November 11, 2020 - Always one of my favorite wines. When young they have a higher ratio of power to finesse. At this point the ratio is obviously reversed. We are probably past the equality point for this wine but it remained enjoyable with fruit still present.
September 15, 2020 - Past peak but still enjoyable. We drank most of the bottle yesterday with grilled steaks and it held up better than expected. Saved a glass which I jut drank and it still had some fruit and soft tannins. Will drink my last bottle of this soon.
April 18, 2020 - This was surprisingly good considering the age. Celery and pepper on the nose. Has lost a lot of the sugar and some of its weight in the mouth, but it is still balanced and sophisticated - a lot of earth and vegetable mixed with the sweet notes.
December 27, 2019 - Purchased on release. I pulled these from the offsite since they are ready to drink, if not past, but I kept forgetting about them. Well, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend were over for Hanukkah and were just talking about how they had gone to her family's place in eastern Washington for xmas. So of course it was time to pop this and she recognized it right away and was touched - wine from home! NB that this was pulled from horizontal and then PnPed, so it had some fine sediment.
Very forward on the nose with red and darker fruits, and some serious savory elements. The fruit is wild strawberry, strawberry compote, and some black currants. The savory is harder - it's crunchy, maybe some pine needles and game bird, a bit woody. Oregano? The palate entry has nice balance with a touch of plushness combining with high acid, but the acid almost immediately gets the upper hand, making the palate similar to the nose but it feels drier and more bony. The savory notes are strong and the game is there and almost menthol and wood. The finish is a bit harsh with the acid and some wood showing through. This was probably better 5 years ago but still enjoyable and interesting. Drink up. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 14.5/20.
September 21, 2019 - Green pepper and herbs upfront gives way to some stone fruit. Not impressed.
October 11, 2018 - clearing rim with bricking, moderate depth of color. aromatically fruit is in the background (currants, ripe red plum) with older barrique aromas of an old cabin/cigar box and earthy dirt smells. on the palate surprisingly high acidity, moderate + palate weight, still firm on the backend with oak and grape tannins that are mostly integrated, moderate alcohol. Balanced wine that aromatically leans towards oak and earth, very good length, great intensity, good complexity. Wine has finesse, a firm texture, very good expression of new world cab place. this bottle certainly in/towards the end of its peak... drink now.
May 28, 2017 - Opened as part of a three year vertical of Leonetti Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon; 1992, 1993, and 1994. All bottles were double decanted and allow to breathe for about an hour before consumption. All three vintages had a fair amount of sediment with 1994 having the most. The cork on the 1992 was in place but very fragile; the other two corks were sound. The color of the wine ranged from 1992 being lightest to 1994 being very dark. All vintages smelled good and opened up nicely. 1992 was the lightest on the palate and 1994 was the most structured. It was a pleasure to drink all three vintages side by side and all had their merits. 1994 was probably the best.
March 20, 2016 - on the downhilll but still pleasant
December 17, 2014 - Tasting, brief note. Woodsy aromas with a strong forest floor character and mostly matured black fruit aromas. Same flavors with plenty of mushroom. good length and balance.
April 2, 2014 - I expected this to be over the hill, but it was surprisingly good. Nice typical cabernet nose with a very strong blueberry component on the palate. Went well with roast.