The 2004 Leonetti Reserve was the winning bottle in the March Installment of Pick My Next Bottle. The wine was decanted for an hour and served with a couple different homemade pizzas.
Leonetti Cellar was founded in 1977 by Gary and Nancy Figgins. Leonetti, along with Quilceda Creek and Woodward Canyon put premium Washington Cabernet Sauvignon on the radar of wine consumers across the United States. Leonetti also produces one of the very best domestic Merlots. Leonetti is part of Figgins Family Wine Estates. Chris Figgins is now in charge of the winemaking.
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. At 16 years old there is still a promising future for this wine. Best over the next 4-6 years.
My rating: 97 points.
Leonetti was one of my very first mailing lists. Twenty five years later I am still a buyer and the wines are better than ever. The winery has done an exceptional job at holding the line on prices. Although the mailing list is full and the waiting list is long the wine is readily available at retail in late March. Look for the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2018 Merlot at retail this Spring. In other news Leonetti also recently released their first set of single vineyard wines from the 2016 vintage.
Also consider reading The Wines of Chris Figgins and Barrel Tasting With Chris Figgins.