2016 Tenuta San Leonardo Vigneti Delle Dolomiti is sold out.

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Decanter called San Leonardo’s wines "among Italy’s most elegant"

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  • 96 pts Vinous
    96 pts Vinous
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2016 Tenuta San Leonardo Vigneti Delle Dolomiti 750 ml

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Sign up to receive notifications when wines from this producer become available.
  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

Taking on the Super Tuscans

Every major critic has obsessed over this Italian wine icon. It’s been called a First Growth and a standard-bearer. Their Bordeaux-inspired wines are bold, seamless, and deeply complex in every single vintage.

We’re not talking about Sassicaia. Or Ornellaia. Or any other Super Tuscan powerhouse. We’re farther north, at the foot of the majestic Italian Alps, where Tenuta San Leonardo crafts some of Italy’s best challengers to the Left Bank elite. 

Here, on a nearly 300-year-old estate tucked between the rugged Monte Baldo and the Lessini Mountains, the vineyards that gave life to this 2016 San Leonardo thrive, shielded from cold northern winds by the Dolomites and basking in warmth from Lake Garda. Crafted by the legendary Carlo Ferrini only in excellent vintages, this is their grand vin, and it’s a study in textural excellence, with black-fruit energy that gives way to reveal depths of spice, herbs, licorice, and mint.

Decanter has been so consistently captivated by this flagship bottle that they did a vertical tasting in 2016, where they lauded San Leonardo for its “singular style,” calling the wines “among Italy’s most elegant.” 

This 2016 fits that bill. Its 60% Cabernet Sauvignon contributes a Left Bank–reminiscent structure, but what really sets it apart is its 30% Carménère. Once a staple in Bordeaux (and still a mainstay in Chile), the variety adds a gorgeous, haunting fragrance and spicy intricacy. Merlot rounds out the blend with velvety fruit, while a 24-month rest in oak barriques gives the wine beautiful polish. 

The 2016 is phenomenal right now, but will continue developing intricacies and depth in the cellar for years to come.