Vette di San Leonardo Sauvignon Blanc
£18.95 per bottle
ABV 12.5%
Tenuta San Leonardo in Trentino has been home to the Guerrieri Gonzaga family for over three centuries, but it is only since the second half of the twentieth century, when Marchese Carlo took over, that this estate began to take wine production seriously. Following a spell spent working at Tenuta San Guido with Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, creator of Sassicaia, he was inspired to see if the clay-limestone soils of his family estate could yield similar results to those achieved by his mentor. In 1978 the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines joined the Merlot and Carmenere that had long been planted and in 1982 the first vintage of the flagship San Leonardo was produced. The wine has changed very little since then, with recent vintages displaying the same timeless elegance and subtlety as the first; traits that have helped secure San Leonardo’s place on the pantheon of great Italian wineries.
The grapes come from vines aged between six and fifteen years, planted in the northern part of Trentino on porphyric soils. The name Vette, meaning heights, refers to the majestic peaks that overlook the vineyards. The grapes were all harvested by hand in September.
The grapes underwent a pre-fermentation maceration for twelve hours, followed by a gentle pressing and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks lasting twenty days. The wine was then aged for five months on its lees in tank.
