2012 Leonetti Merlot Walla Walla Valley
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Tasting notes
Bright, full medium red. Pungent aromas and flavors of redcurrant, huckleberry and spicecake: smells juicy! Sweet, smooth and fairly full in the mouth, with lovely ripe acidity keeping the mid-palate fresh. Not yet particularly complex but that will come with a few years in the cellar. As fresh as this wine is, it will rely more on its tannins than its acids for longevity and future development. “The 2012s remind me of the 2008s,” offered Chris Figgins. “We had perfectly average temperatures during the growing season, and it will be a super-solid vintage to drink before the ‘10s and ‘11s. The ‘10s are our biggest lay-down vintage, along with the 2005s.”
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate
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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. While Chris’s 2011s are a fair step back from his smoking good 2010s, they nevertheless possess lively, fresh and elegant characters as well as solid richness. They’re certainly of high quality and worth checking out. His 2012s will be even better, and they have deeper, richer mid-palates and additional structure. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com