“Terre di San Leonardo” Rosso Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2023 · MAGNUM

Tenuta San Leonardo | Trentino
Tenuta San Leonardo s.a.s. | Località San Leonardo 1 | IT 38063 Avio

01183023 · 1,5 l · 26,00 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shipping< 24 units available

The great estates in Bordeaux have shown the way: a so-called "second wine" is not the wine that didn't make it. It is another argument. Younger vines, different plots, shorter ageing periods – and thus a wine that is drunk earlier, appears fresher and shows a different side of the same terroir. Tenuta San Leonardo brought this concept to the Dolomites in 2005.

Terre di San Leonardo is made from grapes from the estate's younger vines and those parcels that do not flow into the flagship wine in the respective vintage – but stand on the same exceptional soil. Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère are rooted in sandy soils, Merlot in gravel-rich alluvial soils that were once the bed of an Adige tributary. Drainage, minerality, tension – the same foundation as the great San Leonardo, only at a different narrative speed. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Carmenère. The higher proportion of Merlot compared to the flagship makes the difference: more fruit, more softness, earlier accessibility. 80 per cent of the wine matures for 18 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, 20 per cent in French barriques – overall, a more discreet use of wood than its big brother. Incidentally, the entire estate has been certified organic since 2018.

Deep ruby red with garnet reflections. Cool and aromatically precise on the nose: red plum, redcurrant, charcoal, dry mountain herbs, a hint of leather and white pepper – the characteristic Carmenère profile that San Leonardo masters like no other house in northern Italy. Medium-bodied on the palate, with elegant, fine-grained tannins, an invigorating acidity that keeps the wine moving and a long, salty, mineral finish with a subtle hint of pepper. A Bordeaux blend from the Dolomites – and it doesn't sound like either of them. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2023 Terre di San Leonardo displays unexpected depth as a burst of crushed raspberry mixes with woodland herbs, pine shavings and dusty earth. It is lifted and vertical in build, slowly gaining tension through a core of tart red fruits and minerals as rosy inner florals resonate toward a close. A tinge of white pepper lingers through the distinctly salty finale, as the 2023 leaves a subtle tug of tannins and hints of sour citrus that refresh the experience. The Terre di San Leonardo represents unparalleled value." Vinous