2011 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
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Tasting notes
(14.2% alcohol; blended with 10% each Merlot and petit verdot plus 5% Malbec): Saturated medium ruby. Pristine aromas of cassis, raspberry liqueur, blueberry, licorice and graphite. Outstanding inner-mouth energy gives this extremely dense wine a wonderfully light touch. The sappy, dry flavors of slightly high-toned red and black fruits are complicated by a saline quality. Wonderfully velvety in the middle palate but dry, classic and still a bit youthfully clenched on the chewy, extremely long back end, where the harmonious tannins coat the front teeth. An outstanding Bordeaux-like wine that may well merit an even higher rating eight to ten years from now.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Dark crimson. Very subtle and layered and savoury. Transparent and exciting. A lovely light hand but with great interest and nuance. New style cf Woodward Canyon. (JR)
The best of the 2011s, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is Pauillac-like with its gorgeous creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, tobacco leaf and graphite styled aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, pure, silky and layered on the palate, with a broad frame and sweet tannin, it’s already approachable, yet will evolve nicely for 5-7 years and hold for a decade after that. While Chris’s 2011s are a fair step back from his smoking good 2010s, they nevertheless possess lively, fresh and elegant characters as well as solid richness. They’re certainly of high quality and worth checking out. His 2012s will be even better, and they have deeper, richer mid-palates and additional structure. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com