Figgins Estate Red Wine 2009
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
The second release of Figgins—a single wine produced by Leonetti's Chris Figgins—is astonishing. Tasted in a lineup of exceptional Walla Walla reds, it outshined them all. It's a sophisticated blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot, from the Figgins Vineyard, with gorgeous aromas of flowers, spices and black fruits. Seamless and long, complex and forceful without being overpowering, it can stand alongside top tier Bordeaux costing four or five times as much.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bottled in July of last year and comprising a roughly 60-40 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot blend (Petit Verdot didn't make the cut this year due to the late frost), Figgins' 2009 Estate Red is stunningly scented with perfumed essence of iris and violet as well as ripe dark berries and high-toned, resinous green herbs and geranium. The effect is like Merlot contributing Chartreuse liqueur! (Is this a sweet spot to plant that grape or what?) The palate combination of seamless high ripeness and satiny polish with levity, billowing inner-mouth florality and sheer energy is utterly uncanny, and the finish is so juicy you’ll need a napkin. If you've visited the site, it's hard not to imagine its airy openness reflected here in liquid form.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and vibrant, this is juicy with blackberry, currant and rose petal flavors on a lively, focused frame. This has density without extra weight, finishing with refined tannins, lingering enticingly. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot.
-
Wine & Spirits
2009 Walla Walla Valley Estate Red A blend of cabernet, merlot and petit verdot, this is powerfully rich and dark. It leads with a ripe scent of plum and seems even riper on the palate, with a richness approaching the heady depth of Amarone. It has the big shoulders to merit some cellar time before serving it with roast veal.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James
- Decanter
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.