Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
- Vinous
-
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Very dark crimson to the rim of the glass. Explosive nose of baking spices, rising sourdough, honey, plum flower, and ripe plum fruit. Viscous and creamy on the palate, with notes of red currant and fresh herbs. The beautiful structure has full-bodied, fine-grained tannins and a long, luscious, and intense finish.
Blend: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% each of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc from a mix of sites in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley. Its dense purple/plum color is followed by beautiful bouquet of pure cassis, leafy tobacco, chocolate, spicy oak, and graphite. This carries to a powerful, concentrated, burly, yet incredibly well-balanced Cabernet with a great mid-palate, a layered, building, powerful texture, beautiful tannins, and outstanding length.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon checks in as 82% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% each of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc from a mix of sites in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley. Its dense purple/plum color is followed by beautiful bouquet of pure cassis, leafy tobacco, chocolate, spicy oak, and graphite. This carries to a powerful, concentrated, burly, yet incredibly well-balanced Cabernet with a great mid-palate, a layered, building, powerful texture, beautiful tannins, and outstanding length. This blockbuster, serious, age-worthy beauty needs 3-5 years of bottle age (it will probably take a decade to hit maturity) and will have 2-3 decades of longevity.
-
Decanter
One of Washington's iconic wines year over year, a blend of six estate vineyard sites and only 82% Cabernet. Floral aromatics of dried rose petals and violets transition to smoky frankincense, crushed stone and bay leaf. A well-knit palate of fresh ripe strawberries, mint, crushed stone and tobacco leaf. Streaks of graphite minerality pull you towards the finish, marked by fresh notes of eucalyptus and green peppercorn.
-
Vinous
Dark and imposing, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon unfurls in the glass with an intense blend of exotic spice, incense, dried orange peel and mentholated blackberries. This flows like fine silk draped across the palate—seamless and refined, with polished red fruits and rosy inner florals. It's only in the finish that the 2020 flexes its structural muscle, leaving the senses clenched with saturating tannins as a bitter wild berry concentration slowly fades. This dramatic Cabernet Sauvignon will pay dividends in the cellar. Rating: 94+
-
Wine Spectator
This is tightly structured yet remains refined and expressive, with currant and plum flavors that are accented with espresso and dusty herbs, building tension toward broad-shouldered tannins.
Other Vintages
2019-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.