TN: 1996 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon American (USA, American)

1996 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon American - USA, American (6/28/2020)

An anniversary year wine which I took to Hawkshead restaurant. 2452 cases made. 84.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12.6% Cabernet Franc and 2.9% Petit Verdot primarily from Washington but 34% of the fruit came from Napa. Decanted 2 hours before dinner. Moderate sediment. Deep crimson color with very little bricking. Very nice leather aromas. Notes of ripe red currants, dried mushrooms and cedar. This was holding up very well at 24 years old. 93 points.

VM

I have a few older Leonetti (single bottles) and wonder if I have waited too long. Maybe not.

Curious about the Napa fruit – I did not realize they did that. Any idea of how often, or when/if they stopped?

I don’t think they source fruit from Napa any longer but could be wrong. I haven’t seen any recent bottles labelled American.

VM

I think there was a frost in late 1995 or early 1996 that did considerable damage and so the 1996 vintage didn’t produce as much fruit as normal in a number of vineyards. I don’t follow Leonetti so don’t know if they ever did it again, but I would guess that’s why it was done that vintage.

1996 was a freeze year resulting in significant crop loss. I’ve drank all of my 1996 Washington wines, but glad to hear this one has held up well.

Oh very interesting. The only 96 WA I have left are a couple of bottles of QC. Curious then to check in on them!

96 was the only year they used out of state fruit–hence the “American” on the label instead of WW Valley or Columbia valley. It was because the vines were heavily frozen the winter before except for the rare vintner who buried canes (I think Christophe might have been the only one doing this at the time, but don’t really know).

Of course, this one really isn’t a Washington wine.

Christophe wasn’t producing in 1996 (I think 1999 was his first). 2004 was the next big freeze year where cayuse emerged relatively unscathed and most others in walla walla had to source columbia valley fruit. By the next freeze in 2011 more were following the burying vines practice.

This is very new to me that leonetti ever used napa fruit, thanks much for sharing! It makes sense though if you think about style and what fruit was likely available in state at the time

I wondered about Christophe in 96. On CT there is a listing for a 96 Camaspelo. But that is a mistake I think. The earliest they list is a 1997 Camaspelo. I have back to 2000 – have never seen a Cayuse vintage with a number that does not start with a 2!

Yeah, sorry–I was conflating years. I’m not sure christophe was burying canes as far back as 96. I think he did make wine in 96, but it may have been his first year. I’d have to do a little more research on that. I had 97’s for quite a while but they are now gone–I think they just said “Syrah”. I think I actually bought them at their tasting room in downtown WW (along with some viognier), which must have been almost the last year that the tasting room was actually open.

He didn’t plant his vineyards in the Rocks region until 1997, so he wouldn’t have been burying canes. So the 97 must have been from purchased grapes.

According to Paul gregutt’s book, first vintage put out by Cayuse was actually 1997.

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96 QC was a good choice to cellar. It was pretty backwards early on but got so much better with age. The 94 QC is still one of my favorites, though unfortunately, I have only one bottle left. I’d be interested in your 96 QC tasting notes.

Cheers,
H

I have one 94 left as well! Been holding it…

The tasting room was definitely open in 2000, or maybe 2001 (which was the first year I visited). It may have been open a year or two more than that – I can’t really remember. But I do remember that my first visit was in the downtown tasting room. Picking up the wine then moved around to, among other places, the old brothel on the edge of downtown, where the label No Girls comes from.

Well, I suspect the 97 was released in either 99 or 2000, so that’s when I was there, but I don’t think it stayed open for more than 1-3 years after that. I understand they keep it there so that they can have a WW address rather than having to have an oregon address.