Leonetti, Reserve

On opening this is a delicious, complex and balanced wine with the capacity to go with any traditional claret meal. We drank about half the bottle with dinner, gassed the rest for the next day. On day two, much of the complexity was gone along with the fruit. I question the proposed longevity of this wine. I expect I will only open another when there are enough drinkers to finish the bottle in the first evening, but in that first …

2016 vintage

Extremely impressive wine. Tasting notes from previous reviewers are spot-on. I think this is at it's peak now, but has a solid 2-3 years remaining before the fruit starts to fade.

2002 vintage

The cork was ruined and it made the bottle undrinkable, unfortunately. Hoping to try it again sometime.

2004 vintage

Absolutely flawless. Perfect with an onion tart grilled Iberico pork loin.

2004 vintage

Dark fruits. Tertiary notes. The wine is in a wonderful place right now

2004 vintage

Remarkable Reserve with easy 3 years b4 peak. Round, forward dark fruits in a compexity that us incredible.

2002 vintage

Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Breathtaking nose of red fruits, leather, scorched earth and cigar box. Rich, concentrated and powerful. Perfect balance of fruit and tannins. Currants, cassis liqueur, plums and tobacco on the palate. Impressive length on the finish. Brilliant wine that is shining at twenty years of age. This will drink well for years to come and I'll open my last bottle in 2027.

2002 vintage

Decanted for 1.5-2 hours. Still drinking great and bright ripe fruit. Great juice and still has 3-5+ years left if cellared properly.

2002 vintage

2002 Leonetti Cellar Reserve Walla Walla Valley (Washington) This deep ruby blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 17% Petit Verdot wafts walls of cherry, cedar, toffee and tar. Major black cherry and cassis on the taste with mounds of mocha and vanilla. Good wood too (in the winemaking sense, not as in a certain segment of the film industry). An absolute monster on a slackline, massive yet exceptionally balanced. A force of elegance. Warm and wonderful despite the …

2002 vintage

Exquisite older bdx blend. No signs of fading

2002 vintage

1 hour decant. Flat and unrepresentative of what the Reserve typically offers. Perhaps off bottle? 2001 and 2003 still drinking very well.

2002 vintage

A very special wine that has some years left in it. Spectacular dark red fruit with spices and terrior that lasts in the finish. Big enough for a grilled rib eye but could also go with lighter fair as well.

2004 vintage

Dark crimson in color. 14.7% ABV. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdot. Heady nose of black fruits, spice box, scorched earth and violets. Full bodied with perfect acidity. Remarkably plush and concentrated. Tremendous balance. Black currants, cassis liqueur, chocolate truffles and spiced plums on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish with the silkiest of tannins. I've tried just about every Leonetti made over the last 20 years and struggle to remember a bottle showing this well. …

2004 vintage

Still going strong, but I don’t anticipate it staying at this level much longer, as it didn’t improve/evolve with any air time.

2004 vintage

Here I found a mix of dark, herbal-infused fruit, with lifting mineral tones and sweet spice. On the palate, velvety textures hosted a wave of ripe dark fruits, sweet spice and minerals, as inner florals emerged, along with saturating tannins. The finish was long, intense, spicy, but also perfectly balanced, as dark fruit and tannin slowly faded from the senses. The 2016 Reserve is already showing so beautifully, yet it is also built for the long haul.

2016 vintage

Dark red with little fade at the rim. The aromas took some time to unfurl but when they did they showed gorgeous black cherry, blackberry, baking spice and a touch of menthol. Medium+ body this wine has a terrific mouthfeel that is rich and plush and defined by the barely noticeable ripe tannins. A total sexy beast! www.advinetures.ca

2002 vintage

Awesome. This is a fantastic wine just reaching its prime. Decanted for 3 hours before drinking over dinner of prime rib. The best bottle of Leonetti I’ve had in some time. It has wonderful deep character but is refined and not overpowering. Drinking this reminds me why I love wine.

2004 vintage

This seemed slightly off compared to previous bottles, so will not rate it.

2002 vintage

Decanted and served. Beautifully aged Washington Bordeaux blend with deep black fruit and a hint of candied kumquat on the palate. This is singing and the "+" that both Rovani and Tanzer gave this wine on release has definitely come to fruition. If those of you who own the 1189 bottles of this in your cellars don't like it please send over a few. Otherwise what are you waiting for?

