Leonetti Merlot 2007
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
One of the most complex aromas I've ever seen on any Merlot. Exploding out of the glass are ripe red fruits, candle wax, violet and other floral aromas, caramel, graham crackers and a puree of bramble fruits. On the second day a beautiful note of chocolate and coffee appear, along with a fantastic note of sweet earth and dust. The acid of the wine is very refreshing and balances the long, lush, soft mouthfeel. The wine has laser precision and is quite structured for Merlot--and while drinking great now, will reward for a few years of aging.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The purple-colored 2007 Merlot contains 7% Petit Verdot. The nose offers up a whiff of new oak along with scorched earth, mocha, black currant, blackberry, and a hint of chocolate. This leads to a medium to full-bodied, opulent wine with layered, savory fruit, succulent flavors, plenty of fine-grained tannin, and a lengthy, pure finish. It will continue to blossom over the next 5 years and present a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2022.
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Wine Spectator
Firm in texture, with a tight grip of tannins on the smoky blackberry and currant flavors, persisting on the finish. Needs time to soften. Best from 2011 through 2017.
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With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.