2015 Leonetti Sangiovese

The 2015 Walla Walla Sangiovese exhibits promising aromas of red berries, dried herbs, cedar and baked soil that scream Sangiovese. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with an attractively supple attack and a good core of juicy, bright fruit, but firm, hard tannins clamp down on the finish, rendering the wine inscrutable. It's hard to imagine that even extended cellaring will temper its structural assertiveness, and I suspect this isn't going to go down as a benchmark rendition of this typically impressive cuvée.

Chris's 2015 Sangiovese (there's 13% Aglianico) spent 22 months in new and once-used barrels. Red currants, ripe cherries, dried earth, spice and a hint of nuttiness all emerge from this deep ruby/opaque colored effort. It's medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless, silky, and polished, with fine tannin emerging with time in the glass. It's one of the great vintages for this cuvée. Give bottles 2-3 years of bottle age and enjoy over the following decade or more. This was another terrific lineup from winemaker Chris Figgins, who never seems to miss a step. Both of his Cabernet Sauvignon releases are brilliant wines that check-in near the top of the vintage, but readers also shouldn’t miss his straight Merlot and Sangiovese.