1999 Leonetti Cellar Columbia Valley Merlot

Leonetti Cellar was the first winery in Washington State to produce wines that earned acclaim from out-of-state collectors. Founded in 1977 by Gary Figgins, who still runs the winery with his wife and son, the Walla Walla Valley winery today includes 214 acres of vineyards planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Though Figgins had no formal training in winemaking when he and his wife started making wine in the 1970s, Figgins comes from a family of Italian immigrants who homesteaded in the Walla Walla Valley in the early 20th century. His grandparents served him diluted wine when he was a child, and his interest in winemaking was piqued in the 1970s when he visited Napa Valley. Leonetti’s signature wines are big, lush Cabs and Merlots and Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “no one on earth makes Cabernets and Merlots with quite the same panache as Gary Figgins…They are sexy, lush and boisterous.”

Columbia Valley AVA is larger than some states. At 18,000 square miles, or 11 million acres, the appellation covers almost half of Washington State and a small part of Oregon on the south side of the Columbia River. Established in 1984, Columbia Valley contains numerous sub appellations within its boundaries, including Yakima Valley AVA and Walla Walla AVA, both large and important wine districts. Columbia Valley AVA, generally called the Columbia Basin by Pacific Northwesterners, is in the Columbia River Plateau, and the AVA also includes a section of northeastern Oregon. There are dozens of microclimates within this appellation of about 7,000 vineyard acres. Many kinds of grapes are grown in the Columbia Valley, though the principal grapes planted are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Eastern Washington experiences very hot summers and cold winters, and the northern latitude means that Washington vineyards receive several more hours of sun in the summer than California vineyards. Grapes in Washington therefore have time to develop significant tannins and overall ripeness.

The Merlot grape is such a deep blue that it is named for the blackbird. It’s an early ripening grape and one of the primary varietals used In Bordeaux. Merlot is also grown in the "International style," which is harvested later to bring out more tannins and body.