A Taste of WA Merlot
aromas while the palate opened up over an hour to intense smoky blackberry and the tannins softened considerably. The winery used heavily toasted Russian oak in addition to the more usual French and American varieties to age this wine which was grown in the oldest blocks of the Seven Hills vineyard.
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The 1998 season was one for the record books in terms of degree days between frosts. The season was long and very warm with a modicum of rain. It was a record-production vintage for the state, and the wines will be comparable to the immediately appealing, lush and rich 1994's.
Leonetti 1998 - We just couldn't resist tossing a "cult wine" in just to see what we thought without the influence of the label! And well...
Inky dark and opaque. Aromas of toasted blackberries and black cherry with some notes of mocha and tobacco. Palate has a silky smoothness that is almost butter-like, though the balance of intense flavors and acidity are right on target. Flavors include blackberry, roasted nuts, dark fruit, some mocha and layers of licorice, vanillan and saddle leather that mingle with the forward fruit through the long. long finish. I really cannot say enough about this wine, it is one of the best "multi-layers-of-flavors" wines I have had this year and hope that it is but the harbinger of a great vintage for the entire Pacific Northwest.
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The bottle shop we tasted these in is already sold out of all their Leonetti (what a surprise!), though they maintain an excellent selection of Pac NW wines from Woodward Canyon to Andrew Will to DeLille Cellars to Mathews Cellars and more. Email me for contact information if these are wines you would like to receive (where legal!).
Cheers!
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