recently, the 2012 received 98pts Dunnuck, the 2013 97pts Bargreen, the 2014 98pts Bargreen, and the 2015 98pts Dunnuck. [I should also say about the 2015: while the score isn’t as high, it’s worth noting that Tim Fish’s 94pt review in Wine Spectator is the highest earned for any Washington Bordeaux blend during Fish’s tenure with the magazine. When the max score for any Washington wine is 95pts, a 94pt review is high praise indeed.] Winery tasting notes: This inky Cabernet-dominated wine explodes from the glass with a flamboyant and enchanting bouquet of freshly picked flowers. Malbec contributes precision and levity on the palate. These two features are defining characteristics of the truly great wines of the world. It is a sensation of density of fruit on the palate without being cloying. The wine is brimming with black and red fruits and just a whisper of oak. The tannins are luscious but structured to age magnificently. The balance is perfect. This wine is our flagship effort and I believe you’ll find it represents that exceptionally.