Leonetti Cellar 2023 Merlot Walla Walla Valley 750ml

Frank and Rose Leonetti never imagined it. Italian immigrants who settled in the Walla Walla Valley, they served their grandson Gary Figgins small portions of diluted homemade wine from their dirt-floored cellar — a simple family ritual with no larger ambition attached to it. Decades later, that early exposure became the seed of Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla's first commercial winery, founded in 1977 by Gary and his wife Nancy and named in their honor. It was Leonetti's Merlot, specifically, that did the heavy lifting in the 1980s — the wine that first proved Eastern Washington could compete with the finest red wine regions on Earth, putting the entire state on the global map.

Winemaker Chris Figgins — Gary's son, the fourth generation to steward this land, and CEO and Winemaking Director since taking over in 2001 — has slowly shifted the source of the Merlot fruit toward cooler sites in recent vintages, and for 2023 gave the wine a notably shorter aging window of just 15 months, down from the winery's more typical range. The result, sourced from the Loess, Mill Creek Upland, and Leonetti Old Block vineyards, is a wine of genuine elegance: a full-bodied frame of rich blue fruit, dried herb, and floral aromatics, with well-integrated oak and supple, supportive tannins. Owen Bargreen awarded 95 Points, calling the 2023 "a revelation" that "has a long way to go in the cellar," describing milk chocolate and black tea aromatics combined with boysenberry compote, sous bois, sweet pipe tobacco, and milk chocolate-dusted cherry with lifted red florals. Wine Spectator awarded 92 Points: "tight with tension, this red offers black currant, pencil lead and bay leaf flavors that build structure and tannins on the finish. Best from 2026 through 2033."

Dark purple with magenta highlights in the glass. The nose leads with firm blackberry, blueberry, and acai, joined by a faint whiff of dark chocolate. The fruit starts restrained and tart before opening into real lusciousness — full, soft, round, with a cherry-skin grippiness that builds with every sip. Cedar, chicory, and vermouth add savory complexity to the dominant blue-toned fruit; swirl the glass and smooth vanilla-almond, crushed violet, and rose oil emerge. This is Merlot that softens and evolves remarkably over an hour in the glass — precise, focused, and demanding of air to show what it can really do. Decant for at least two hours. This is the wine that demonstrated a region's potential more than four decades ago, and it hasn't let up since.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Leonetti Cellar was founded in 1977 by Gary and Nancy Figgins in Walla Walla, Washington — the valley's first commercial winery, named for Gary's grandparents, Frank and Rose Leonetti, whose small dirt-floored cellar and homemade wine gave a young Gary his first taste of the craft. Gary planted his first commercial vineyard on the family's own land in 1974, using a handful of Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling cuttings, and went on to build Leonetti into one of the founding forces of the modern Washington wine industry. It was the winery's Merlot specifically that proved decisive in the 1980s, demonstrating that Eastern Washington could produce world-class red wine and helping establish the state's reputation internationally. Chris Figgins, the fourth generation of the family, took over winemaking in 2001 and now serves as CEO and Winemaking Director, following Gary's retirement in 2011.

The 2023 Merlot is a pure, 100% varietal wine sourced from the Loess, Mill Creek Upland, and Leonetti Old Block vineyards — sites Chris Figgins has increasingly directed toward cooler locations in recent vintages, preserving natural acidity as the fruit reaches full maturity. The 2023 specifically received a shorter aging window of 15 months, compared to the winery's more typical 15-to-22-month range across the broader portfolio, in a mix of new and used French oak barrels and puncheons alongside neutral oval Botti. Leonetti uses only estate and closely controlled grower fruit across its four wines — Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Reserve red blend — with total estate production around 5,500 cases annually.

Critics Reviews

Owen Bargreen — 95 Points:
"The 2023 Leonetti Merlot is a revelation and has a long way to go in the cellar. Like the '22, the '23 Merlot is a pure varietal wine that really needs about an hour in the decanter before enjoying. Coming from the Loess, Mill Creek Upland and Leonetti Old Block Vineyards, this opens with milk chocolate and black tea aromatics that combine with suggestions of boysenberry compote and sous bois alongside sweet pipe tobacco and milk chocolate dusted cherry with lifted red florals. The beautiful aromatics bring you back to the glass for more enjoyment. The palate is dense and full-bodied, with a refined texture and good sense of weight. Try to resist this beauty for another year. Drink 2026-2045."

Wine Spectator — 92 Points:
"Tight with tension, this red offers black currant, pencil lead and bay leaf flavors that build structure and tannins on the finish. Best from 2026 through 2033."

Ken's Wine Guide (extended tasting note):
"This midnight purple colored Merlot from Leonetti opens with a blackberry and strawberry bouquet with hints of pencil shavings, eucalyptus, and black cherry. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with integrated medium acidity. The mouthfeel is nicely balanced, very smooth, seamless, and graceful. The flavor profile is graphite and boysenberry blend with notes of black pepper and black cherry. We also detected hints of black tea, pomegranate, and oak. The finish is dry, and its flavors, acidity and refined and polished moderate tannins that drift away nicely."

Leonetti Cellar official winemaker notes:
"This beautiful magenta-colored Merlot opens with an enveloping essence of blackberries picked on a warm summer day."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Dark purple with magenta highlights, midnight purple at its deepest. Firm blackberry, blueberry, and acai lead, joined by a faint whiff of dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and black tea aromatics combine with boysenberry compote and sous bois, alongside sweet pipe tobacco and milk chocolate-dusted cherry with lifted red florals. Pencil shavings, eucalyptus, and black cherry add further complexity; swirl the glass and smooth vanilla-almond, crushed violet, and rose oil emerge.

Palate
The fruit starts restrained and tart before opening into real lusciousness — full, soft, and round, with a cherry-skin grippiness that builds with every sip. Dense and full-bodied, with a refined texture and good sense of weight. Cedar, chicory, and vermouth add savory depth to the dominant blue-toned fruit. Graphite and boysenberry combine with black pepper and black cherry, alongside hints of black tea, pomegranate, and oak. Medium acidity keeps the wine nicely balanced, smooth, seamless, and graceful.

Finish
Dry, with refined and polished, moderate tannins that drift away nicely. Black currant, pencil lead, and bay leaf build genuine structure and tension toward the close. The wine continues to soften and evolve remarkably over an hour in the glass — precise and focused, genuinely rewarding patience and air.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Great Hill blue cheese and crackers
• Classic prime rib dinner
• Korean bulgogi
• Grilled portobello mushrooms
• Roasts and braises