ColorPronounced ruby red colour with violet highlights
NoseIt has remarkable aromaticintensity, with fragrances encompassing green peppers and wild berries. black-cherryblackberryblackcurrantgreen-peppermushroomredcurrant
FlavorThe palateis full and warm, slightly herbaceous when young, becoming more rounded with age;it has an exceptionally prolonged aromatic persistence. A wine of quite extraordinarycharacter and longevity.
Trentino At a Glance
Region NameTrentino
In the northernmost reaches of Italy, close to the Austrian border, the dramatic landscape is a fitting backdrop to one of the world’s most important wine-producing areas.
Score: 95Vintage 2019Vinous MediaYouthfully coy yet profoundly complex, the 2019 Carménère wafts up with an enticing blend of dried roses, stone dust, currants and sage. It’s seamless and silky-smooth on the palate, profoundly textural and almost weighty, yet expertly lifted by a core of brisk acidity as crisp red and black fruits cascade throughout. Zesty acidity maintains fantastic freshness as saline minerals saturate. A peppery tinge gives way to a bed of fine-grained tannins that linger on and on. The 2019 Carménère is holding its power in reserve and full of potential. Even in this youthfully backward stage, I can’t help but want to return to the glass for more. Bravo.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 95Vintage 2019James Suckling Super aromatic, with restrained leafiness, intense green peppers, earthy strawberries and red currant fruit. On the palate this wine is silky, with broad ripe tannins, moderate acidity and a medium body. It’s very focused on elegance rather than power. Delicious to drink now, but can age.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2019Wine SpectatorThis fragrant, herbaceous red is loaded with enticing bay leaf, rosemary and white pepper character, offering a pure beam of ripe black currant and plum skin flavors. Bright and concentrated, with fine-grained tannins. Hints of espresso, smoke and more brambly herbs echo on the finish. Drink now through 2035.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2018James SucklingBlack cherries, cigar box, haw fruit, oriental herbs, black pepper, roasted red chili pepper and tapenade on the nose. A hint of savory cocoa powder, too. Juicy and very fresh on the medium-bodied palate with firm, fresh tannins and a long, peppery finish. Racy, cool and energetic. Very drinkable. Compare this with a richer Chinese cabernet gernischt. Delicious now, but can hold, too.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 93Vintage 2018Wine EnthusiastThis unique and delicious 100% Carmenère from the mountains of Alto Adige opens with aromas of dark cherry, black plum and cassis. As the wine opens it offers notes of black tea, dried mountain herbs and tobacco. The palate showcases the structure of the grape with opulent fruit that is hemmed in by ripe tannins, finishing with notes of baking spice and bright acidity. Drink now–2040. Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 92Vintage 2018Wine SpectatorThis medium- to full-bodied red feels almost effortlessly integrated, with fine-grained tannins and an underlying tar-tinged minerality framing woven flavors of ripe black currant, herbed black olive, ground coffee and loamy earth. Long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2033. 500 cases made, 150 cases imported.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 93Vintage 2016Vinous MediaFrom the moment I tilt the glass, the 2016 Carmenere makes itself known with an intensely spicy and pungently floral bouquet that mixes crushed stone and smoke with dried flowers, white pepper and red currant. It’s undeniably silky and refined, yet medium in body, as tart wild berries mix with savory spices and hints of sour citrus, all enlivened by juicy acidity. While long and saturating with primary concentration, the 2016 comes across as only lightly structured yet harmonious, with a subtle coating of sweet tannin and sour citrus that lingers, along with hints of tart raspberry and minerals. There's an open-knit feel to this today, but it also has the balance for a long evolution. Very nice.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 93Vintage 2016James SucklingAn exciting, energetic wine that finally gives the carmenere grape (from Bordeaux) a positive profile in Northeastern Italy, where it arrived in the late 19th century. Complex mushroom, soy-sauce and spicy character. The racy tannins and acidity are married to the juicy and vibrant palate, which breaks the mold for this region decisively! Drink or hold.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 91Vintage 2016Wine SpectatorRipe black currant, green olive, tobacco and milled white pepper notes are layered with light, taut tannins in this creamy, medium-bodied red. Expressive finish. Drink now through 2027. 500 cases made, 40 cases imported.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 97Vintage 2015James SucklingFabulous carmenere with black licorice, blackberry and tar character. It’s full-bodied with round tannins and bright acidity. Soft, yet lively. Hints of black pepper and spices. So long and flavorful. Superb wine. 6,250 bottles made. From organically grown grapes. Drink now or hold.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2015Vinous MediaSavory, sweet, spicy and fresh, the 2015 Carmenère di San Leonardo is pulling me closer and closer to the glass with its seductive bouquet, mixing depths of cherry and young strawberry with cracked black pepper, rosemary and sage, as white smoke combines with the slightest hint of brown sugar to set off all of the pleasure sensors in the brain. This is elegant and refined, showing silky textures playing host to tart red and a hint of black fruit, with noble tannins, as inner florals and savory herbs resonate for up to a minute, leaving just a hint of blackberry in their wake. This is a selection from San Leonardo’s oldest vines of Carmenère, and it’s a stunner!Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 94Vintage 2010Vinous MediaThe 2010 Carmenère di San Leonardo is dark and spicy, with a rich bouquet of black raspberries, curry, and cracked black pepper complemented by sweet clove and tobacco. It’s silky and elegant, with a cool-toned personality and bright acids that enliven its tart wild berry fruits and inner florals. This leaves the palate classically dry, receding lightly structured, perfumed and with a tart trace of exotic spice and citrus. A gorgeous evolution has taken place here. This was tasted at the estate from magnum.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
Score: 95Vintage 2007Vinous MediaThe 2007 Carmenère di San Leonardo pulls you down to the earth and does so with style, as sweet tobacco leaf, brown spice and balsamic tones give way to black currants and hints of custard. It’s silky yet focused with cool-toned red fruits, rosy inner florals and hints of white pepper, all motivated by stimulating acidity. This leaves the palate with a bump of spicy citrus and residual acids that maintain unexpected freshness. What a beautiful expression of variety and place. The 2007 is in a perfect spot today. Only 1700 Magnums were bottled of this vintage, no 750s, making this a must for collectors of San Leonardo. Stunning.Shelf TalkerFull Page Review
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