San Leonardo Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2016 (750ML)

97+ WA / 96 VM / 95 DE / 95 FS / 17++ JR

A wine to drink at least 10 years from now, the 2016 San Leonardo is positioned to be enjoyed in the far long term. Like its Tuscan cousin from Bolgheri, Sassicaia, San Leonardo from the mountainous north of Italy is always a wine that starts off quietly but that grows in intensity and complexity as it completes its bottle evolution. This elegant vintage reveals beautiful tones of dark berry fruit, spice and freshly milled white pepper. The wine is exceptionally balanced, fresh and long. I can't wait to come back to this vintage 10 or 20 years from now. Drink: 2026-2055- Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Another year in bottle has added unexpected depths and dimension to the 2016 San Leonardo. It wafts up with an alluring bouquet of smoky black currant and plum skins, complicated by savory herbs, hints of white pepper and fresh tobacco. It's hard chiseled edges have formed into smooth contours now, velvety yet youthfully dense, washing mineral encased dark red and black berries across a core of brisk acidity as a combination of saline-minerals and grippy tannins add tension toward the close. This finishes incredibly long yet also structured, begging for time in the cellar, as hints of licorice and earth tones grumble under an air of inner violet florals. The potential within the 2016 San Leonardo is off the charts, yet it will require a good amount of time to come fully into focus. Bury your bottles deep.-Eric Guido, Vinous Media

The 2016 San Leonardo is drinking beautifully, showcasing lovely verticality and intense freshness filled out with creamy dark fruits, floral overtones, and spicy, herbal edges. Incredibly vibrant, pure and precise.-James Button, Decanter

Powerful, bright ruby with a slight violet shimmer. Opens with fine spicy notes of bay leaf and white pepper, then lots of dark currants. Also on the palate there are pronounced spicy notes, opens with fine-meshed tannins, flows calmly, long and juicy.-Falstaff

A very elegant, classic Bordeaux blend in the Italian context, but this is actually a special wine in any context, thanks to its subtlety and aromatic complexity. Blackcurrant, black-cherry and mint notes with just a hint of red bell pepper. Finely etched, medium-bodied palate with crisp tannins and lively acidity. The elegant tannins carry the long, cool finish. Drinkable now, but better from 2023.-James Suckling

A lovely beam of black currant and fig cake flavors play off savory bay leaf and olive tapenade notes in this elegant, medium- to full-bodied red, which is fresh and focused, with good tension from a core of sculpted tannins. Long and fragrant on the creamy, mineral- and spice-laced finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot. Drink now through 2036. 5,900 cases made, 650 cases imported.-Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator

Magnum. Shaded garnet with some evolution at the rim. Really quite bordelais on the nose and palate. The opposite of showy! A light suggestion of dried herbs on the nose. Very good balance. This has come on since I tasted it in January 2021. It's broader and more charming, albeit in a fairly low-key way. But it builds towards a peppery finish. I still wonder whether I wouldn't prefer it with a little less Carmenère. This really unfurls on the palate to build beautifully on the end. It should go beautifully with tonight's shoulder of lamb.-Jancis Robinson