2014 | Leonetti Cellar | Merlot

It leads with a gorgeous pure fruit nose of compote reduction and graham cracker that jump from the glass. It is so rich, lush, and pure. It is a positively delicious wine that will easily age 10+ years for those of you who enjoy cellaring wines.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: A soft, sexy and luxuriously textured red, the 2014 Walla Walla Merlot (there’s 6% Cabernet Franc in the blend) is loaded with perfectly ripe notes of black currants, lead pencil shavings, charred earth and chocolate. Full-bodied and possessing a wealth of fruit, you have to hunt for the tannin, but they’re there; still, fruit and texture are the name of the game here. The baby fat should slowly melt away and it should have 15 years or more of longevity.

• Wine Enthusiast: Aromatically, this wine is currently subdued, with the notes of raspberry, cocoa and cherry that haven't fully blossomed. The flavors meanwhile are generous and ripe, while still showing a fine sense of balance. Additional time in the bottle or a long decant should allow it to open up.

Producer Information

Leonetti Cellar is one of Walla Walla Valley's pioneering wine producers. It was established in 1977 with plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling, and now makes a range of wines from Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese and Aglianico. The estate draws upon several key vineyards throughout Walla Walla. These cover a wealth of terroir, on different aspects and slopes, and with a wide range of soil types based on the Valley's silty loam soils. This gives Leonetti the ability to carefully select sites for each variety, and grapes are planted in the vineyards in which they are judged to do best. Several blocks in the Seven Hills and Leonetti vineyards have older vines, which are used to make the top wines. Leonetti uses mostly French oak for aging, but the Sangiovese is aged in neutral puncheons to retain its character. Leonetti Cellars has become one of the region's more premium producers, commanding high prices for its range of mostly Bordeaux-inspired wines. The Reserve Bordeaux Blend has further increased the brand's prestige in recent years, receiving a 100-point score from the famously influential US wine critic Robert Parker.

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