For this grappa, San Leonardo hands over part of the remaining grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, which have been used to make the top wine San Leonardo – to Master Distiller Bruno Franceschini in Cavaion Veronese. The grapes are only lightly pressed and distilled immediately after arrival at the distillery, which is known as one of the best in Northern Italy. The distillation process is classic (discontinuous pot still) and initially produces a grappa of 75% alcohol. To give this grappa more body and complexity and to partially lower the alcohol percentage by natural evaporation, it is matured for 5 years in French barriques, previously used for the maturation of the top wine San Leonardo.
Grappa Stravecchia has a nice, deep, amber-gold color, which is due to aging in casks. It is a very complex and deep grappa in both aroma and taste, with nuances of dried flowers and fruits, cedar, but also a little tobacco and dark chocolate. It ends very meaty and harmonious. Should be served in large glasses, which provide better oxygenation.
Tenuta San Leonardo is located in Borghetto in the southern part of Trentino-Alto Adige, on the border with Veneto and only a few hundred meters from the river Adige. The current owner is the Guerrieri Gonzaga family, whose ancestors took over the property in 1770, and it is Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga and his son Anselmo who are today in charge of the property and its 300 ha. (30 ha. are planted with vines).
Most red wines in the area are made from the Marzemino and Teroldego grapes, but at Tenuta San Leonardo they have chosen to specialize in red wines made from the Bordeaux grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Carmenère. Tenuta San Leonardo also produces a pair of white wines, one on Sauvignon Blanc and the other on Riesling.
In 2015, the family decided to go the organic route, and the property is thus today certified organic, but since they supply grapes from surrounding fields, which are not grown organically, their wines can therefore currently not achieve certification as organic. The house’s motto is: “The earth is the soul of our work”. In the future, this slogan will gain even more weight!
Tenuta San Leonardo is among the absolute most recognized producers in Trentino-Alto Adige, and international wine writers have throughout the ages sprinkled many superlatives on their wines, including Jancis Robinson, who said about the house’s top wine, “San Leonardo”: “Surely the most successful Bordeaux blend of northern Italy”.
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