2015 Walla Walla Reserve
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Red Wine Reserve wafts up with a wonderfully fresh bouquet, unexpectedly so, remarkably pretty and refined; this blossoms with notes of crushed strawberry, sweet spice and violet pastille. Soft and enveloping, yet energetic throughout, this impresses with its lively character and crisp red and black fruits. It finishes with incredible length and structure and a bit of a tannic crunchy bite. The 2015 provides a massive amount of pleasure. In 2015, Leonetti changed out all of their barriques to solve an issue with brett in the cellar, and as a result, this was refined in all-new French oak and oval casks.
Critic scores
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Bright medium-deep red. Sappy scents of black cherry, purple berries and cinnamon. Sweet, lush and concentrated but with surprising acidity and high notes of lavender and violet providing lift to the sappy black cherry and purple berry fruit. Really wonderfully smooth wine with shocking lift and freshness for a 2015. And downright penetrating on the back end, finishing with a firm tannic spine and terrific lift and length.
Quite different in profile to the Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Walla Walla Reserve offers up a rich bouquet of ripe blackberries, pencil shavings, cardamom and sweet soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and lavishly textured, with an ample core of fruit that initially conceals its firm chassis of abundant structuring tannins. Those tannins, however, assert themselves on the chewy, richly fruity finish, so this bottling will require 3 or 4 years of patience. It's a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 8% Merlot.
The 2015 Reserve is a borderline perfect wine. Made from 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec, and 8% Merlot, its vibrant purple color is followed by a gorgeous nose of crème de cassis, graphite, scorched earth, liquid violets, and charcoal. Full-bodied, deep, voluptuously textured and layered, with sweet tannin, this incredible beauty stays pure and elegant on the palate, with perfect balance. It's going to drink nicely for two decades as well. 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.