Leonetti, Merlot, Walla Walla Valley

Still showing well at 27 years. Probably a little past peak, but surprisingly durable. Stewed dark fruit, leathery and plummy on the nose with spices, especially cinnamon. Tasted especially of the old dark plummy fruit, which waned a touch with decanting but came back strong by the end of the meal. Tannins polished all the way down. Great balance and structure and a beautiful finish. Such a well made wine. Shared with three generations.

1996 vintage

Clearly past peak but still enjoyable. Red and black fruit on the nose and palate. Tannins soft.

1996 vintage

Had moments of brilliance, but was unfortunately past its prime and showed traces of TCA.

1996 vintage

It's always fun to pop an old Washington Cabernet, especially a Leonetti. The cork crumbled on me and the first nose of the wine made me think it might be corked. After about 15 minutes of sitting in the bottle it opened up and was alive. The fruit is still present but has mostly faded away. We left it in the bottle and at hour 2 the wine basically fell apart. I don't think there's a need to hold these …

1996 vintage

I believe this has been my only experience with a higher-end Washington cab. Had 4 bottles, all drank very well. I recall at least one had a very soft cork that had to be pushed into the bottle, but decanted fine.

1996 vintage

Remarkable wine, drinking very well right now. The second time in my life I can recall tasting a wine blended from two very different appellations (the first was a Tensley Detente from CA and France). Gorgeous black-fruited nose with a lovely savory edge. Nervy, dense and chewy, with lively acidity and plum and kirsch notes. Drinking very well right now with no signs of fading.

1996 vintage

This wine is significantly past the suggested drinking intervals of both Cellar Tracker and the original WA review. I found it to be still very enjoyable with smooth tannins and red and black fruit.

1996 vintage

An anniversary year wine which I took to Hawkshead restaurant. 2452 cases made. 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.6% Cabernet Franc and 2.9% Petit Verdot primarily from Washington but 34% of the fruit came from Napa. Decanted 2 hours before dinner. Moderate sediment. Deep crimson color with very little bricking. Very nice leather aromas. Notes of ripe red currants, dried mushrooms and cedar. This was holding up very well at 24 years old. 93 points.

1996 vintage

Deep garnet red with lighter edges. Lovely and aged nose with wet tobacco, cedar, black cherries and damp earth. Medium tannins (5/10) with balanced acidity and medium bodied. Well balanced and structure with red berries, damp earth and cedar box. Medium plus finish. Drink now.

1996 vintage

Not bad but I prefer the 95. The 95 is more developed and has aged well. This wine fell a little short on the nose and palate. The fruit was close to leaving.

1996 vintage

Unfortunately improper storage didn't give this a chance

1996 vintage

This is still holding up well, though surely past its peak. The nose is wonderful with a kind of sweet vanilla and strawberry. On the palate, the red fruit notes carry through. This is slightly too acidic but still has plenty of charm too. This is better than the '00 I had recently but nowhere near as good as the '03. After an hour or so this improved considerably showing more intensity and dropping any errant high-acidity notes. 91+pts.

1996 vintage

Slightly past its prime

1996 vintage

Nose of strong aroma of rubber, with some underlying red fruits and brown spices. Palate has strong flavor of rum without the heat, red fruits, blueberries, with some nice acidity, though not much complexity. With some air the rubber recedes, and the fruits become more recognizable as cherry. This evolved into a pleasant wine. Not amazing, but quite good.

1996 vintage

This bottle was great; it looked good, smelled good, tasted good immediately and the cork was solid. The wine had the classic Leonetti vanilla taste to the oak and good depth of Cabernet fruit. Remember this is the vintage that used fruit from a variety of sources due to poor conditions in Walla Walla.

1996 vintage

Back in the Willamette; 2/15/2015-2/20/2015 (Willamette Valley) : This was drinking great. CT window ending at 2009 is really understated. Wine was definitely a bit oxidized and it took some time for some of the funkiness to blow off, but once it did had some nice leather and earth tones to it. Delicious.

1996 vintage

This was so fun. Aged but totally had life left. Nose was dried fruit, spice and coffee grinds. Palate was still long in the middle and tannins were not gone. Would get this again!

1996 vintage

Lots of sediment and a little cloudy. Dried red fruit, leather and coffee. Smooth mouthfeel with balance. Still drinking well.

1996 vintage

Fill level and cork were immacualte. Clearly stored in a temp controlled cellar its whole life. A fair bit of sediment and some obvious signs of the age. On the nose first a whiff fo the oak, then some animal and leather, then nice red fruits. In a great place that integrates primary and tertiary flavors.

1996 vintage

This wine is still in a great drinking window. The bottle was opened and filtered while decanting. It took a little while for the wine to open up but when it did, it was great. There was some bricking and the palate there was cherries and ripe plums. Leonetti is an example of the quality of WA reds.

1996 vintage

This is all about how you like your wine I guess. Popped and poured. Cork was pristine. Color dark and relatively opaque. Nose shows residual oak and little else, even with time and air. On palate this was all secondary and with prime rib was fine, but alone I thought a bit tiresome. disappointing only because 10 yrs ago this was showing rich fruit and I thought that this was really great. Wishin tonight that I had drunk it then. …

1996 vintage

Held up very well. 96. Fruit still alive with a very mellowed structure Wiched I'd have waited another year!

1996 vintage

Cork broke into pieces, dried out.

