2015 Leonetti Cellar Merlot Walla Walla Valley

• By Stephen Tanzer
  Washington: Various Shades of Hot (Oct 2017), 10/1/2017, (See more on Vinous...)

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

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Leonetti, 3/1/2017

  (Leonetti Merlot) Hello friends. Today we have one of our annual Full Pull rites: our offering of Leonetti’s new releases. Deep in the stubborn gloom of early March, it’s a bud pushing through cold earth: a clear indication that spring is on the ascendancy. It’s one of my favorite offerings 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 in the past few years, 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 2-3 weeks (orders will remain Pending until then), and the wines should arrive before the end of March. Now let’s dig into them: First produced in 1981, this Merlot (this year 100% varietal) now comes entirely from Leonetti’s estate sites: Leonetti Old Block and Loess. No reviews yet for the 2015, but the 2008 received 96pts Paul Gregutt (Wine Enthusiast), the 2009 94pts Gregutt, the 2010 95pts Gregutt, the 2011 93pts Gregutt, the 2012 94pts Gregutt and 94pts Jeb Dunnuck (Wine Advocate), the 2013 94pts Dunnuck, and the 2014 95pts Owen Bargreen (International Wine Report). Winery tasting notes: This 100% Merlot pours inky into the glass.  The nose is deep and intricate with top note florals lifting it higher as it opens. Tightly focused, the wine saturates the palate with dense blue and black fruits that linger endlessly. An immensely pleasurable wine, it possesses all the attributes that make Walla Walla one of the world’s premier places to grow Merlot.