The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (76%) also contains 17% Merlot, 4% Carmenere, and 3% Malbec. It was aged for 22 months in a mix of new and used French oak. The nose displays herbs, olives, Asian spices, coffee/mocha, a hint of balsamic, black currant, and blackberry. This leads to a savory, intense, incipiently complex Cabernet that will benefit from 5-7 years of additional cellaring to show its full potential. (JM)

2007 Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Like most of the Leonetti Cabernets in the last few vintages, this is wound as tight as a drum at first pour. There's just a whiff of black cherry, a hint of tomato leaf and brown herbs. The flavors will need years to develop, but what's there is classic and deep, the juicy black cherry fruit freshened by a touch of evergreen like a Blue Mountain breeze. For the cellar.

Bright, deep medium ruby. Complex nose offers cassis, mocha, minerals, licorice and menthol, lifted by pepper and herb nuances. Sweet, suave, rich and smooth but initially unforthcoming, with flavors of cassis, chocolate, herbs and licorice; a distinct minerality contributes to the wine's backward impression. The broad, long finish features strong building tannins and a serious backbone for aging. A very tricky wine: I tasted two different bottles in Walla Walla that lacked the normal verve of this bottling, but I was unable to follow them with extended aeration. This third bottle, tasted in New York, got better and better with air, becoming more harmonious and sophisticated while gaining in energy. (ST) 92+