2020 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley Reserve
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A blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2020 Walla Walla Reserve is bright, fresh and expressive. Its juicy dark red and black berry essences are followed by notes of French oak and baking spices and seductive dusty floral notes that grasp your attention. Full-bodied, firm and tight, the mouthfeel is generous yet strict. The wine continues to evolve over the long, lingering finish that has me craving flame-kissed ribeyes. Only 978 cases were produced.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
Eric Guido, Vinous
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The 2020 Red Wine Reserve is remarkably pretty, with dusty rose, black raspberry and lavender. This is crystalline and built on purity, with crisp red fruits and sweet spice that cascade across the palate, perfectly guided by brisk acidity. It finishes with edgy tannins and is long, displaying a bitter tinge that lingers as hints of exotic spice taper off. Macerations were reduced to six days versus eight in the typical vintage, and barrels with low toast levels were selected as a way to counteract any contamination from smoke. As a result, the 2020 is a more forward interpretation of the Reserve, yet it still has the capacity to mature beautifully over the medium term.
The flagship 2020 Reserve is based on 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Malbec, and 5% Petit Verdot. It strikes a good balance between all the single vineyards and is pure, classic Cabernet in its crème de cassis, ripe black cherries, smoky oak, graphite, and tobacco-driven aromas and flavors. Pure, concentrated, full-bodied, and beautifully elegant, it has fine tannins, perfect balance, and a great finish. This gorgeous 2020 is more finesse-driven and elegant compared to the Cabernet Sauvignon yet should evolve for just as long. Both the Reserve and Cabernet Sauvignon from Leonetti are incredible wines that transcend the vintage, and bravo to winemaker Chris Figgins. Don’t miss these wines.