Tenuta San Leonardo, Cabernet Franc, 2020 - Magnum
Tenuta San Leonardo, Cabernet Franc, 2020 - Magnum
- 150cl
- 13%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Franc
- Organic
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Optimal drinking window: 2026 - 2040
Part of the legend of San Leonardo is the discovery in the 1990 that vines across the estate previously believed to be Cabernet Franc were in fact Carménère – which, whilst associated more with Chilé than Trentino, is more widely planted in Northern Italy than you might imagine. As Carménère was not a permitted variety in the region at the time, San Leonardo continued the fiction that the blend was Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The last vintage that was labelled as such was 2010...
However, there does exist at San Leonardo a solitary 0.5ha vineyard, planted in 1989, using the traditional pergola system, that is in fact 100% Cabernet Franc. In the past it has been added in very small quantities to enhance the estate’s other wines, until now.
San Leonardo’s longstanding consultant winemaker Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy’s most respected oenologists, was so impressed by the quality of this Cabernet Franc from the 2020 vintage that he believed it deserved to be brought into the spotlight and vinified as a single variety. Our dear friend Anselmo, knowing Honest Grapes’ enthusiasm for special projects, has generously offered us complete exclusivity.
“An intense perfume leaps from the glass - tight bunches of cool red and black cherries, pot pourri, cloves, tamarind, soy, kirsch, mocha, pencil lead, wood smoke, forest floor and ivy. The palate is similarly explosive, and balances a rich but controlled centre of dark chocolate-coated liqueur cherries, black plums, and polished leather, with long savoury, sappy tannins, inflected with notes of hoi-sin and cedar, leading to a tapered, salted liquorice finish. Carlo Ferrini singled the 2020 Cabernet Franc out as being of such quality to warrant a single variety wine. This is the first ever vintage produced in over twenty years since being planted.”
Tom Harrow, Head Wine Guru
Right now, the 2020 is showing its primary fruit with confidence — dark cherry, violet, and graphite are all vivid and clearly defined. Over the next two to three years the fruit will begin to integrate more fully with the oak and the wine will start to show more secondary complexity: leather, dried herbs, and a deeper earthy character are all likely to emerge.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceDeep ruby with a bright, violet-tinged rim — the magnum format has kept the colour vivid and youthful.
NoseCabernet Franc at its most aristocratic: dark cherry and wild violet lead, then graphite, crushed stone, and a suggestion of dried herbs that gives it an alpine edge. There is real precision here, nothing blowsy or overripe.
PalateMedium-full in body with tannins that are firm but already well-integrated, framing dark plum and blackcurrant fruit with a spine of cool acidity. The mineral quality that the nose promised follows through with authority, and the oak sits quietly in the background where it belongs.
FinishLong and savoury, with a clean graphite and dried cherry persistence that lingers well past what you might expect.
Overall impressionA Cabernet Franc of genuine class and restraint, and the magnum means it is only just beginning to show what it is capable of.
Food Pairings
In Trentino, this would naturally find its way to the table alongside brasato all'Amarone or a slow-braised shin of local Rendena cattle, where the wine's structure meets the richness of the meat without either one winning. The region's love of game is well-served here too — roast venison with juniper and wild mushrooms would be a very happy match. Aged Spressa delle Giudicarie cheese, semi-hard and slightly nutty, is the local choice for something simpler and equally satisfying. On a cooler evening, a plate of strangolapreti — spinach and bread dumplings with butter and sage — shows that this wine has the elegance to work without red meat at all.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at around 17°C — cooler than you might for a richer Italian red, and it will reward you for the precision. Decant for at least an hour in 2026; the magnum format means the wine is still quite tightly wound and needs air to open up properly. A large-bowled Bordeaux glass works well, giving the aromatic lift room to develop without concentrating the tannins uncomfortably.
The vineyards at San Leonardo sit on alluvial soils with a high proportion of gravel and stones over clay sub-soils, which drain well and stress the vines just enough to concentrate flavour without sacrificing freshness. Altitude plays a significant role here: the Vallagarina's position between the Dolomites and Lake Garda creates a diurnal temperature swing that is the estate's great natural asset, keeping acidity lively and aromas precise. The valley also benefits from the Ora wind, which blows in from the lake each afternoon, moderating summer heat and reducing disease pressure in the vineyards.
Tenuta San Leonardo's varietal Cabernet Franc falls under the Trentino DOC, which covers a broad range of varietals grown across the Adige and Sarca valleys in Italy's far north. The DOC allows considerable flexibility in grape varieties and winemaking, reflecting the region's long history as a crossroads between Italian and Germanic wine cultures. Trentino sits alongside Alto Adige to the north, with which it shares a similar alpine climate, though the valley floors tend to be warmer and better suited to red Bordeaux varieties. San Leonardo's corner of the appellation, in the lower Vallagarina near the town of Avio, is distinct from the cooler, higher-altitude sites further north.
2020 in Trentino delivered one of those vintages that reminds you why this Alpine region produces some of Italy's most precise wines. The growing season unfolded with remarkable balance: enough spring rainfall to build reserves, followed by a warm but not scorching summer that kept the vines happy without stressing them into shutdown. Harvest arrived earlier than usual but without the frantic rush that often accompanies hot vintages, giving producers time to pick each plot at optimal ripeness.
The result is wines with real verve and definition. Pinot Grigio shows the mineral spine that separates serious Trentino examples from their industrial cousins, while the reds — particularly Teroldego — display that wonderful combination of mountain freshness and ripe fruit that makes this region special. We find the whites drinking brilliantly now and will continue until 2026, whilst the reds are just hitting their stride and should reward cellaring until 2028. This isn't a vintage that demands decades of patience, but rather one that offers immediate pleasure with the structure to age gracefully.
FAQs
What does this Cabernet Franc taste like?
Dark cherry, violet, and graphite are the headlines, with a mineral, alpine freshness running through the wine from start to finish. The tannins are firm but polished, and the finish is long and savoury. It is precise and composed rather than opulent — Franc at its most elegant.
Is the magnum worth it compared to a standard bottle?
Unambiguously yes for a wine like this. Magnums age more slowly and more gracefully than standard bottles, which means the fruit and the structure stay in better balance for longer. If you are buying this to cellar, the magnum is the smarter choice.
What food should I serve with this wine?
Slow-braised beef or venison are the obvious choices, and they work very well. But this wine has enough elegance to partner aged hard cheese or even a rich mushroom dish. Think earthy, savoury flavours rather than anything sweet or fruity.
How does this compare to San Leonardo's flagship blend?
The flagship San Leonardo blend is a Cabernet Sauvignon-led wine of considerable power and prestige. This varietal Franc is lighter on its feet — more aromatic, more mineral, and frankly more food-friendly. It is a different kind of serious rather than a lesser one.
Do I need to decant it?
Yes, and generously. An hour at minimum, ideally closer to two if you are opening it in the next year or two. The wine is still quite tightly wound in magnum format and the extra air makes a real difference to how it shows at the table.
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