2017 Leonetti Walla Walla Reserve
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Tasting notes
Sweet herbal tones, tobacco, dark earth and dried black cherries form a dramatic bouquet as the 2017 smolders up from the glass. This is pure elegance on the palate, verging on opulence, yet with a core of tart black fruits and savory herbal tones to balance. Brisk acidity brings a nearly juicy feel toward the close. The 2017 folds in upon itself through the finish, balsamic and tarry, yet somehow maintains a lovely freshness as sweet tannins linger on. The 2017, an extremely warm vintage, contains 32% Petit Verdot, the largest amount ever included in the Reserve, balanced by 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Malbec. Chris Figgins explained that Petit Verdot achieved perfect ripeness in 2017.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright, saturated medium ruby. Aromas of black fruits, pungent minerality, bitter chocolate, licorice and menthol, plus an inky element that is likely from the Petit Verdot component. Dense, fine-grained and superconcentrated on entry, then sweet, pure and intense in the middle palate, with ripe acidity shaping the boysenberry, blackberry, bitter chocolate and menthol flavors. Tighter than the flagship Cabernet in the early going, and not quite as fruity today. Finishes very long and broad, with substantial but perfectly integrated flavorful tannins and a whiplash of black fruits and violet. Savory more than sweet, this wonderfully mouthfilling wine avoids any impression of heaviness. Lay it down for at least a few years.
A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Petit Verdot and 10% Malbec, the 2017 Walla Walla Reserve flirts with perfection. The nose explodes with layers and complexity, offering a frame of elegant spices, picture-perfect ripe fruit essence, dark cherry, black raspberry, spiced plum and redcurrant before subtle hints of tar and purple flowers start to seduce the nose. Full-bodied, showing impeccable weight and balance on the palate, the generously structured wine offers a succulent fruit frame supported by lifting tannins and energetic acidity that continue to unpack across the mid-palate. Driving the finish are long, layered and complex expressions that offer nonstop pleasure, proverbially ending with a spectacular firework display of flavor. Boom!
I had two off bottles of the 2017 Reserve, both showing huge volatile acidity, yet I had two great bottles as well, which are represented by this note. A blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Petit Verdot, and 10% Malbec, all aged 22 months in new barrels (as well as some neutral oval botti), it reveals a stunning bouquet of lead pencil shavings, toasty oak, incense, and dried tobacco, and it’s complex, nuanced, and layered aromatically. There’s not a hard edge to be found in this deep purple-hued effort, which offers the essence of blackberry liqueur fruits as well as full-bodied richness, beautiful concentration, and an opulent, expansive, yet precise mouthfeel. Made in a more elegant style than the 2015 and not far off the magical 2016, it’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and should have 3-4 decades of overall longevity. Located in Walla Walla and made by Chris Figgins, Leonetti Cellars is one of the benchmark estates in Washington. They produce a bevy of Bordeaux blends, with their Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve functioning as the flagship wines. They also make a tiny amount of their single vineyard releases, all of which showed brilliantly for this report. Unquestionably, these 2017s are up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. While the 2017 vintage is generally forward and approachable, that’s not the case here and these wines are going to benefit from bottle age.