1996 vintage

Decanted and consumed over 3 hours. Garnet colored, brick-edged after decanting left a reasonable amount of sediment. Immediate bouquet of dried cherries, rose, and cedar - in fact it is the scent I immediately associate with St. Julien. Medium bodied, the wine has a rich glycerol mouth-feel. Tannins are soft, fine, and nearly resolved; acids are well-proportioned. Classic aged Cabernet, primary black fruit is present but the dominant flavors are dried cherry, graphite, and baking spice. Finish is quite long …

1996 vintage

Dark ruby red in color with light sediment in the bottle. Great smells of strawberry, red cherries, crushed blackberries and light oak. The midpalate is elegant with more red fruit and citrus. After 45 min. of decanting the finish improves and lingers moderately. This vintage of Leonetti is currently at its peak and should be enjoyed now. My entire wine party especially liked this one tonight!

1996 vintage

Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)) : Great perfume. Blueberries, chocolate, baking spices. Lots of life and acid. Still a youngster.

1996 vintage

A very nice bottle, this is a fine example of what a mature Leonetti is capable of. Oak, spice, pepper, leather, all well integrated with soft tannins on the finish. Lots of sediment. This bottle took 20 minutes to resolve, and then drank very well for four hours afterwards. At it's peak, I can't imagine this going anywhere but down, most likely tasted better a few years ago with more fruit. Even still, if you have a good example of …

1996 vintage

I think this might have been my first "Appellation America" wine... 49% Merlot from John Hawley Vineyard-Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, CA 31% Merlot from Harold Pleasant Vineyard-Yakima Valley, WA 20% Cabernet Franc from Brulotte Vineyard-Yakima Valley, WA Less than 1% Seven Hills Merlot-Walla Walla Valley, WA The wine was rich in color, though showing it's development with a bricking hue and a brown rim. The nose is rich in bouquet, however was extremely redolent of American oak with vanillin, cherry …

1996 vintage

good

1996 vintage

Storage was suspect on this bottle and it was cooked.

1996 vintage

Holding its own, tart red fruit throughout with strong tobacco on the nose. A big wine that was a pleasure to drink.

1996 vintage

Sweet new worldy fruit that my tastebuds got used to. Lush palette, smooth tannins, seems to be at peak.

1996 vintage

Still holding together, though without a lot of fruit. Well-balanced acidity and tannins, with notes of menthol and leather over a foundation of red/black fruits. A good wine to pair with red meat. Our cork also broke in half.

1996 vintage

Garnet, but cloudy; strawberry jam, cherry- certainly showing age, but not past its prime. A very impressive Merlot! A historical icon of the Walla Walla AVA!

1996 vintage

Considerable jammy red fruits at the start, along with a touch of smoke and some oak richness. Tannins are soft to nonexistent, and the wine shows a slight vegetal note in the finish. It starts promising but finishes rather weak. Still quite a good wine, but probably past its prime. Certainly very enjoyable even 3 years past its drink-by date.

1996 vintage

My first Leonetti Cab. Nose of olives, oak, and fading blackberry. Spicy attack of black pepper, blackberries, olives, and green peppers. Medium-long finish, very spicy, with a lot of surprisingly sweet blackberries. This is a very interesting wine. Definitely has more secondary notes than primary fruit at this stage, although the finish is quite fruity and sweet. As the wine has sat open, the fruit has continued to decline, with secondary notes of black olive, green pepper and spices. Some …

1996 vintage

Decanted for sediment, and still quite cloudy with sediment. Nose is...wow, deliciously complex! Cedar, graphite, blackberry fruit, awesome. On the palate is where this wine shows its age: Very soft blackberry fruit and nice earthy flavors, light acidity, and no tannic structure at all. Smooth mouthfeel--very lush in the mouth, coating everything. This wine is throwing a lot of sediment and grit, and I'm unable (or maybe just unwilling) to consume the dregs of each glass. After about 3 hours …

1996 vintage

very nice bottle. Tasted lots of vanilia , dark cherry and cassis. lots of complexity and really well balanced. nice wine

1996 vintage

Nice wine to enjoy, but fell off after an hour of being opened. Most noticable drop in the dark fruit on the backpalate as the age of the wine finally caught up. Nose was still remarkably complex. Two more bottles left that will need to be consumed in the near future.

1996 vintage

Cork was perfect, lots of sediment on decant. Slight bricking. Dark fruits and some wood on the nose. Faded fruit on the palate, kind of a shell with the core cab flavors missing. No tannins to speak of, but a bit of creeping astringency on the finish that upset the balance. Not a bad complement to a Christmas tenderloin, but not a blockbuster either.

1996 vintage

I was at anchor on the boat, so less than ideal drinking conditions--no decant, can't see colors well, etc.--but this was a good showing. Lots of fruit left, this has probably peaked but is by no means past its prime. Raspberries, cherries, some blackberries and a little meat on the palate, wrapped in a smooth viscous blanket and a loooooong finish. Started to turn a wee bit sour after 3 hours, but overall quite delicious.

1996 vintage

7/07 Good nose - murky dark purple - medium-bodied - sour acidic attack - fading fruit - remnants of structured oak finish - drinkable but past its prime. 86 pts.

1996 vintage

I'm impressed. I've grown to be a little apprehensive with older Leonetti, they can very hit and miss, especially with this vintage, but this wine is coming along well. Initial notes of ripe cherry and blackberry (with a little bit of green fruit) out of the bottle, which faded over time and was replaced with oak. An hour later, the oak settled a bit and the wine remained reasonably balanced with cassis and dark fruits. I little medicinal on the …

1996 vintage

Black cherry and menthol. Tannins were well integrated. The oak was present but not overpowering at all. An excellent drink tonight.

1996 vintage

The wine had lots of sediment, and a deep, brick red color.A very thick mouthfeel from this wine, oozing with black fruit, cherry and a smooth, vanilla flavoring. Wine of the night.

1996 vintage

very rich & bright strawberry & cola.

1996 vintage

Perhaps a bit tough still

1996 vintage

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Leonetti, Merlot, Walla Walla Valley

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