Sipping Your Way Through December—Day 2

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Here’s the second installment of The Wine Chef’s December “Advent Calendar” wine series.

Tenuta San Leonardo 'San Leonardo' Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2020

I’ve been a big fan of Tenuta San Leonardo ever since I was sent a few samples of their wines last year. After tasting them and learning more about the estate’s viticulture and winemaking, I wasn’t a bit surprised when Italy’s most prestigious wine guide, Gambero Rosso, named San Leonardo its 2025 “Winery of the Year.”

Their whole portfolio is indeed special, full of under-the-radar gems. However, it is today’s featured wine, the 2020 San Leonardo 'San Leonardo' Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, that is the winery’s undeniable knockout.

Read more about Tenuta San Leonardo, an "Alpine Treasure"

San Leonardo has been making wine since 1724 (over 300 years!) in one of northeastern Italy’s most breathtaking areas. Situated in a valley in the shadow of the Dolomite mountains, the estate’s landscape is shaped by cool mountain air, which you can taste in the glass. The wines are all about fresh and enticing aromatics, bright acidity, and clarity of fruit.

The 2020 ‘San Leonardo’ is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, and Merlot, three Bordeaux varieties used in the production of the famous Super Tuscans of Bolgheri. But this wine tells a different story than its Tuscan cousins. Instead of exuberant, sun-drenched fruit, you get precision and nuance. It’s elegant rather than powerful. Give it a little time in the glass, and it slowly comes to life, revealing dark berries, herbs, cedar, and a dusting of spice. The wine is still very young and has at least 25 years ahead of it, yet, with decanting, it can be enjoyed now.

Here’s a Wine Chef guarantee: this bottle will turn a quiet December night into something memorable.

Find the wine (retails for about $110) on wine-searcher.com.