DeLille Cellars: All bottles opened around 10 AM and shown at several locations with all bottles half to two thirds full.
2008 Chaleur Estate, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon: On the nose, hints lemon grass and pineapple. On first sip, lemon grass with white pear on the mid palate. Flavors are light and finish is short, possibly from a long day of tastings. Mouth feel shows the wine has good body and there is plenty of acidity.
2006 Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon: Inky purple, with heavy legs remaining on the sides of glass for nearly a minute after swirling it. On the nose, blackberry explodes from glass. There is something else, possibly cedar, that follows the fruit. Its all cab on first sip, with black fruits saturating the tongue. Like a number of outstanding Washington Cabs/blends, the wine has weight and is silky. The finish is long, drying the mouth as it subsides. Too bad the winery’s sold out.
For some stupid reason, I tried the Cab before the blends, (knowing how big their blends are I expected the Cab to be lighter). So here is what I am unable to fairly post on:
2006 Chaleur Estate Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc
2006 Harrison Hill Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc
2007 D2, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc
Onward
Doyenne 2008 Metier, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre. Deep garnet in color. On the nose, blackberry, bramble and kitchen spice. Another heavyweight in the mouth. Saturated black fruits, dominated by blackberry with a little sweet black raspberry and a hint of clove. Long, long finish of the black fruits. Tannins and acidity well integrated but noticeable. Definitely a food wine given its body and finish.
Doyenne 2007 AIX, Red Mountain, 61% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Mourvedre. Also deep garnet in color. Not as leggy in the glass as the others. A similar nose as the Metier, mostly the black fruit. Again, black fruits wash across the tongue, but with sharper blackberry. The finish is not as long and the body not as heavy as the Metier, but there is a lingering berry flavor that is not overtaken by tannins or acidity. Another food wine of character.
Doyenne 2006 Syrah, Red Mountain. Another that is deep garnet in color. Light legs on the glass. Blackberry and a lot of blueberry on the palate with a long finish considering this wine has less body weight than the others. Tannins and acidity present and integrated. This will be one of the wines we have with pasta primavera tonight.
After some discussion, Carrie and I agree that the weight of the wines have caused palate fatigue and the wines are starting taste similar with some noticeable variations in accompanying spices. We have enjoyed everyone of the wines I’ve posted on. Years ago, we fell in love with Leonetti wines because of their viscosity/saturation and long finishes. These wines all possess that viscosity/saturation we enjoy, especially with highly seasoned foods. If you prefer a wine with some body and well defined fruit character, (not over the top stuff), these are some very good wines at reasonable prices.
