hankj
Posts: 4672
Joined: 6/26/2008
From: Seattle, WA
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[Sorry for any typos/inelegant prose - plowed through this headlong in a quick break from a busy work day.]
First and foremost thanks very much to f22nickell and his lovely better half for hosting this very special event and providing all the Leonetti reserve for the tasting. It was a rare privilege and a good time! Since I'm the only one in the group who jotted down anything even remotely like formal notes I'll lead with my take on the ten Leonetti Reserves and then let others differ as they might. Or rather will - Leonetti Reserve, I've had the opportunity to learn in the past year or so, is maybe not a bad wine but certainly not a wine for my cellar.
A few points of preface. We tasted 2000-2009 and poured in that order. As we progressed through the wines they got darker until 2004 and then pretty uniformly ultra-dense from there. This isn't just a function of age - the wine's become more extracted, and also higher in alcohol: 13.8% in 2000, 13.9% in 2001, 14.5% in '02 and '03, then 14.7% for the rest of the lineup. I believe it's correct that 14.7% is the highest alcohol level that can be put on a label in WA State w/o incurring the higher fortified wine tax rate, and that the margin of error is 1% from what's on the label. So ostensibly everything from 2005 forward could be as high as 15.7% alcohol, and some of them drank like it.
I'll present wines on a 1 to 5 star scale. 1 means I wouldn't pour a glass for an enemy; 5 means it's a great wine in my book. My scores varied from 84 to 92, but truth be told this isn't my style of wine and I wouldn't be ready to pour a second full-sized glass of even my favorites of the group. Though not noted below, many wafted a little oily coconut from the glass which to me is a turn off (but I'm in a little bit of a hater-phase when it comes to new American oak).
That said some of these wines were quite enjoyable in small doses. I'll start though at the bottom.
Leonetti Reserve Rankings 2000-2009
1 stars:
2006. This wine is the poster child of my problem with WA State lux cabs - bone dry, olivey, stemmy, bitter astringent, highly alcoholic. A rough, ugly wine. Not too expressive so probably shut down.
1.5 stars:
2005. Similar to 2006, boozy and more dry herbal than bitter. Seemed shut down and I can't see it waking up pretty.
2001: Less alcoholic than the two above with blue fruit, cocoa powder and sage-like dry herb. High volatile acidity to my nose was unpleasant and hard to sniff past.
2 stars:
2000. The group is going to skewer me on this one but the 2000 revealed stewy fruit, ample acetone and menthol that tainted the otherwise pleasant bright blackberry and vanilla notes. The palate added a good dose of black pepper which I could take or leave. It reminded me very much of a ten year old bottle of Silver Lake cab I found forgotten on a supermarket shelf about 5 years ago. It had developed some aged character but in the clunky way I've found many WA wines do - not worth waiting for.
2.5 stars:
2007. Dark cherry, black pepper, bell pepper, dry herbs. In the mouth more green/olive and a long barrel-driven finish. The most austere wine of the group. This one had a little Chile in its profile, and might have been a good choice alongside a rich grilled steak.
3 stars:
2002: Syrah-like fruit profile and a nice cedar note. A little bit of pleasant brett too. Slightly lighter-bodied (though still dark) and hid its alcohol well. The most BDX-like of the group, I liked it but preferred the 2003 Smith Haut Lafite that was open on the pre-tasting table.
2004: A bigger, more alcoholic and more acidified version of the 2003 that follows. Good but fatiguing.
3.5 stars:
2003: Integrated nicely, lush, black currant, chocolate, mint. A softer wine and definitely the most Napa-style of the lot. Drank like textbook Cab. I liked it.
2009: Getting late in the tasting, but my notes say "big fruity baby, soft and simple." It was quite good in a hedonistic way. I'd be surprised if this improved over time but if you ran out of Turley and were in the mood here's your recent vintage for a right now bottle.
4 stars:
2008: Big black wine, thick blackberry, cocoa, coffee, lush, rich and dense. Good structure and hid its alcohol very nicely. Probably will age "well" in the way that these wines do, so if that your thing you could sit on this for a year or 20. I'd be just as happy drinking it now.
So that's how they hit me, and what a stroke of luck to have had the chance. Thanks again to the hosts, to all the participants for the jovial company, and a shout out to jasongreen for bringing my WOTN, a shed baby fat but still bright-eyed Sauternes, '75 Nairac.
best to all! Henry
< Message edited by hankj -- 4/2/2014 12:11:43 PM >
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