Tenuta San Leonardo, San Leonardo, 2021
Tenuta San Leonardo, San Leonardo, 2021
- 75cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Merlot
- Organic
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Optimal drinking window: 2027 - 2052
San Leonardo is one of Italy's most authoritative reds — a Bordeaux-inspired blend from the far north of the country that has spent decades earning its reputation without ever needing to shout about it.
The estate sits in the Valle Lagarina in Trentino, and the wine is the life's work of the Guerrieri Gonzaga family, most particularly the late Marchese Carlo. Cabernet Sauvignon leads, with Merlot and a little Carmenère filling out the frame. Think classical structure, restraint, and a kind of Alpine-Bordelais elegance that has no real equivalent elsewhere in Italy.
“…one of the great wines of Italy… Sassicaia and San Leonardo seem like brothers separated in childhood.”
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
"One of my personal favourite Italian wines, unquestionably the top winery in the region and renowned as one of the most consistent – stylistically and qualitatively – in the whole of Italy, YET its wines remain extremely well-priced by comparison to more widely publicised names."
Tom Harrow, Honest Grapes Wine Director
San Leonardo’s outstanding Bordeaux blend has received ‘Tre Bicchiere’ from Gambero Rosso for an extraordinary 25 vintages, and was also numbered among the Guide’s ‘Fifty Wines which changed Italy’.
Vinous Eric Guido, after a 28-vintage vertical, said “If you enjoy classic Bordeaux, if you enjoy the energy and verve of Italian wine, and if you crave experiencing history in a bottle, then you should seek out Tenuta San Leonardo”. He also concluded “I frankly don’t remember the last time I found so much pleasure in tasting for hours on end”.
What the critics say:
"A complex style with a spicy nose, showing lots of toasty aromas, red and black currants, pure leather and a whiff of leaves typical of this wine. Medium-bodied, silky and soft with sleek, elegant tannins and midpalate weight. Brilliant integrated acidity tingles in the superpolished, amazingly long finish of licorice and dark fruit. Drink or hold."
"Slightly riper on the nose than both 2019 and 2020, the 2021 San Leonardo shows notes of blackberry yoghurt, graphite-laced cassis and cedar mingling with signature bell pepper touches from the generous Carmenere component, and a refreshing balsamic lift. Powdery dark chocolate and undergrowth add further complexity as it breathes. The palate is more tightly wound than the aromatics suggest: bright acidity runs alongside grippy yet fully integrated tannins, supported by just enough creamy, structural red and black fruit to avoid austerity. At 13% alcohol, the finish is ample rather than warm, with a peppery echo bringing extra liveliness, and a saline edge carrying through the aftertaste. A multilayered, shape-shifting San Leonardo that won't require long ageing to be fully enjoyable – yet it has the energy and depth to last several decades."
The vineyards lie in the Valle Lagarina, a steep, narrow valley carved by the Adige river in southern Trentino, at elevations between 200 and 400 metres. The soils are a mix of alluvial gravel, clay, and limestone-rich moraine, providing excellent drainage and a mineral backbone that runs through every vintage. The valley's orientation creates a warm microclimate moderated by cool Alpine air from the north, which gives the Cabernet Sauvignon time to ripen fully without losing freshness or losing the fine-boned structure that defines this wine.
San Leonardo is produced as a Vino da Tavola — or more precisely under the IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti designation — which actually reflects a deliberate choice rather than any limitation. When the estate began blending Bordeaux varieties in the 1980s, the Italian DOC rules for Trentino did not accommodate this style, so the family opted for the flexibility of IGT, following a path similar to the original Super Tuscans. The IGT designation allowed them to pursue quality on their own terms, and the wine's reputation has long outpaced any bureaucratic classification.
The 2021 growing season in Trentino started promisingly with a mild winter and early budbreak, only to face late spring frosts that caught many growers off guard. Summer brought intense heat waves interspersed with timely rainfall that kept the vines hydrated without encouraging rot. The Alps provided their usual moderating influence, but temperatures still spiked well above average in July, pushing some vineyards to their limits before cooler nights in late August and September rescued the ripening process.
What emerged was a vintage of surprising concentration and freshness, particularly for the indigenous varieties that thrive in these mountain foothills. The Pinot Grigio shows more texture and mineral backbone than usual, while Teroldego delivered wines with proper mountain structure rather than the soft, jammy character that can plague hot years. Most 2021s are drinking beautifully now, offering immediate pleasure with enough acidity to carry them until 2028, though the best Teroldego and Lagrein examples will reward patience for another few years.
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