For the cellar

Tenuta San Leonardo

Nestling inside 270ha of forest in Italy’s Trentino hills, the 30ha San Leonardo wine estate is planted mainly to Merlot and Carmenere, with Cabernet Sauvignon and small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Last December Marchese Carlo Guerriere Gonzaga and his son Anselmo presented a range of vintages of the IGT Vignetti delle Dolomiti from 1986 to 2013, which showed why this is one of Italy’s finest wines made from Bordeaux grapes. The impression was of long, natural ripeness, complexity and lasting freshness.

Looking at wines that you could continue to cellar, the 1995’ s brambly autumn flavours have a decade to go (£73, Armit, Christopher Keiller); 1996 contrasting in sophistication; 1997 and 1999 ending the decade with great class (POA, BI Wines, Hedonism). This continued with the 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 (all between 92 and 95 points for me; POA, Christopher Keiller), each slightly different but still true to the estate.

Finally, between the rich and oaky 2011 (£50-£60, Handford Wines, Hedonism, Millésima) and the already classic 2013 (£40 in bond, Honest Grapes, Jeroboams), the latter won for me at 96 points – a very fine wine with a decade or more ahead of it.