Leonetti Reserve 2015

Professional Ratings

• 98 Jeb Dunnuck
  The 2015 Reserve is a borderline perfect wine. Made from 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec, and 8% Merlot, its vibrant purple color is followed by a gorgeous nose of crème de cassis, graphite, scorched earth, liquid violets, and charcoal. Full-bodied, deep, voluptuously textured and layered, with sweet tannin, this incredible beauty stays pure and elegant on the palate, with perfect balance. It's going to drink nicely for two decades as well.
• 95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  Quite different in profile to the Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2015 Walla Walla Reserve offers up a rich bouquet of ripe blackberries, pencil shavings, cardamom and sweet soil. On the palate, it's full-bodied, rich and lavishly textured, with an ample core of fruit that initially conceals its firm chassis of abundant structuring tannins. Those tannins, however, assert themselves on the chewy, richly fruity finish, so this bottling will require 3 or 4 years of patience. It's a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 8% Merlot.
• 95 James Suckling
  Love the licorice and asphalt character to the dark fruits. It's full-bodied, layered and chewy. Shows focus and structure. Blackened orange peel, too. Blend of 63% cabernet sauvignon, 29% malbec and 8% merlot. Better in 2021.
• 95 Vinous

  The 2015 Red Wine Reserve wafts up with a wonderfully fresh bouquet, unexpectedly so, remarkably pretty and refined; this blossoms with notes of crushed strawberry, sweet spice and violet pastille. Soft and enveloping, yet energetic throughout, this impresses with its lively character and crisp red and black fruits. It finishes with incredible length and structure and a bit of a tannic crunchy bite. The 2015 provides a massive amount of pleasure. In 2015, Leonetti changed out all of their barriques to solve an issue with brett in the cellar, and as a result, this was refined in all-new French oak and oval casks. Rating: 95+

• 94 Wine Spectator
  Pairs great structure with richness and polish, offering expressive blackberry, allspice and bay leaf flavors that fan out and linger toward refined tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot. Drink now through 2026.
• 93 Wine Enthusiast
  This blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Malbec and 8% Merlot comes from Loess, Mill Creek Upland and Seven Hills vineyards. Its aromas are still locked up, offering incense, barrel spice, cherry, raspberry, anise and scorched earth notes as it opens. The palate is packed to the brim with black fruit flavors and tightly wound tannins, maintaining its sophistication long into the finish. It needs time to come into its own but has a very long life ahead of it. Best 2026–2033.
  Cellar Selection