2002 vintage

Amazing wine, right out of the bottle. Has a brightness and lift, black and red fruit. The quality of the fruit is extraordinary and there is a broad swath of furry dryness on the finish that is so elegant and captivating. Delicious and satisfying in every way.

2002 vintage

Dark crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 17% Petite Verdot all from estate vineyards. Gorgeous nose of blue and black fruits, molten licorice and cassis liqueur. Plush and silky. Medium to full bodied. Blueberry, black cherry, currants, pencil and baking spices on the palate. The finish is long and graceful with fine grained tannins. One of the very best Cabernet Sauvignon based wines being made in Washington. Aging beautifully. Drink over the next 5-7 years.

2002 vintage

Lovely purple color with a bouquet and flavor featuring the lush cassis that is so prominent in great Washington Cabernets. Very smooth in the mouth with lovely definition and a very long finish. Drunk with dinner at the Whitehorse-Crawford restaurant at the end of our stay in Walla Wall during my family's great tour of the Washington wine region. Fortunate to have had amazing wines from Leonetti, Quilceda Creek, Doubleback, Deliile Cellars, Mark Ryan, and Rasa. Walla Walla is a …

2004 vintage

Glorious wine - one of the very best American Bordeaux blends I've had in quite a while. So seductive and captivating - it draws you in. There is intensity and assertiveness but also an ease and grace. Nothing is faded. There is a saltiness that I've noticed before in this wine and also in the regular bottling of Quilceda Creek - I find it very welcome. I had some older Leonetti Merlots recently and the results were mixed. This is …

2002 vintage

Leonetti Cellar Round Table Tasting (Knightsbridge - Northbrook IL) : Tasting, brief note. Slightly more aromatic complexity than the 2005 just tasted with some earth, bigger spice and cigarbox, alongside black cherry, plum and cassis, all maturing nicely. Good weight and balance, even if not as much concentration as the 2005 now.

2002 vintage

Popped cork at 3:30, decanted and poured at 8:30, drank over the next 3 hours. Prolific nose, wow, bright red fruit, vanilla, nutmeg, clove, followed by a whif of smokiness. Palate started with pomegranate, red berries, cinnamon and clove, medium plus acid, fine grained tannins with an ethereal luscious velvety texture, finish evolves into espresso and smoke over 30+ seconds. Whoa - this wine is singing now, but could easily improve over the next 3-4 years, and drink well for …

2004 vintage

Easter Dinner. Decanted for 6 hours. Blackberry fruit, some pencil shavings and a small amount of vanilla. Really enjoyable wine that is truly as close to a new world Bordeaux as I. Have found. Close to the 99' chateau Margaux I remember having Long long finish of graphite. Over 1 minute

2004 vintage

Captivating as always. There is a prominent, grainy sweetness at first but it falls away soon after, revealing a delicious, sumptuous wine that's deep and penetrating.

2002 vintage

Similar to previous notes. This needs about 1.5 hours to properly show what it has. There is a lovely grainy, gritty, sweet texture to this wine which is unusual but welcome. Red fruit is pronounced with a weight and intensity that is beautiful. There's so much energy, vibrancy and vitality to this cab; it's scintillating. There is purpose but also ease and grace. The cooler climate of Walla Walla vs. Napa is evident and is a welcome different style, and …

2002 vintage

Harmonious. This had a grainy, sugary texture at first that didn't bode well, but it quickly evolved, losing any simplistic sugary profile and turned more mineral-driven with more energy, detail and purity. There is an acidity which really provides a kind of electric vibrancy to the mix. Medium-bodied, slightly oily, taking on increasing savory notes with increasing secondary and tertiary aspects. There is a rare beauty to this; very satisfying. Would be difficult to get tired of this. 95+pts.

2002 vintage

Still holding up very well and has many years of life left. We popped and poured it, but it got better and better with air. Fair amount of sediment, so decanting would be ideal.

2002 vintage

This is a big wine, approachable now but still has many years. Susan really enjoyed this, but I thought it was a bit too oaky for my taste, with the fruit hanging in the background and never quite fully showing through. Black cherry, blackberry, vanilla, charred wood; I'm not sure this showed at 100%, only had the chance to decant for a couple hours.

2004 vintage

Birthday dinner wine. This was very good but not as good as I had hoped based on the other reviews on CT. Perhaps WA was correct to hold until 2017. This is a big wine that may have needed a few more years.

