Leonetti Cellars Merlot 2021, Walla Walla Valley, Washington

The 2021 vintage provided incredibly concentrated, superb wines with smaller-than-normal yields. This extraordinary Merlot is dark ruby in color. The nose boasts vine-ripened boysenberry, huckleberry, and black raspberry backed by alluring background notes of baking spices, dark chocolate, and caramel. This hedonist’s delight takes the palate on a journey with bright, refreshing fruit, a seamless, silky mid-palate, fine-grained tannin structure, and a rich and lengthy finish. This vintage perfectly illustrates why Merlot’s favorite terroir in the world, outside of Pomerol, is the Walla Walla Valley. Vineyards: Loess, Mill Creek Upland, Leonetti Old Block. Aging profile: 15 months in new and once-filled French oak barrels, and neutral oval botti. Blending detail: 100% Merlot.