2006 Leonetti Walla Walla Reserve

(a Bordeaux blend based on 75% cabernet sauvignon) Good deep ruby. Brooding aromas of cassis, blackberry and licorice; extremely closed today. Then wonderfully dense, large-scaled and fine-grained, with an edge of acidity giving this broad, plush wine an uncannily vibrant quality in the mouth. As broad and sweet as it is, there's superb energy to the flavors of currant and bitter chocolate. This is still a bit reduced, even youthfully clenched, but should eventually be one of the top cabernets produced in Washington's modern era. The palate-staining finish shows extraordinary chewy persistence, with tannins buried in fruit. (On my July visit to Walla Walla, Chris Figgins showed me a vertical tasting of several of the Leonetti Reserve bottlings, and three wines from the current decade were spectacular: 2000 (93 points), 2002 (93+?) and 2005 (94+?). The '02 displayed great mineral lift and precision and, though delicious already, had the structure for further improvement in bottle, while the '05, still a baby, boasted uncanny sweetness and opulence but also had a distinctly Bordeaux-like black fruit, mineral and licorice character that may be partly due to its 20% petit verdot component.)

The flagship 2006 Reserve was raised in new French oak for 22 months. It is made up of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Petit Verdot, 11% Malbec, and 2% Merlot. Opaque purple/black in color, it exhibits aromas of rose petal, dried fruits, spice box, incense, black currant, and blackberry. Suave, velvety, elegant and powerful, all it needs is another 6-8 years in the cellar to reveal its full potential. Gary Figgins and son, Chris, keep tweaking things in the vineyards and cellar as they move toward totally biodynamic farming. As usual, their wines are benchmarks against which others must be measured. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com