2016 Leonetti Loess Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright ruby-red. Multifaceted if still tight aromas of cassis, black cherry, wild sage, flowers, licorice, bitter chocolate and honeycomb, lifted by citrus and minty high notes. Very tightly wound and savory in the mouth, conveying a fine-grained texture to its flavors of black fruits, licorice and black tea. Finishes very long and dry, with suave tannins that belie this wine's spine. Perhaps the closest in style of these new bottlings to the old Leonetti Cabernets of the '80s and '90s, no doubt due at least partly to the substantial proportion of Petit Verdot. (from the Loess vineyard next to the winery on the eastern side of the town of Walla Walla; aged in 75% new oak)
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Loess Vineyard Red Wine is a blend of 50% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. Beginning with aromas of dusty black fruit and resinous purple flowers, the wine is rich and dense. Full-bodied on the palate, the wine is full of dense fruit that is even dustier than the nose leads on, with a rigidity in the mouth and a subtle floral/lavender note around a tight core that will unfold over the coming decades. Ending with a long, tight finish, this is going to be a sleeper wine, so put it in your cellar and let it rest for a while or enjoy with a big, juicy cut of steak in its youth. Only 73 cases made for wine club members.
From the Loess Vineyard in Walla Walla and a blend of 50% Petit Verdot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot, the 2016 Loess Vineyard is another new, single vineyard release that’s going to go out only to the mailing list. It offers a big blast of juicy red and black fruits, leafy herbs, spring flowers, and graphite. These flow to a powerful, full-bodied red that has good acidity, plenty of tannins, and a layered, lengthy finish. Another magical wine from this estate, it has all the right components yet needs 2-4 years of bottle age. It will see its 20th birthday in fine form, and I suspect will keep even longer.