Press

• Score: 95 Vintage 2019 Vinous Media Youthfully 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2018 James Suckling Black 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2018 Wine Enthusiast This 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2018 Vinous Media The 2018 Carménère is darkly floral and intense, displaying mentholated herbs, peppery florals, blackberries and mint. This is pure elegance on the palate, soothingly soft and expressive, with ripe red and black fruits underscored by savory mineral tones and vibrant acidity that maintains a lovely energy throughout. It finishes remarkably fresh with a gentle tug of tannins, leaving licorice and violet inner florals to fade. The 2018 is a darling, not as powerful as past vintages, but instead impressing on its elegance and grace. There was no 2017 produced due to the low quantities of the vintage. Shelf Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 92 Vintage 2018 Wine Spectator This 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2016 Vinous Media From 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 93 Vintage 2016 James Suckling An 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 91 Vintage 2016 Wine Spectator Ripe 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 97 Vintage 2015 James Suckling Fabulous 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2015 Vinous Media Savory, 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 94 Vintage 2010 Vinous Media The 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 Talker Full Page Review
• Score: 95 Vintage 2007 Vinous Media The 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 Talker Full Page Review