2013 Leonetti Walla Walla Reserve
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Tasting notes
Sour cherries, red plums, hints of flowery underbrush and animal tones define the 2013 Red Wine Reserve. Round and supple, this impresses with its ripe fruits and mineral tones. Juicy acidity works to maintain an energetic feel. It tapers off long and spicy, leaving tart blackberry and dusty inner florals to mingle with adolescent tannins and a hint of mint. There is a bit of brett on the 2013, yet it provides a pleasantly rustic edginess to the wine. The 2013 is just entering its drinking window.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Similar to the straight Cabernet release, the 2013 Walla Walla Reserve has even more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and is 81% Cabernet, 11% Petit Verdot and 8% Merlot. It does nicely in the vintage and has beautiful purity and elegant as well as textbook Cabernet notes of cassis, toasted spice, graphite, scorched earth and hints of chocolate. A touch fresher and more focused than the Cabernet Sauvignon release, this beautiful concentrated, impeccably balanced 2013 will need 4-5 years of cellaring and have 20-25 years of overall longevity.
(14.6% alcohol; mostly from Seven Hills; 85% new oak): Saturated medium ruby. Less showy on the nose than the Cabernet Sauvignon, with brooding but very ripe aromas of black cherry, mocha, dusty rose and violet. Compellingly sweet and fine-grained, with deep black cherry and dark berry flavors complicated by an element of Belgian chocolate that carries through the very long, building finish. Tannins saturate the palate and cheeks. This is less harmonious today than the Cabernet Sauvignon bottling but longer on the aftertaste.