Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon is the purest expression of the Walla Walla Valley. Gorgeously saturated ruby colour. The bouquet emits aromas of bright red fruits, cassis, cedar, anise and cocoa. The wine has lovely ageing potential and is expressive with notes of black cherries, cassis and plum compote followed by hints of pencil shavings, coffee and dark chocolate. Flawlessly balanced on the full-bodied palate with the perfect harmony of rich fruit flavours, firm tannins and bright acidity. Closes in a lingering and juicy finish of bitter dark chocolate and crème de cassis.

A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The fruit for this wine comes from multiple vineyards in Walla Walla Valley: Seven Hills, Loess, Mill Creek Upland, Serra Pedace, Holy Roller, Leonetti Old Block. Cabernet has always been and continues to be Leonetti's standard bearer and that of the entire Walla Walla Valley. It is perhaps better suited here than its native home of Bordeaux. 

The wine ages for 22 months in new and once-filled French oak barrels.

Ageing potential: Made to age for 20-30 years with proper cellaring (stored horizontally at 55 - 57 degrees in a vibration and light free environment). Drink now and until 2043.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES

Blackberry, blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, dried herb, walnut and mocha on the nose. Some roasted-coffee notes. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Flavorful with fresh acidity and a supple texture. Delicious now, but better from 2022.

- 96+ POINTS

I loved the base 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. This will stand up to any Bordeaux blend coming out of Washington today. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless, balanced style carrying lots of cassis and darker currant fruit as well as notes of tobacco, bouquet garni, graphite, and scorched earth. It closes down relatively quickly with air and is a serious, structured, yet incredibly promising Cabernet. Hide bottles for 5-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

  - 96 POINTS

Made with the addition of 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep ruby core with a magenta rim and bursts with aromas of dark cherry, black raspberry essence and plum compote. Full-bodied, the palate offers firm tannins that sway with mineral tension and juicy robustness. Seductive floral tones offer a lasting impression across the long-lingering and juicy finish, leaving behind flavors of bitter dark chocolates and crème de cassis.

- 94 POINTS

Aromas of scorched coffee, earth, tar, black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate, anise and spice are followed by dense, layered, rich fruit flavors. There's plenty of levity to keep it aloft, along with precision and detail. The finish carries as long as you care to count. It's a quintessential Walla Walla Valley wine at its finest, with power and grace. Drink from 2028 to 2038, but it will live as long as you care to keep it.