2007 Leonetti Merlot (91 Points)

DATE CONSUMED

Saturday, October 1, 2011

VINTAGE

2007

WINERY/PRODUCER

Leonetti Cellar

WINE NAME

N/A

TYPE OF WINE

Red

COMPOSITION

93% Merlot

7% Petit Verdot

SUBNAME/NICKNAME

N/A

VINEYARD DESIGNATION

N/A

REGION/A.V.A.

Walla Walla Valley (Washington)

ALCOHOL CONTENT

14.3%

PRICE PAID

Retails for $70 (according to Leonetti’s website); given to me as a gift.

WHERE/WHEN BOUGHT AND HOW PROCURED

My auctioneer at work gave this bottle to me earlier this year (the best open sale auctioneer in the world, Don Jones)

BOUQUET

This wine has a beautiful, floral, fruity, spicy, oaky, earthy nose (a bit more fruity than the other elements, especially cherries and blueberries).  This bottle smells like it’s going to be a real, quality Merlot (as it better had, given the price tag!).

TASTING NOTES

No matter what Miles from “Sideways” says/intimates about Merlot, this much-maligned noble grape can indeed make beautiful wine. 

This is a rich, creamy red and based on its bouquet and flavor profile, I’m assuming this wine is unfined and unfiltered.  (Side note: I LOVE unfined and unfiltered wines; I strongly believe that the fining and filtering process removes essential flavor elements from a wine.  Wouldn’t you want any/every flavor element in a bottle that a grape has to offer?!?!)

This wine pours very dark, just like its Bordeaux soulmate Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc.  The first noticeable trait is fantastic fruit and spice; there is a truck-load of black pepper, along with a few herbaceous herbs, and plenty of red and black fruits (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and black cherries).  After the spices and fruit have had “their say,” the wine’s earthier elements take over, including that lovely Walla Walla Valley earthiness, a perfect amount of oak, all complimented by a smooth, well-structured and slightly tannic/acidic finish.

This is a VERY nice Merlot that exhibits any/every positive characteristic that Merlot has to offer: tart fruit, savory herbs, not too much oak, a shovel of dirt/earth, all beautifully assembled.  This is easily the best Merlot I’ve had all year!

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

We brought this bottle to my parent’s house and paired this wine with prime rib smothered in Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper (and cooked to absolute perfection, thank you very much!).  I like pairing Merlot with prime rib (I don’t know why; it just always seemed like a good idea) and once again the pairing was spot-on!  Because this wine is so substantial (dark, spicy, fruity, earthy) it would pair equally well with just about any other grilled red meat.

  

AGING POTENTIAL

This wine is drinking well now but would probably drink beautifully in another three to five years and would probably age well for another twenty years or so.

SCORE

91 (Dave Zack)

42 (Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) from “Sideways”)

Q.P.R. (QUALITY-TO-PRICE RATIO) (POOR, FAIR, GOOD, EXCELLENT)

FAIR (given the retail price based on the winery’s website)

EXCELLENT (given that this bottle required no out-of-pocket expenditure)

WINERY WEBSITE

http://www.leonetticellar.com/