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Leonetti Cellar, Merlot Walla Walla Valley, 2000

Red Wine from Washington, United States
$119.99
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Here's a Walla Walla Merlot from a vintage Leonetti itself called extraordinary, now well into maturity. It's a bottle for the curious more than the cautious. The winery says the 2000 lives up to the year's reputation and shows the house style for Merlot: very concentrated, but finishing with a fleshy softness. In 2000 a very warm summer gave way to a quite cool harvest season. Leonetti builds its Merlot to age 15 to 25 years, and its own drinking window for this one ran to 2020. So be clear about what you're opening: this is a mature wine past the date the winery gave, and the pleasure is in finding out where more than two decades have taken it. Gary and Nancy Figgins founded Leonetti in 1977 as Walla Walla's first commercial winery and named it for Gary's grandparents. This wine was made the year before Chris Figgins became head winemaker in 2001. Anyone who thinks of Washington only as Cabernet country should give this a try.

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Antonio Galloni

88 points

"Moderately saturated ruby-red color. High-toned oak currently dominates crushed berry aromas; shows a strong aroma of scotch. Sweet and silky but firm-edged, with juicy red berry flavors and slightly intrusive oakiness. Has sex appeal yet does not quite come alive today; perhaps still a bit youthfully disjointed. Strongly oaky finish features firm tannins." —Stephen Tanzer

Robert Parker

89 points

"Surprisingly demure for a wine from the Leonetti Cellar, the nose of the 2000 Merlot Columbia Valley reveals dark berries and spices. Red currants, cherries, and raspberries can be found in its light to medium-bodied, vivacious character. Drink it over the next 6 years." —Pierre Rovani

Wine Spectator

92 points

"Almost light in texture, remarkably supple and appealing for its chocolate-scented berry flavors, which pick up intensity on the ultrasmooth finish. More elegant and subtle that most previous vintages, although less powerful."

Wine Enthusiast

91 points

"Can anything compare with the glorious Leonetti '99? This is a fine effort, with its showy mix of red fruits, berry and pomegranate flavors dominating. Though immediately delicious, it is less meaty and muscular than the previous vintage. It's all about sweet, forward fruit, backed with soft, pleasing tannins." —Paul Gregutt

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More about Leonetti Cellar

Leonetti is where Walla Walla wine begins. When Gary Figgins bonded his winery in 1977 it was the first in the valley, and within a few years his Cabernet and Merlot had put Washington State on the map of serious American red wine.

The name honors Gary's maternal grandparents, Frank and Rose Leonetti, Italian immigrants who farmed just southwest of Walla Walla and made homemade wine from their own grapes. Gary planted his first acre of Cabernet Sauvignon on the old family farmstead in 1974 and made the early vintages in the basement of the family home. Gary and his wife Nancy's son Chris joined in 1996 and took over as head winemaker in 2001; their daughter Amy came back in 2007, and since Gary and Nancy retired in 2018 the two siblings have run the winery.

The fruit now comes largely from the family's own vineyards around the valley, including the original Old Block beside the winery, the Loess hillside vineyard, the high Mill Creek Upland site and Holy Roller across the Oregon line, plus shares in the respected Seven Hills and SeVein vineyards. The range centers on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a Reserve red blend, with Sangiovese alongside. Expect ripe, dark-fruited, polished reds with the structure to age for decades.

See all Leonetti Cellar wines

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Merlot

  • Vintage

    2000

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Sustainable

  • Style

    Elegant

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Full Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

What has to say about this wine:

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Roast leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic; beef tenderloin with a morel or porcini sauce; seared duck breast with a cherry reduction; wild mushroom risotto with aged Parmigiano.

Tasting Profile

The winery's notes describe a nose of high-toned fruit, vanilla and spice, with plenty of Merlot character. It's very concentrated on the palate, and the finish is soft and fleshy. Those notes describe the wine when it was younger, and it is now well past the winery's suggested drinking window.

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