2017 Leonetti Holy Roller
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Tasting notes
Good medium ruby. Musky scents of black fruits, licorice and violet, complemented by a rocky, flinty character. Wonderfully refined on entry, showing a note of almost Syrah-like gaminess, then subtly sweet and pliant in the mid-palate, with dark berry, smoked meat and licorice flavors lifted by a floral note (from the Sangiovese element?) and complicated by a lightly saline element. This smoky, minerally, mouthfilling wine finishes with plush, ripe tannins and mounting violet length. A plump, high-pH style with a lot of early appeal.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Holy Roller Vineyard is beautiful and shows a more elegant, Château Margaux-like style in its redcurrants, blueberries, sandalwood, violets, and flowery incense aromas and flavors. Beautifully textured and full-bodied on the palate, it has an incredible sense of elegance and balance as well as length. Of the four single vineyard cuvées, it’s the most approachable, yet my money is on it evolving for just as long as the other releases. Located in Walla Walla and made by Chris Figgins, Leonetti Cellars is one of the benchmark estates in Washington. They produce a bevy of Bordeaux blends, with their Cabernet Sauvignon and Reserve functioning as the flagship wines. They also make a tiny amount of their single vineyard releases, all of which showed brilliantly for this report. Unquestionably, these 2017s are up with the crème de la crème of the vintage. While the 2017 vintage is generally forward and approachable, that’s not the case here and these wines are going to benefit from bottle age.