Tenuta San Leonardo San Leonardo 2017
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Robert
Parker - Decanter
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
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Winemaker Notes
The iconic wine of the estate, with its roots deep in its centuries-old history. A classic Bordeaux blend of breed, aristocratic elegance, and extraordinary longevity. Intense ruby red color with garnet highlights. A wine of remarkable intensity on the nose, which layers bell peppers and wild berries over a background note of vanilla. The palate is full, warm and impressively rounded, with intense aromatics that linger on the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Tenuta San Leonardo 2017 San Leonardo (in a heavy glass bottle) shows subtle but unmistakable generosity and exuberance that is absolutely in line with this hot vintage. In this regard, the 2017 stands apart from past vintages from this estate that is celebrated for its elegant, undertone and long-term approach. This wine is slightly more accessible too, with plush, dark fruit, balanced oak spice and perfumed rose over a polished, silky mouthfeel.
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Decanter
The 2017 vintage of San Leonardo is one of the smallest productions in recent memory: not only did it hail twice in August, drastically reducing the crop, but one of the vats cracked and the winery lost the equivalent of around 15,000 bottles of wine. Despite the challenges, it's a typically elegant red, full of scents of balsam, spicy black and red berries, tobacco and earth. A tangy attack of sweet fleshy red fruits is followed by some spicy, earthy currants on the mid-palate and fine-grained, grippy tannins. Intense, super-fresh, fragrant and complex, the long finish shows flecks of tobacco and balsamic lift.
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James Suckling
You could easily mistake the stunningly deep and subtle nose of this Sub-Alpine red for a high-end Medoc wine from the same vintage (which was on the restrained side). A super-elegant, mid-weight cabernet sauvignon-dominated blend with plenty of fine tannin married to blackcurrant and forest-berry fruit, plus touches of licorice, savory notes and bitter chocolate at the very long finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
An elegant red that's sleek and fresh, setting ripe red and black currant, green olive and a fragrant thread of cured tobacco and eucalyptus in a well-tailored, medium- to full-bodied frame. Revealing tension and drive, with a taut structure from the fine-grained tannins, this needs time in the glass or decanting to fully express itself. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot. Best from 2024 through 2030.
Other Vintages
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Suckling -
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Spectator
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Every story has its dramatic turning-point. Tenuta San Leonardo saw that moment at the end of the 1960s, when Marchese Anselmo Guerrier Gonzaga (1895-1974), agriculturalist and passionate vigneron, passed on to his son Carlo the responsibility of giving a new face to the family farming estate. Quite a few changes then ensued in the Trento-based winery’s vineyards: the traditional pergola system was joined by the Guyot method and by spurred cordon, and Carmenère and Merlot, varieties that had flourished here for decades if not centuries, gained new neighbors, above all Cabernet Sauvignon.
The change that Tenuta San Leonardo underwent was in fact a radical renewal. At first glance,however, nothing seems to have changed from the past, and the estate still looks today like a hortus conclusus relying on the same traditional values as ever. But behind the gate that protects the property there are no longer just fields of grain or corn, no more mulberries for the silkworms. Today, there are grapevines, laid out in accord with the most up-to-date viticultural canons, and the vine-rows speak eloquently of the culture of wine.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A mountainous northern Italian region heavily influenced by German culture, Trentino-Alto Adige is actually made up of two separate but similar regions: Alto Adige and Trentino.
Trentino, the southern half, is primarily Italian-speaking and largely responsible for the production of non-native, international grapes. There is a significant quantity of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot produced. But Trentino's native and most unique red variety, Teroldego, while still rare, is gaining popularity. It produces a deeply colored red wine rich in wild blackberry, herb, coffee and cocoa.
The rugged terrain of German-speaking Alto Adige (also referred to as Südtirol) focuses on small-scale viticulture, with great value placed on local varieties—though international varieties have been widely planted since the 1800s. Sheltered by the Alps from harsh northerly winds, many of the best vineyards are at extreme altitude but on steep slopes to increase sunlight exposure.
Dominant red varieties include the bold, herbaceous Lagrein and delicate, strawberry-kissed, Schiava, in addition to some Pinot Nero.
The primary white grapes are Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, as well as smaller plantings of Sauvignon blanc, Müller Thurgau. These tend to be bright and refreshing with crisp acidity and just the right amount of texture. Some of the highest quality Pinot grigio in Italy is made here.