Italiano
Complete San Leonardo vertical tasting (2)
Yesterday, we looked at the first ten vintages of the Trentino Bordeaux blend San Leonardo, a wine of great class and finesse. Today, we will review the second ten, from 1995 to 2006 (vintages 1998 and 2002 were not produced).
After the first ten vintages, with production at this point close to 50,000 bottles a year, it is fair to say that San Leonardo has evolved into a young man who knows who he is. And, starting with vintage 1996, it is no longer considered a table wine but given an appellation: Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT. Its evolution is similar to that of many quality Italian wines that defined themselves initially as an experiment outside of DOC regulations and which had yet to be given a legal status, until the creation of the category of Indicazione Geografiche Tipiche IGT (Typical Geographical Indication).
In the meantime, the pergola trentina method of vine training was being abandoned in favor of the spurred cordon and Guyot systems, but this only for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, since experience had shown that Carmenére needed more shade to develop its elegance. The percentages in the blend remained basically the same with more Carmenère added in hot years and more Merlot in the cooler ones.
In 1998, they acquired a new grape harvester that improved the phenolic ripening of the grapes thanks to the fact that it sped up the time needed to pick the grapes, which meant that there was a lesser need to carry out an early harvest out of a fear of inclement weather conditions.
The change at the helm between Giacomo Tachis and Carlo Ferrini, completed in 2001, did not result in a change in the style of the wine: “San Leonardo remains what it was, no matter what – explained the Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga – and any differences all relate to the different weather conditions of a particular year”.
2001 also saw Anselmo, Carlo’s son, join the estate team, initially in the sales department but then more and more on the production side and the overall managing of the estate. There still has not been a change at the top (the Marquis Carlo continues to have the last word on San Leonardo) but responsibilities are shared, as is the love of this Trentino land and what it produces.
- San Leonardo 1995 (Vino da tavola della Vallagarina)
- San Leonardo 1996 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 1997 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- L’annata 1998 non è stata prodotta.
- San Leonardo 1999 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 2000 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 2001 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- L’annata 2002 non è stata prodotta.
- San Leonardo 2003 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 2004 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 2005 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
- San Leonardo 2006 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Igt
