A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% Merlot and smaller parts Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, the wine saw 22 months of barrel and oval botti age before bottling. The nose is downright beguiling. Layers of ripe dark currants and mocha mingle with Turkish coffee, blueberry compote and tar give this a feeling of decadence. The palate is fresh and dense, with a seamless texture. Crème de cassis, pipe tobacco, coffee grounds and shades of blackberry pie all come together marvelously on the palate. This deftly walks the tightrope between hedonistic and highly structured.

The 2018 Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon is a scintillating new effort that checks all the right boxes for Washington Cabernet. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon with 9% Merlot and smaller parts Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec, the wine saw 22 months of barrel and oval botti age before bottling. The nose is downright beguiling. Layers of ripe dark currants and mocha mingle with Turkish coffee, blueberry compote and tar to give a feeling of decadence. The palate is fresh and dense, with a seamless texture. crème de cassis, pipe tobacco, coffee grounds and shades of blackberry pie all come together marvelously. This deftly walks the tightrope between hedonistic and highly structured. Gorgeous even now at the three-year mark (after some air), the 2018 will be extremely long-lived. Tasted on three separate occasions during 2021. -- Owen Bargreen

Blackberry, blackcurrant, tobacco leaf, dried herb, walnut and mocha on the nose. Some roasted-coffee notes. It’s full-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Flavorful with fresh acidity and a supple texture. Delicious now, but better from 2022.

(96+ points) I loved the base 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. This will stand up to any Bordeaux blend coming out of Washington today. A blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, it offers a medium to full-bodied, incredibly seamless, balanced style carrying lots of cassis and darker currant fruit as well as notes of tobacco, bouquet garni, graphite, and scorched earth. It closes down relatively quickly with air and is a serious, structured, yet incredibly promising Cabernet. Hide bottles for 5-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Made with the addition of 9% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon has a deep ruby core with a magenta rim and bursts with aromas of dark cherry, black raspberry essence and plum compote. Full-bodied, the palate offers firm tannins that sway with mineral tension and juicy robustness. Seductive floral tones offer a lasting impression across the long-lingering and juicy finish, leaving behind flavors of bitter dark chocolates and crème de cassis. Almost 35,000 bottles were filled after resting 22 months in new and used French oak barrels. - Anthony Mueller

Aromas of scorched coffee, earth, tar, black cherry, cassis, dark chocolate, anise and spice are followed by dense, layered, rich fruit flavors. There's plenty of levity to keep it aloft, along with precision and detail. The finish carries as long as you care to count. It's a quintessential Walla Walla Valley wine at its finest, with power and grace. Drink from 2028 to 2038, but it will live as long as you care to keep it. - Sean P. Sullivan