CASE PRICE = $119.99 per bottle (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes from the Winemaker:
Impossibly complex, mysterious nose that reveals itself over time. Cassis liqueur and floral notes open to a bowl of fresh crushed ripe fruit sprinkled with cinnamon and notes of cedar and coffee. A bigger wine than the cab, it is tight as a drum as I write this, but continues to open beautifully even a week after uncorking! This is a wine of immediate gratification, yet it possesses amazing aging potential. In the mouth, the wine is loaded with dense ripe fruit, long and balanced, with tannin and acid in perfect harmony. I really feel this wine will stand proudly next to the world’s finest Bordeauxs upon release, but especially in 10–15 years—if you can keep your hands off of it! Leonetti Reserve is our finest effort. It is crafted from our finest blends, finest barrels, and finest vineyards.
Cabernet Sauvignon 69%
Petit Verdot 11%
Merlot 11%
Cabernet Franc 9%
Ratings & Reviews
97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The winery flagship is the 2008 Reserve, a blend 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot, 11% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc aged in barrel, some of it new, for 23 months. Sandalwood, exotic spices, herbs, violets, and assorted black fruits inform the nose of a layered, succulent, plush, bordering on opulent wine that is beautifully balanced and already complex. It will continue its development for at least another 5-6 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2016 to 2028+. " - Jay Miller (Aug 2011)
94+ Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar:
"(14.7% alcohol; 69% cabernet sauvignon, 11% each petit verdot and merlot, and 9% cabernet franc): Full ruby-red. Cassis, licorice and roasted oak on the nose. Sweet, lush and seamless; wonderfully thick but less expressive and less urgent today than the cabernet bottling. One senses the perimeter of this powerfully built, backward wine more than its contents today. Best right now on the slowly mounting, extremely long finish, which features sweet tannins and building notes of spices and Belgian chocolate. Winemaker Chris Figgins "builds the cabernet base" of the reserve first (before picking for the cabernet sauvignon bottling), explaining that he likes some early-harvested cabernet for its aromatic complexity." - Stephen Tanzer (Nov/Oct '11)
93 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:
"Supple, generous and inviting for its pure currant, blackberry and wet earth flavors that pulse on the lively, expressive finish. Tannins are present, but well-integrated. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2018. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 1,131 cases made." –HS
93 points Wine & Spirits Magazine:
"Dense, primary and a touch opaque at the outset, this blend is about 70 percent cabernet, with a balance of petit verdot, merlot and cabernet franc. It seems to be all structure at first, before a fine, gentle red fruit flavor peeks through -- red plum and darker cherry accents. The texture is firm and sleek at once, though the wine is a long way from peak expression. Cellar, then serve with a ribeye. 1,131 cases. (Oct 2011)"
