Sam Friedland

9.0

Took sometime to open up. Still some fruit, but is over the hill. — 14 days ago

Joe DAscoli

9.5

Opened and decanted 2.5 hours in advance of our inaugural Aglianco Osso Buco wine dinner here at the Gotham

Facing off against a range of Aglianco from Unti in Sonoma Leonetti in WA and Galardi 2010 in Campania

The 2007 Galardi came across with olives, gaminess and herbs in the nose but once tasted showed a certain finesse and smoothness that was great. This was right up there as the savory wine of the night. — 2 years ago

John Pavlovich

9.5

From a magnum. A fantastic wine. I have enjoyed Leonetti wines before, but this is my first experience with Figgins. Dense, complex and flavourful, with a long authoritative aftertaste, quite impressive. It’s almost ready, with many more years of life ahead of it. Better on 2nd and 3rd day when it completely opened up. Makes me want more.
— 2 years ago

Eric

9.2

Stinky! Needed a full hour to gain weight. Still going strong. Beware the sediment. — 4 years ago

Bob & Elaine J.

9.5

Fabulous. — 6 years ago

Paul Bennett

8.9

Any vintner that sources grapes from Leonetti is worth a shot. This is well worth it. — 7 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.1

Tasted blind. Deep purple. Opaque. Nose of plum, mocha, some pepper and cassis. At first , just some nice fruit with not much structure. With air the backbone grows. Not fully balanced and the finish is a little thin, but still a nice drink. Guessed old Cal Cab from 70s. — 9 years ago

Mary H

9.0

Strong red blend and gentle tannins for not a lot of age, and for WA state for that matter. Was busy discussing business while drinking this so copying web tasting notes: “blackberry, marionberry, cassis, dried herbs, olive tapenade, cedar, vanilla, and coffee.” — 2 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.3

Opened and decanted 2.5 hours in advance of our inaugural Aglianco Osso Buco wine dinner here at the Gotham

Facing off against a range of Aglianco from Unti in Sonoma, Leonetti in WA and Galardi 2007 in Campania

The 2010 Galardi was the most dense and as with the 2007, the fruit was minimal. Instead the flavor profile is herbs, green olives and incredible savory notes. It worked incredibly well with the osso buco and needed the richness to shine. This wine still had a bit of hard edges and could use more bottle age IMO — 2 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.4

Wine #2 from the steak night and 2006 Cali vs Washington comparison.

Far niente smelled very fruity upon opening and then as it decanted, it closed a bit but it was tight. Solid balance and good depth. Overall pretty good.

About 50/50 on the winner vs the Leonetti. — 4 years ago

Joe Roth

9.5

Delicious — 5 years ago

with Jeff and Michael

Neil Shah

9.2

Discount Leonetti — 7 years ago

Robert Cunningham

Wine Educator DeVinimus, Wine Workshop

9.2

Big fruit but showing nicely — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

