Winemaker Notes
A powerful yet elegant red, San Leonardo is a skillful blend of wines from different grapes that are fermented and aged separately: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot. Before bottling, the precise proportions are decided only after rigorous tasting of samples, barrique by barrique.
Intense ruby red with garnet highlights. The aroma is expressive with balsamic notes, forest fruits, chocolate, tobacco, pepper and elegant nuances of bell pepper. The palate is full, warm and impressively rounded, with intense aromatics that linger on the palate.
Pairs well with game, roasted duck, lamb, aged cheeses from cow’s milk, cheese/vanilla soufflé, snails, truffles, dark chocolate.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 San Leonardo (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot) is another landmark edition of this celebrated wine. This warm vintage has shaped a slightly more opulent and succulent expression with dark fruit nuances of blackberry and Morello cherry. The bouquet is intense and exuberant. Delicate layers of spice, leather and tobacco give volume at the back. Like most past vintages of San Leonardo, this wine is difficult to taste at such a young age. It is built to last and it would be a horrible shame to pull the cork before the wine has reached its prime. For that, I suggest another ten years of cellar aging (at a minimum).
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.