Tenuta San Leonardo, San Leonardo, 2021 - 3L
Tenuta San Leonardo, San Leonardo, 2021 - 3L
- 300cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Merlot
- Organic
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Optimal drinking window: 2028 - 2055
Tenuta San Leonardo has been crafting Italy's most distinguished Bordeaux-style blend in the Dolomite foothills since the 1980s. Made at the Guerrieri Gonzaga family's estate in the far south of Trentino, right on the border with the Veneto, it blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and a touch of Carménère, a combination that produces something distinctly Italian in its precision but unmistakably classical in structure.
“…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’.
Eric Guido for Vinous, 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 estate sits in the Vallagarina, a narrow Alpine valley carved by the Adige river, at around 200 metres altitude. Soils are a mix of alluvial gravels over clay and limestone, which drains freely and forces the vines to dig deep — producing fruit concentration without heaviness. The valley acts as a natural funnel for cool Alpine air from the north, which tempers the ripening season and preserves acidity, even in warm years. The combination of warmth from the south and Alpine freshness from above is precisely what gives San Leonardo its particular tension.
San Leonardo falls within the Vallagarina IGT designation, which gives the estate freedom to blend Bordeaux varieties outside the stricter DOC rules that govern much of Trentino. The broader Trentino DOC focuses predominantly on single-varietal wines, but the IGT framework allows for Bordeaux-style blending, which is exactly what the estate requires. It places San Leonardo in the same category as Italy's other great 'Super' reds — wines that outgrew the rules of their region without losing a sense of place.
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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