San Leonardo’s Blog

2009 is shaping up to be a year rich in success and satisfaction for our San Leonardo 2004.

In Italy, the wine achieved exceptional ratings in all five of the country’s most important wine guides, receiving the Three Glasses award from Gambero Rosso, the Five Bunches award from the Italian Sommeliers’ Association, an ‘Excellent’ ranking in the L’Espresso Guide and the Three Stars award in the Veronelli Guide, and – last but not least – it was also included in Luca Maroni’s Yearbook of the Best Italian Wines.

Moreover, San Leonardo was named as one of the top six Italian wines of the year in the Guide of Guides 2009, the guidebook par excellence for Italian wines, which is published every year by the Pino Khail-edited magazine, Civiltà del bere. The same honour was bestowed on the two previous vintages, San Leonardo 2003 and San Leonardo 2001 (lest we forget, San Leonardo was not produced in 2002 because we did not consider the vintage worthy of the name).

“The 2004 vintage is refined and impeccable and immediately shows off its luminous ruby-red colour; aroma of marasca cherries, blackcurrant and bitter orange, along with mineral notes and a finish of mint, tobacco and cocoa. It promises to age well over the long term”, states the Guide of Guides.

These flattering comments have provided us – and especially our winemaker, Dr Carlo Ferrini – with the impetus to proceed along our chosen path.

• Scarica la Guida delle Guide dei Vini 2009 in .pdf
• Scarica la Guida delle Guide dei Vini 2008 in .pdf
• Scarica la Guida delle Guide dei Vini 2005 in .pdf

Today I received a wonderful, hugely entertaining book on the dogs that populate the wineries of Italy, which even features our own pooches: Boris, my father’s old Chow Chow, and  Jago and Winnie, the two long-haired German Shepherds that live in our old courtyard. This is a small tribute to these great friends, who are always ready with a “smile” and who give us priceless moments of joy even when the vintage is far from perfect!