2001 Leonetti Walla Walla Reserve
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Tasting notes
The 2001 Red Wine Reserve is dusty and floral with a blend of dried roses, cherries and minty herbs. Silky and enveloping, the 2001 impresses further with its vibrant acidity and mineral tones, coming across as mature yet totally classic. A burst of spiced-blood orange adds contrast. This is perfectly resolved through the finish, still showing excellent concentration, with only the slightest hint of tannin lingering with licorice and tangerine traces. Of note, 2001 was the last year that any American oak was used in the Red Wine Reserve.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Pierre Rovani
More reviews and scores
Notes of cedar are gaining on the fresh black cherry scents in the terrific aromatics of the 2001 Reserve. This medium to full-bodied wine is satin-textured, pure, concentrated, and intense. Expansive, it coats the taster’s palate with red cherries, spices, and superbly ripe tannin. This blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 7.5% Cabernet Franc, and 7.5% Petit Verdot should be drunk over the next 15 years. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com
(all estate fruit, from Seven Hills and Mill Creek Upland; a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot and 10% each petit verdot and cabernet franc) Ruby-red. Perfumed aromas of raspberry and spice cake; very sexy oak treatment here. Quite suave on entry, then silky, fat and oaky in the middle, with solid, sweet fruit to support the wood. Finishes with big, chewy, oak-driven tannins and lovely sweetness. This, too, will need several years of patience.