Name: Leonetti Cellar Merlot 2023 750ml
Brand: Leonetti Cellar
SKU: 1033526
Price: 91.94 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 92.5 (2 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.

JD 93pts

Jeb Dunnuck

Winemaker Chris Figgins has slowly transitioned to getting Merlot for the 2023 Merlot from cooler sites and giving them a shorter aging window of 15 months. The resulting wine possesses great elegance through a full-bodied frame of rich blue fruit, dried herb, and floral aromatics. The oak is well-integrated, and the tannins supple and supportive. This will continue to drink well over 10-12 more years.

WS 92pts

Wine Spectator

Tight with tension, this red offers black currant, pencil lead and bay leaf flavors that build structure and tannins on the finish. Best from 2026 through 2033. 1,922 cases made.

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 2023 750ml

Winery Leonetti Cellar

Varietal Merlot

Country United States

Region Washington State

Appellation Walla Walla

Jeb Dunnuck

Wine Spectator

Winery Notes

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