Leonetti Reserve 2009

Professional Ratings

• 96 Jeb Dunnuck

  Lastly, I was also able to taste a bottle of the 2009 Reserve, which now, ten years after the vintage, is just starting to show some secondary notes. Based on 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot, its still youthful ruby/plum color is followed by notes of blackcurrants, toasted spice, graphite, unsmoked tobacco, and cedarwood. Rich, full-bodied, and still structured on the palate, it’s beautifully balanced, with plenty of fruit and a great finish. It’s solidly in the early stages of full maturity, where it’s going to remain for another 10-15 years, and then have a gradual decline. It’s a beautiful wine from Leonetti and a testament to the longevity of the wines from this region.

• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The wine known simply as Leonetti 2009 Reserve is, in fact, 92% Cabernet Sauvignon (the rest Merlot), a major departure from the norm of two-thirds to three quarters established in its previous eleven vintages (other exceptions being 2000 and 2001 when the Cabernet share dipped to less than half). Interestingly, too, Petit Verdot vines have contributed a significant share of each earlier Reserve bottling since their first crop, 2000, but this year dropped out on account of having been hit by the late frost. While at 14.7% virtually identical in alcohol to the corresponding Cabernet Sauvignon bottling, this 2009 Reserve comes off as significantly fuller-bodied. It also misses the vibrancy of its ostensibly lesser sibling. "For the reserve," notes Chris Figgins, "we look for lots that are more backward and brooding," and he certainly was rewarded this year. Ripe, lightly-confitured cassis and mulberry are mingled with toasted nuts, peat, and dark Burley tobacco. High-toned suggestions of camphor, mint, and gentian distillate emerge with aeration. The amplitude and sheer fruit intensity here comes along with a palpable if well-coated tannic undergirding; and the finish splendidly soothes and sustains. The longer this was open to the air, the greater its appeal; and I'm only sorry I could not follow it for a second day. Look for at least 15 years of profound pleasure not to mention persistent contrast with the corresponding Cabernet bottling.
• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  Leonetti's 2009 Reserve - 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot - is a simpler blend than in past vintages, and it seems to mark a return to the style of wine that built the winery's reputation initially. Powerfully, lavishly oaky, with a ripe, chewy black-fruit flavor, it is bursting with notes of black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate and a hint of butter. Though not quite as graceful or detailed as the regular Cabernet, this is the more potently expressive of the two flagship Leonetti reds.
• 94 Vinous

  The 2009 Red Wine Reserve is starting to show its maturity, yet pleasurably so, with a blend of plum and cherry sauce accentuated by tobacco and cloves. This is unexpectedly fresh yet still massive, with juicy red and black fruits that take on a balsamic tinge toward the close. Chalky minerals and mint notes linger as the 2009 finishes spicy and extended with a subtle sour cherry tinge. This is a racy Red Wine Reserve from a challenging vintage, with 20-22 days over 100 degrees and difficult canopies resulting from a large amount of spring rain. Ultimately, the vintage was halted on October 9th and 10th when a killing frost moved into the region, forcing an early harvest.

• 93 Wine & Spirits
  With its core of dark fruit and a polished impression of oak, Leonetti's classical approach to its Reserve bottling works well in a power vintage like 2009. It leads with scents of violets and black plum, the flavors taking on a warm-weather tone of roasted cherries and grilled figs. This is built for the cellar, and once it emerges, for a steak.
• 92 Wine Spectator
  Supple, lithe and distinctive for its red berry and fresh red pepper flavors, weaving in mint and dried herb notes as the finish persists against fine tannins. This has an aristocratic feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.