Leonetti Merlot 2012

  • 95 Decanter
  • 94 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 94 Robert
    Parker
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Leonetti Merlot 2012  Front Bottle Shot
Leonetti Merlot 2012  Front Bottle Shot Leonetti Merlot 2012 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2012

Size
750ML

ABV
14.5%

Features
Collectible

Your Rating

0.0 Not For Me NaN/NaN/N

Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

The wine is dark and saturated. In the glass, the wine explodes with an ethereal, complex nose of cinnamon, plum, pomegranate, clove, and a hint of spring pine forest. On the palate, the wine has delicious fresh ripe fruit, reminiscent of berry pie filling. Incredible richness but with a stunning levity that lifts.

Professional Ratings

  • 95
    Aromas of sandalwood and anise join red cherry compote, mocha and spicy undertones. Then the fresh, vibrant and energetic palate boasts layers of bright red fruits which meld with velvety tannins, chocolate and sagebrush tones. This outstanding Merlot (85% in this vintage) is drinking beautifully now but will cellar well for decades to come. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035
  • 94
    Leonetti’s Merlot is the only wine among their four annual releases to debut a year early. It’s a good thing with this wine, which is smooth and packed with rich black-cherry and cassis fruit flavors. Also in the blend are small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The tannins are slightly granular, and soaked with cocoa flavor, giving it a pleasingly dark, toasty edge.
  • 94
    The 2012 Merlot, which was already in bottle at the time of this tasting, offers an elegant, yet sexy style, with gorgeous black raspberry and creme de cassis fruit, toast, dried spices and licorice, with hints of background tobacco and green herbs, all emerging from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, plump, pure and layered, with a fabulous texture and a big finish, it’s a beautiful wine to drink over the coming decade or more

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Leonetti

Leonetti Cellar

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Leonetti Cellar, Washington
Leonetti Cellar Winery Image
Exclusive production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have been the hallmark of Gary Figgins' Leonetti Cellar winery in the suburbs of Walla Walla. Grapes from his own vineyard and from other nearby properties are used to create these rich and robust varietal wines. The attractive new winery building made of native stone houses barrel storage and fermenting tanks.
Image for Merlot content section
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With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Image for Walla Walla Valley Wine Columbia Valley, Washington content section

Walla Walla Valley Wine

Columbia Valley, Washington

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Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.

The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.

It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.

Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.

BTO130346_2012 Item# 130346

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