Name: Leonetti Cellar Merlot 2013 750ml
Brand: Leonetti Cellar
SKU: 963631
Price: 119.94 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 92.3 (4 reviews)

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Winery Leonetti Cellar

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Varietal Merlot

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

Country United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

Region Washington State

Since it began in the 1820s, wine-production in Washington state has gone from strength to strength, with many of the finest United States wines coming out over the past twenty years hailing from this region. Today, the state is the second largest US producer of wines, behind California, with over forty thousand acres under vine. The state itself is split into two distinct wine regions, separated by the Cascade Range, which casts an important rain shadow over much of the area. As such, the vast majority of vines are grown and cultivated in the dry, arid desert-like area in the eastern half of the state, with the western half producing less than one percent of the state's wines where it is considerably wetter. Washington state is famed for producing many of the most accessible wines of the country, with Merlot and Chardonnay varietal grapes leading the way, and much experimentation with other varietals characterizing the state's produce in the twenty-first century.

Appellation Walla Walla

The beautiful sub-region of Walla Walla sits within the vast Washington State wine region of Columbia Valley, in the dry and arid, gently sloping lowlands which typify the area. The region has been building up a powerful reputation over the past few decades, and dozens of wineries have opened within the sub-region of Walla Walla over the past twenty years, helping it establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the world of United States wines. Walla Walla is internationally renowned for the high quality of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietal wines, made from imported French grape varietals which adore the dry and arid soils which are found within the region. However, many grape varietals thrive within Walla Walla, and wineries are now expanding their portfolios and creating a wide array of wines.

WA 94pts

Wine Advocate

The only 2013 I was able to taste from Leonetti, the 2013 Merlot (includes 8% Cabernet Franc) is a blockbuster from this team that’s certainly one of the best examples of this variety in the state. Giving up gorgeously pure notes of blackcurrants, licorice, charcoal and Asian spice, this medium to full-bodied beauty has a voluptuous, layered and seamless texture, building, fine tannin and a terrific finish. Seeing 15 months in new and once-used French oak (small barrels, puncheons and oval botti), it will have 20 years of longevity.

WS 92pts

Wine Spectator

Ripe and generous, though polished in texture, with cherry, apricot, floral and orange peel flavors, tinged by a smoky overtone as the finish extends. Drink now through 2019. 1,898 cases made.

WE 92pts

Wine Enthusiast

A blend of fruit from Loess, Mill Creek Upland and Leonetti Old Block, this standout wine opens with alluring aromas of dark chocolate, raspberries, blueberries, sandalwood and assorted spices. The palate is plush and fruit-filled but with well-balanced acidity and impressive length.

VM 91pts

Vinous Media

Healthy dark red with ruby highlights. Aromas of black and blue fruits are lifted by a violet scent and an exotic suggestion of white fruits. Silky-sweet and already attractive, but bracing acidity and a savory quality gives this superb Merlot the grip to blossom in bottle. Its dark fruit flavors are complicated by hints of tobacco leaf and game. Structured and firm for Walla Walla Merlot. This wine is normally an early drinker, says ??, but this 2013 has a firm tannic spine and bright acidity and is a bit less creamy in the early going. Interestingly, this wine came across as tight and tannic following the 2012 Sangiovese.

Winery Notes

This Merlot is sourced from three sites: Loess Vineyard, Mill Creek Upland, and Leonetti Old Block. Aged 15 months in new and second-year French oak barrels, puncheons, and oval botti.

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Leonetti Cellar Merlot 2013 750ml