The 2012 Merlot, which was already in bottle at the time of this tasting, offers an elegant, yet sexy style, with gorgeous black raspberry and creme de cassis fruit, toast, dried spices and licorice, with hints of background tobacco and green herbs, all emerging from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, plump, pure and layered, with a fabulous texture and a big finish, it’s a beautiful wine to drink over the coming decade or more. While Chris’s 2011s are a fair step back from his smoking good 2010s, they nevertheless possess lively, fresh and elegant characters as well as solid richness. They’re certainly of high quality and worth checking out. His 2012s will be even better, and they have deeper, richer mid-palates and additional structure. Tel. (509) 525-1428; www.leonetticellar.com