It was several years ago and my friends and I were running through some blinds in Las Vegas. After revealing our respective guesses my friend revealed his wine — a 2002 Leonetti Sangiovese — a wine of pristine quality and provenance. I was floored by the wine’s youthful behavior as I had guessed a 2008 Washington Bordeaux style wine. The wine was incredible and one of the most memorable of the trip, as we were all floored by the aging potential of this brilliant wine.
Leonetti has truly earned a national reputation for their Sangiovese wine. Quite simply, you would be hard-pressed to find a more consistently great producer of Sangiovese in North America. Leonetti Sangiovese certainly has earned its stripes as the top producer of Sangiovese in Washington. At the helm since 2002 has been superstar winemaker, Chris Figgins. A fellow Arsenal supporter and avid aviator, Chris crafts his Sangiovese wines to drink more like Bordeaux varietals in terms of flavor density, richness and dark fruit tones, yet the wines remain distinctly Sangiovese in terms of tannin quality and verve. These wines age incredibly well.
I recently had the great opportunity to taste through several older vintages of Leonetti Sangiovese and blown away with the overall quality and aging potential of these wines. Right at the top is the 2006 Leonetti Sangiovese (OB, 96) which is a magnificent wine that has a good portion of Merlot blended in, adding to the chocolate tones. This wine has another decade to go! The same is true with the epic 2008 Leonetti Sangiovese (OB, 95) which is dense, chewy and is beautifully textured and structured. In terms of newer wines, I was awe struck by the 2014 Leonetti Sangiovese (OB, 95) which is a massive wine that is unabashedly bold for the varietal — yet has a weightless character that makes this incredibly refined. Learn more about these special wines at leonetticellar.com and here are my reviews of what was a brilliant Leonetti Sangiovese vertical tasting.
2006 Leonetti Sangiovese- Weighing in at 14.3% alcohol, this Sangiovese was aged in 500L puncheons before bottling, as Chris Figgins chose to blend in a significant portion of Merlot (12.5%) into this brilliant, warm vintage wine. Right away the potpourri tones really entice, alongside ripe strawberry and red cherry tones with tobacco leaf and orange rind accents rounding out this expressive bouquet. The palate is liquid silk and quite simply unlike any Washington wine or new world Sangiovese wine of its kind. There is no doubt the Merlot makes this even softer, as copious red fruits dance with minerals, chocolate, sage and blood orange zest tones. The bright acidity and wonderful length of this wine add to the enjoyment. Now at the fourteen year mark, this is nowhere near the end of its journey. Drink 2021-2031- 96
2008 Leonetti Sangiovese- 2008 was a near-perfect vintage in the Walla Walla Valley, and this is just a wonderful expression of the balance obtained this vintage. Chris sourced this wine from the Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and Mill Creek Upland Vineyards and blended in 8% Syrah to this wine which was aged for 22 months in mainly neutral oak (some puncheons) prior to bottling. Once on the nose this takes on milk chocolate and sagebrush tones alongside crushed mint, red raspberry preserves and red rose petal tones that all take shape in the glass. The palate is well-structured and highly elegant. With an hour of air more bright red fruits enter the fray showing red cherry, guava and cran-pomegranate tones alongside burnt orange, pipe tobacco and balsam flavors, With marvelous length, this has at least another decade of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2031- 95
2010 Leonetti Sangiovese- Deeply colored once in the glass, the cool vintage 2010 Leonetti Sangiovese is a resounding success from this challenging vintage for many in Washington. Chris has blended in a larger portion of Syrah (11%) no doubt to create a larger sense of weight in the wine. Now at the eleven year mark, this shows gorgeous aromatics of exotic spices and menthol alongside cassis, red cherry candy and leather tones, making this really rustic and novel stuff aromatically. The palate is soft, round and generous with a wonderful sense of mouthfeel. Layers of pretty red fruits collide with minerals, orange zest, smoked meats, Asian spices, black tea and Cuban cigar tobacco on the palate. This is really tasty stuff, with its velvety tannins and round mouthfeel. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 94
2012 Leonetti Sangiovese- The 2012 Leonetti Sangiovese is a simply magical wine from this classic vintage in Washington State. This is the first vintage that Chris has elected to blend in a larger portion of his estate Aglianico (8%) into the blend, as well as 12% Syrah. Black and red currants mingle with chocolate, tobacco leaf, leather and damp earth tones. The palate is soft and downright pillowy — almost reminding me of the 2012 Leonetti Merlot that I tasted earlier in the year. The sense of balance here is exquisite, as is the velvety texture. Firm tannins hold in place layers of red and dark fruits alongside milk chocolate dusted coffee bean, sage, blood orange rind and loamy soils. Elegant, yet rich and viscous, this is serious stuff that is right in its sweet spot now and has gobs of life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2033- 96
2014 Leonetti Sangiovese- The 2014 Leonneti Sangiovese is a stunning wine from this warm vintage in Washington State. On the nose this shows off red cherry candy, tobacco leaf and leather tones alongside exotic spices and blood orange zest that all take shape in the glass. The palate is plush, with a seamless texture and velvety mouthfeel. This is a big wine for the varietal, yet the weightless experience adds another layer of class. Light tannins line the core of ripe red currents and blood orange zest alongside smoky minerals and herbal undertones. Deep and intense, this one of a kind Sangiovese is really only and infant now and needs a two hour decant to unlock its full potential if enjoying now at the six year mark. Drink 2021-2036- 95
2016 Leonetti Sangiovese- It has now been roughly two years since I have visited this exceptional wine. At now four years of age, this is a show-stopper with incredible finesse, richness and length. Right away the nose provides plenty of allure with pretty red rose petals alongside sagebrush, orange rind and rich red fruits with smoky undertones that all take shape in the glass. The palate is fresh, round and elegant with an incredible texture. Ripe red cherry and red raspberry flavors meld with minerals, smoked pork shoulder and cran-orange flavors on the palate. This wine is every bit as good as when I first tried it and is still really an infant, needing a ton of air to fully be aroused. I can imagine this will cellar well for at least another fifteen years, Drink 2021-2038- 95