2004 vintage

Drinking really well

2004 vintage

Wow! Hell of a wine that is drinking soooo well right noe

2004 vintage

Could be wine of the year.

2004 vintage

Dark purple color, with no bricking at the edges; Burnt cherry and earth on the nose; full throttle cherry and blackberry fruit with a long finish. Dry and still tannic, with oak clearly present in the background. Decanted for four hours and consumed over the next 2.5 hours, kept getting better as it opened up, definitely still has quite a few years left.

2004 vintage

Great wine just hitting its stride at 12 years. Opened 4 hours before drinking; helped greatly.

2002 vintage

BYOB dinner with Jamie Pollack (Bourbon Steak) : This should have been served with the meat course. Really big and ripe. Dark fruit, strong bitter chocolate note, dark spices and a bit of heat. Excellent concentration, intense extremely sweet and bitter dark fruit driven palate impression and noticeable heat at the end. If you enjoy the quilceda creek, you will enjoy this a lot more.

2004 vintage

Last bottle,and I'm going to miss this one. Still has great structure, which smoothed out with time in the glass. Dark fruits on the nose with some secondary scents of a well-aged Cabernet. On the palate it starts out fairly structured, but smooths out pretty quickly with a bit of swirling and time. Deep dark fruits, perfect acidity and lingering fine tannins, with richness. Not jammy, just deep dark smooth and lively fruit, smoothed over by time. Fantastic.

2004 vintage

Probably the best Leonetti wine I have ever had. Beautifully structured, fantastically balanced, and incredibly food friendly. The oak is prominent on the nose, but on the palate it takes a backseat to the fantastic dark fruits, leather, acidity and tannin. It's still quite youthful and only got better with time in the decanter. Amazing wine.

2002 vintage

Excellent but not as good as I expected for an aged reserve wine from this esteemed winery

2002 vintage

This wine was in perfect balance and so smooth after decanting for 45 minutes. Drank during the NFC Championship game that the Seahawks won - perhaps we were in a really good mood when scoring?

2004 vintage

Last bottle, unfortunately. See my note from 7/15/12 for more details. This great wine is near it's peak, but it's a beauty for those of us who were lucky enough to shared it together for Christmas eve. Very smooth and fine - a wonderful wine.

2004 vintage

This wine was one of the best wine I had the pleasure of drinking in 2013. Absolutely gorgeous wine. Perfectly balanced, great structure, amazing layers of black fruit and secondary flavors of tobacco, pepper and forest floor. Super long finish accompanied by exacting acidity.

2004 vintage

Same as my last review, but this bottle was a bit closed off. Perhaps it was the Pop n Pour. Still, this was the only bottle at the table that was empty at the end of the night. Love this wine! If I could afford to, Leonetti would be my consistent "go to" daily drinker.

2002 vintage

Decanted 1 hour. Dark colour. Powerful cassis nose. Well integrated sweet tannins provide a silky smooth entry into cassis, tar & cedar landing with a very subtle hint of dill. Still youthful, it has many years ahead of it

2002 vintage

A slight bit of popcorn on the nose early on; Definite restraint; Opened up nicely after about 3 hours; Dark flavors - still restrained

2004 vintage

This was one of my favorite wines of the afternoon. Great plush and an enjoyable bordeaux blend. Cassis, dark plums and some nuances of earth and leather. Great finish that was long. I liked this best of the Leonetti vertical. I didn't take many notes on the other Leonetti cabs. Thanks to Tom for bringing them.

2004 vintage

Seattle Wine Group - Sep 2013 Tasting - Theme: Aged WA Bordeaux Blends (Amaroso Room - Wine Storage Bellevue) : Setting: Bottle “H” in the blind tasting. Notes were taken before I knew the wine identity. Sight: This wine is cloudy, with some evidence of gas, but no particles. Color is medium ruby all the way to the edge. Medium concentration of color. Legs are medium width and move quickly down the glass. Nose: This wine does not smell flawed. …

2002 vintage

decanted one hour..Riedel Vinum Cab glass....good deep red color..a hint of brown around the meniscus...nose of dark stone fruit, bing cherry, some vanilla..some dark chocolate (? merlot), some eucalyptus. a wonderfully silky mouth feel, well integrated fruit/tannin, a full mid palate and finish..though a little hot on the finish..this was a surprisingly delicious wine in its prime..would not hold much longer as I fear it will begin to fade...my wife, who does not normally enjoy Washington State wines was amazed

2002 vintage

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Leonetti, Reserve

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