2008 Leonetti Walla Walla Reserve
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Tasting notes
The 2008 Red Wine Reserve opens in the glass earthy, with dusty dried flowers, fruits and crushed fall leaves. This is the first vintage that shows its maturity, soft and round, with a citrus-tinged to its red plum and inner balsamic tones. Racy acidity provides freshness as the 2008 finishes with a bitter tinge, leaving the mouth watering for more. This is definitely along in its maturity, yet it shows pretty well for a warm vintage.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jay S Miller, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
(14.7% alcohol; 69% cabernet sauvignon, 11% each petit verdot and merlot, and 9% cabernet franc): Full ruby-red. Cassis, licorice and roasted oak on the nose. Sweet, lush and seamless; wonderfully thick but less expressive and less urgent today than the cabernet bottling. One senses the perimeter of this powerfully built, backward wine more than its contents today. Best right now on the slowly mounting, extremely long finish, which features sweet tannins and building notes of spices and Belgian chocolate. Winemaker Chris Figgins "builds the cabernet base" of the reserve first (before picking for the cabernet sauvignon bottling), explaining that he likes some early-harvested cabernet for its aromatic complexity.
The winery flagship is the 2008 Reserve, a blend 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 11% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc aged in barrel, some of it new, for 23 months. Sandalwood, exotic spices, herbs, violets, and assorted black fruits inform the nose of a layered, succulent, plush, bordering on opulent wine that is beautifully balanced and already complex. It will continue its development for at least another 5-6 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2028+. I don’t want to be responsible for any family disputes but it appears that Chris Figgins has taken over day-to-day operation of the venerable Leonetti Cellar from his father and winery founder, Gary Figgins. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com