Winemaker Notes
2000 Reserve reveals beautifully deep color and a bright, high tone nose of ripe fruits, cedar, and spicy oak-influenced vanillin. This is a tightly wound wine with long aging potential that will be immediately pleasing as well.
Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Merlot 40% Cabernet Franc 10%, Petit Verdot 10%
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
It simply says “reserve” on the label, but the blend is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Cab Frank and 10% Petit Verdot. Soft, plush and forward, it envelops the palate in rich red fruits and sweet spice, then finishes with the layers of flavorful oak for which Leonetti is famous. Sophisticated, brilliant winemaking.
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Wine Spectator
Amazingly subtle, supple and rich in flavor, offering a magnificent cascade of blackberry, currant, persimmon and subtle spices that wangle in a touch of espresso as the flavors sail on and on. Texture is beautifully polished, finishing with a subliminal spice note. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2015.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2000 Reserve displays an immensely spicy nose. Broad, intense, and concentrated, this is a powerful, medium-bodied wine packed with cassis and blackberries. Structured yet fresh and long in the finish, it should be enjoyed over the next 7-9 years.
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Vinous
The 2000 Red Wine Reserve is a total pleasure. It's perfectly mature and dark in nature with plum sauce, underbrush, sour citrus and sage aromas. This is round and supple, showcasing its plummy Merlot fruit with tactile mineral tones. A slight balsamic and brown sugar tinge comes forward toward the close. Its acidity saves the day, maintaining a lovely freshness, as a hint of residual tannins tugs at the palate.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.