“The land is the soul of our work,” the Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga likes to say; his son Anselmo (father and son together in the photo), who has been at the helm of the business since 2012, adds: “What makes San Leonardo unique are also the people who have lived here for generations, lovingly safeguarding this land.” Indeed, it’s about the individuals—the people who, both then and now, gather at San Leonardo and, strengthened by the surrounding land, share energy, pride, and positivity. The village of San Leonardo lies at an altitude of 120 metres, on an estate of about 300 hectares facing Monte Baldo. This is the present. But the business has deep roots: documents show that San Leonardo has been producing and selling wine for 300 years, since 1724.
San Leonardo: 27 Tre Bicchieri in 37 Years
Since 1988, the first year of *Vini d’Italia* publication, San Leonardo has won a remarkable 27 Tre Bicchieri awards. Of these, a striking 25 were awarded to the great red wine that bears the name of the winery, first receiving this honour with the 1988 vintage in the guide published a few years later. The two “exceptions” were in 2007, when Villa Gresti ’03 reached the top, and in 2014, when Carmenère ’07 took the podium. The numbers are impressive, but the true reason San Leonardo receives the Winery of the Year award has even deeper roots.
The Vision: a great Red from Vallagarina
In 1978, Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga had an insight and a vision that would prove remarkably well-founded. His idea was to produce a great red at San Leonardo, in Vallagarina in southern Trentino, that would write a new chapter in Italian wine. Merlot and the rarer Carmenère (mistaken at the time for Cabernet Franc) had already been planted in this area since the late 19th century. To these two varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon was added, giving birth, with the 1982 harvest, to the first vintage of San Leonardo. After more than forty harvests, nothing has changed; this wine has remained true to itself, and especially true to the land where the vines grow and bear fruit.
San Leonardo: Trentino elegance and refinement
Elegance, finesse, gustatory precision, and a genuine character: this is San Leonardo. The 2019 vintage offers something extra. Despite its youth, the aromatic complexity is textbook, as is the harmony on the palate—a sip hard to forget for its balance. The aromas are joyful, blending fruit and flowers, with a delicate hint of spice and an intriguing underbrush note. The sip is smooth, the tannins caress the palate, and there is no lack of freshness. The finish surprises: a savoury vein propels the wine into a long-lasting finale.
San Leonardo – Avio (TN) - loc. San Leonardo, 1 sanleonardo.it
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