San Leonardo 2017, Tenuta San Leonardo

Grape Variety
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carménère, 10% Merlot

Producer
Tenuta San Leonardo in Trentino has been home to the Guerrieri Gonzaga family for over three centuries, but it is only since the second half of the twentieth century, when Marquese Carlo took over, that this estate began to take wine production seriously. Following a spell spent working at Tenuta San Guido with Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, creator of Sassicaia, he was inspired to see if the clay-limestone soils of his family estate could yield similar results to those achieved by his mentor. In 1978 the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines joined the Merlot and Carmenere that had long been planted and in 1982 the first vintage of the flagship San Leonardo was produced, rapidly taking its place in the pantheon of Italy’s greatest wines.

Vineyard
Merlot is planted in pebble-rich soils that were once the bed of a tributary of the Adige river, while Cabernet Sauvignon and the old vineyards of Carmenère are planted in predominantly sandy soils. All are well-drained and low-fertility. The vines are between twenty and fifty years old on average.

Tasting Note
The estate’s flagship bottling is made in an unashamedly elegant style, emphasising subtlety over power. Ripe forest fruits and fine tannins are complemented by a complex array of tobacco, spice and herb flavours, whilst the bright acidity brings freshness and vivacity.

Winery
Following gentle crushing, the grapes were passed to concrete vats were they underwent fermentation using wild yeast. Fermentation lasted for between fifteen to eighteen days, with frequent pump-overs and délestages. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation in vat, before being passed to new, first and second-fill French oak barrels for twenty-four months.