Villa Gresti 750ml

A refined union of Merlot and Carmenère, Villa Gresti exhibits sublime texture and silk-smooth tannins.

Pervasive nose with lingering notes of tobacco and intriguing hints of vanilla and cocoa powder. The palate finds a perfect balance of softness and acidity with the sweet, elegantly assertive and velvet smooth tannins that are the hallmark of this variety.

More than 1000 years ago, it was a monastery, but for over three centuries now San Leonardo has served as the residence of the Marchesi Guerrieri Gonzaga family, its proud custodians. Today, the San Leonardo estate is a garden of vineyards and roses, protected by the massive barrier of the Alps, which blunt the force of the cold northern winds, while the valley floor benefits from, and in turn releases, warmth from nearby Lake Garda. The tenuta remains an antique world, in which winemaking practices, still uncompromisingly artisanal, yield wines that are true gems of Italy’s wine tradition, marked by freshness, harmony, and an innate elegance. The estate covers an overall area of 300 hectares, of which the vineyards, planted to red grapes beginning at an elevation of 150 metres, amount to 30 hectares. Merlot is planted in pebble-rich soils that were once the bed of a tributary of the Adige, while Cabernet Sauvignon and the old vineyards of Carmenère are in predominantly sandy soils. All are well-drained, low-fertility soils that yield wines with truly unusual levels of anthocyanins, and not just for the Trentino. In 2015, San Leonardo launched a project of conversion to organic viticulture, which concluded successfully in late 2018 with the award of official certification. In the same year, the BWA Friends of Biodiversity organisation certified San Leonardo as a Friend of Biodiversity, testifying to San Leonardo's deep commitment to preserving the character of its growing area. The estate lies in the Adige river valley, between the slopes of Monte Baldo and the Lessini Mountains. Winter snows often cover the vineyards, protecting them from severe cold, while during the vine’s growth period a particularly felicitous climate favours cluster development and ripening of the grapes. Day-night temperature differentials, significant even in the summer months, not only heighten grape aromatics but also extend the ripening period. During the entire year, and particularly during the hottest months, the Ora del Garda wind blows over the vineyards, warming and drying the leaves, thus protecting them from fungal diseases—a true gift of nature. As is often the case with older wine estates, the cellars are arranged on different levels. From the courtyard, one enters the fermentation cellar, which contains concrete vats on several levels, built right after the First World War. Recently, the more ancient underground cellar, in the heart of the borgo, was re-structured along with its large vats where lots of wine are blended. Only the underground barrel cellar, constructed in 2001, enjoys one large, dedicated space; here the wines undergo maturation, resting for at least 24 months in small oak barrels. Lying in the heart of the winery is the estate’s wine library, which preserves, under perfect conditions, bottles of all the vintages made by San Leonardo, starting from its opening year in 1982. Every year, numerous bottles are stacked here, in various sizes, which will continue to refine and improve, each according to its own character. These vintage-dated wines will be released in small lots, but only when they are able to express in perfect harmony their individual personality and the elegance that is their hallmark.

Fermentation: spontaneous 15/18 day fermentation in small concrete vats with periodic pumpovers and délestage. Maturation: 12 months in new French oak barrels. Cellarability: 20 years and more.

Tasting Note

Made from predominantly Merlot and one for those who appreciate right Bank Bordeaux. This is an elegant, round and plush red wine with concentrated aromas of dark plum and cherry, together with mint, vanilla, toast and caramel.