The 14 is a blend of 77% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc & 7% Merlot. Nose of; ruby dark cassis, blackberries, black plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, hues of blue fruits, pepper and liquid violets. The mouthfeel is lush & ruby. M+ body & M+ tannins. Blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries and hues of blue fruits. Crushed rocks, soft leather, dry herbs, underbrush, loamy soil powder, notes of cigar, violets, dark florals, nice acidity and beautifully round, lush finish with sex appeal. Photos of; an aerial view of Pepper Bridge, estate grapes going through veraison, Owner-Norm McKibben, and ground shot of the estate. Producer notes and history...Norm McKibben is one of founding fathers of Walla Walla's wine industry. To his good friends and colleagues, he is better know as "Stormin' Norman." In Norm's 30 plus years in Walla Walla, the valley has evolved from a 40 vineyard acres to an appellation with more than 2,800 acres under vine. A good portion of the boom can be attributed to Norm even after coming to the game late after working for several decades as an engineer in the construction industry. Not wanting to retire after, he moved to Walla Walla to become an apple farmer. In 1989, he realized Walla Walla's potential for grape growing. Norm planted his first vineyard with help from his wife, Virginia and their eldest son, Shane. Two years later, Norm added Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These vines soon became the backbone of Pepper Bridge. Not long after he expanded his business and resume further. Norm got involved in the budding wine industry. He served as a partner and director at Canoe Ridge Vineyards, Hogue Cellars and worked with a number of Walla Walla's leading vintners. In 1996, he partnered with Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar and Marty Clubb of L'Ecole No. 41. At this point, McKibben had increased his vineyard holdings to 200 acres. In 1998, Norm officially started Pepper Bridge Winery. Today, Pepper Bridge Winery is a benchmark property in Walla Walla and Norm is an icon of the industry. He manages and consults for more than 600 acres of the top vineyard sites in Walla Walla; Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and Les Collines. Norm also has introduced state of the art irrigation systems, soil moisture temperature monitoring equipment and sustainable farming techniques. Norm is a big believer in sustainable viticulture. All of his vineyards are certified sustainable by VINEA, the Walla Walla Valley's Sustainable Trust, and LIVE, an Oregon-based sustainable viticulture organization. They are also certified Salmon Safe and are monitored by the IOBC, the international body responsible for setting sustainability standards. In 1998, the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers honored Norm as "Grape Grower of the Year." That same year, he was appointed chair of the Washington Wine Commission and served in that position until retiring from the organization in 2001. If there is a Maverick of the Walla Walla wine producers, it would be Norm. — 9 years ago

Scott E. Becker

9.2

[Tasted on April 4, 2026 at Prime + Proper in Nashville]

Black cherry fruit with smoky, savory, spicy and earthy notes. — 3 months ago

Joe DAscoli

9.3

Opened and decanted 2.5 hours in advance of our inaugural Aglianco Osso Buco wine dinner here at the Gotham

Facing off against a range of Aglianco from Leonetti in WA and Galardi in Campania

the Unti comes across with the brightest red fruit flavors of the wines and has a softness to the tannins that make this wine a little lighter than expected.

Fascinating that at the take end of the meal - 5 hours from opening - this wine really popped with fruit and more body than paired with the polenta and sauce.

Lovely wine and different expression of the grape here. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

The follow up to the 03 Leonetti. @Paul T- Huntington Beach & I have been telling readers about older Jones Family Vineyards for some time. If you haven’t had or not tried this producer it will be the last time I try to entice to you to try this producer. Talking about it more will only drive up the prices on the secondary market.

This 09 is damn beautiful after nearly a four hour decant but it is still fairly youthful.

It is ruby, lush, gorgeous, ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum with skin, dark cherries, plum, hues of purple, blue fruits & raspberries, poached strawberries, black licorice, mixed, dark berry cola, steeped black tea, dry crushed rocks, limestone minerals, dry top soil, dry herbs, hints of eucalyptus, dry clay, dry tobacco, new leather, spice, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & vanillin, withering red & dark florals framed in violets & lavender, beautiful round acidity, beautiful; balance, tension, structured, smartly polished finished that lasts minutes.

Still needs another 5-8 years to show its best self.

The Jones Family vineyard is located off Bale Lane in Calistoga and was planted to all five Bordeaux varieties by David Abreu in the early 1990s. Heidi Barrett made the wines until 2008, and Thomas Rivers Brown now makes the wines. — 2 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.6

The ‘Loess Vineyard’ was planted to Bordeaux varietals nearly 20 years ago just due east of the winery. Weighing in at 14.7% alcohol, layers of toasty oak aromatics are woven together with violets, Turkish coffee and shades of huckleberry liquor on this gorgeous nose. The palate is fresh and impeccably balanced. Ripe dark cherries combine with cigar ash, Turkish coffee and shades of blueberry compote on this deep and luxuriously textured wine. Sinfully good to enjoy in its hedonistic youth, the 2017 ‘Loess Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon will enjoy drinking enjoyment for many decades to come. Be sure to give this a long decant if enjoying in its nascent phase. Drink 2020-2040- 96 — 6 years ago

David Wanek

9.9

Probably my wine of the summer. Had it alongside a 2013 Leonetti Reserve and this one had an extra gear. Wow. — 9 years ago

Paul Masson

9.0

Leonetti fruit, vinified by Trisaetum — 9 years ago