Making History: 21 Vintages of Leonetti’s Red Wine Reserve

“Iconic” is the word that comes to mind when I consider the impact the Leonetti family and their wines have made on Washington State. Today, many names can be associated with the region's upper echelon of fine wine, but only one remains in that sub-group that has been there since the beginning. The Leonetti wines not only produced the spark necessary to bring attention to Washington State Bordeaux blends, but they also continue to be a guiding force in the region by setting the bar high. Leonetti remains family-owned and operated, aiming to honor the past while looking fearlessly toward the future. A BIT OF HISTORY The Leonetti family has deep roots in Walla Walla going back to 1902 when Francesco Leonetti immigrated from Serra Pedace, Calabria, Italy. Together with his wife, Rosalina, Francesco Leonetti purchased the family farm in 1906, focusing on a broad range of agriculture, but like many Italian immigrants, making wine for their family's consumption. Francesco or “Frank” Leonetti inspired his grandson, who was transfixed by the bubbling fermentations, sounds and smells of his grandfather’s winemaking hobby. That grandson, Gary Figgins, the founder of today’s Leonetti Cellar, joined the military service and, while stationed in California, made regular weekend trips to wine country where he caught the wine bug. By trade, Figgins was a machinist, but it wasn’t long before winemaking became his passion. By 1973, he was making wine in his basement with purchased fruit, and by 1974 through 1977, he began to plant his first vineyards around the family homestead. Of those plantings, the 1977 block of Merlot still exists outside of the modern-day winery. This block is regarded as Walla Walla’s oldest vineyard. Gary and his wife, Nancy Figgins, continued to work by day and began to raise a family, all while making wine and fine-tuning their brand until 1977, when Leonetti became Walla Walla’s first bonded winery, and then 1978 when they released their first commercial vintage. Chris Figgins, the current owner and winemaker, explained, “Mom and Dad struggled to make ends meet. Mom would make cold calls to doctors to make sales since doctors were known to buy wine or place a sign on the road that would read, ‘Winery Open House’. Things moved slowly for them.” As slow as Chris Figgins recalls, in hindsight, recognition came relatively quickly when, in 1981, Gary Figgins submitted his 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon to Wine & Spirits Magazine only to have it finish first place in the tastings and achieve a spot on the front cover, touted as Top United States Cabernet Sauvignon. Figgins added, “They only produced about 170 cases and would sell it at $12 per bottle, which was pretty aggressive at the time. After the article, with just two cases left, they sold the bottles at $50 a piece, and our family took a road trip to Disneyland.” The recognition that was shone upon the region motivated a wave of new wineries and plantings throughout Walla Walla, but also Washington State, and was followed by more attention as the likes of Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate continued to lump praise upon Leonetti. However, it wasn’t until 1990 that Gary Figgins felt secure enough to leave his day job and make winemaking his full-time profession. “My Mom’s efforts often get overlooked, but she was the glue that held the family together. In the end, their biggest hope was to make a living and get the kids through college,” stated Chris Figgins. In college in the nineties, Chris Figgins found his love of wine, having begun with a focus on engineering. He recalls the phone call to his parents to explain his intention to join the family business and that his father seemed unimpressed but was later told by his mother that he began to cry after the call. He shared, “You know, my dad doesn’t cry. I think it was their hope all along, but they never wanted to push me into coming to the business.” And so, Chris Figgins began to study viticulture and integrate himself into the winery's day-to-day operations. One of the first projects the family embarked on was a push toward higher-elevation plantings and a desire to have all-estate vineyards. This was a faithful endeavor, as frost in 1996 ravaged vineyards throughout the region. Their goal was to avoid frost damage in the future, yet today, their high-elevation sights have protected them from global warming. The first of these was the Upland vineyard, planted in 1997 in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, along with the expansion of the Seven Hills Vineyards. In the early 2000s, the Loess Vineyard was added near the winery, and in 2010, the Serra Pedace Vineyard was planted above Seven Hills Vineyard. By 2003, the winery production was from all 100% estate-grown fruit and all within the Walla Walla AVA. --Eric Guido, Making History: 21 Vintages of Leonetti’s Red Wine Reserve, October 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To take a look at the modern-day Leonetti and Eric’s overall thoughts on the wines, check out the full article on Vinous now . Enjoy a few of Eric’s tasting notes below.