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Tenuta San Leonardo, Terre di San Leonardo 2014
RedItaly2014
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2019-11-22 · Published 2026-09-13 · Updated 2026-09-13
At a glance
In one line
3.0/5 — lower than Vivino's 3.6 average · world avg price US$15 · The second wine of the Guerrieri Gonzaga family in Trentino.
Wine Spectator 91 · James Suckling 90 · critics listed on Vivino 90 and 88 (unnamed source, 2017)
Market note: Terre di San Leonardo is the second wine below the flagship 'San Leonardo' (a Cabernet-Sauvignon-led Bordeaux blend). The same Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère from the same vineyards are split half into cement and half into French oak, aiming at earlier drinking. 2014 is remembered as a rainy summer across northern Italy, and it shows: Vivino's vintage average of 3.6 is lower than every vintage from 2018 onward (3.9).
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“Plum black currant Oak leather vanilla Tobbaco cherry”
What I learned today: even scents written with the same words weigh differently in different glasses.
Tuesday morning, the forecast talked about the first snow. Snow in places from tonight. All the way home from work I kept looking up, but nothing came down except cold air. Even after I got to the bar, I stood by the window and held out my palm once.
Master Seo set a glass of red on the counter. Plum, black currant, and under them oak, leather and vanilla. A thin thread of tobacco at the end. But something was strange. It was a glass I'd never been handed before, and yet it sounded like a list I'd heard somewhere.
Calling myself a genius nose is a little embarrassing, but a scent I've smelled once, I remember all the way back to its day. Late autumn when I was twenty-one, a Friday night with fog lying low. It was just after the sneezing episode. Father stood a second bottle up in its cloth and set a new glass right beside the first. I sniffed one, then the other, and said, "They're like twins." Father didn't answer; he just held the second glass a little longer. I don't know the bottle's name.
When I opened the notebook, there were several bottles on the table that night. The one before had seven aromas and a vanilla finish; this one has three lines: "Plum black currant / Oak leather vanilla / Tobbaco cherry." More than half the words overlap, and yet it got one star less. To Father's nose, they weren't twins.
No snow came before closing. Master Seo said only, "A forecast is a forecast," and shut the door. What I learned today: even scents written with the same words weigh differently in different glasses.
What this wine is
Tenuta San Leonardo sits at Avio, at the southern tip of Trentino, in a valley carved by the Adige river. In 1894, Marchese Tullo Guerrieri Gonzaga married Gemma de Gresti, whose family had owned the estate for nearly two centuries, bringing it into the Guerrieri Gonzaga name. In the mid-20th century, Marchese Carlo studied oenology in Lausanne and learned the secrets of the Bordeaux blend from Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta of Sassicaia, shaping the estate into what it is today. Marchese Anselmo now runs it.
Terre di San Leonardo blends Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère from the same vineyards as the flagship 'San Leonardo' (exact percentages are not disclosed). Half is aged in cement tanks, half in French oak barrels and tonneaux (medium toast, second or third use) for about 12 months, then rests another 6 months in bottle. Alcohol is 13.5%. It's built to be lighter and earlier-drinking than the flagship, with 5+ years of cellaring potential.
What the world says
Wine Spectator gave it 91 — "An elegant, medium- to full-bodied red. Red currant and raspberry fruit, accented by wild sage and woodsy spice details, firmed by sculpted, fine-grained tannins." James Suckling gave 90 — "A firm red with dark berry, tea and walnut character. Medium to full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish." Vivino also carries two unnamed critic entries at 90 and 88.
On Vivino, the 2014 vintage averages 3.6 from 844 ratings, with only 43% at 4 stars or above — the wine overall (all vintages, 11,877 ratings) sits at 3.8, so 2014 is on the lower end. Keywords run plum, blackberry, blackcurrant; oak, tobacco, vanilla; leather, earthy, mushroom; cherry, raspberry — and structure comes in a touch lighter than average: acidity 2.8, intensity 3.7, tannin 3.0. Vintage averages bottom out at 3.6–3.7 in 2014–2015 before climbing to 3.9 from 2018 on.
"A sneak attack in a night full of beautiful wine. The nose is massive with a bouquet of berries and currants. The palate is tight, disciplined and reductive. Tomatoes, berries, leather, tobacco." — Vivino review, Oct 2018, 4.0 stars
"Wow. Dark intense purple in color. Cherry and plums on the nose. Super dark cherry bomb. Quite a long lasting taste. Medium tannins. Good value too!" — Vivino review, Oct 2017, 4.0 stars
How I drank it
November 22, 2019, 3.0 stars. The note runs three lines: "Plum black currant / Oak leather vanilla / Tobbaco cherry" (tobacco misspelled as written).
That same day I gave Avignonesi 50&50 2011 a 4.0 and a Kreusch Beerenauslese 2015 a 4.5. The 50&50 note read: "Oak, chocolate, leather, pepper, plum, blackberries, cherry. The last taste was vanilla." Set side by side, the two notes overlap heavily — oak, leather, vanilla, plum, cherry — yet the scores landed a full point apart: 3.0 against 4.0.
My 3.0 sits 0.6 below this vintage's Vivino average of 3.6, and further still from Wine Spectator's 91 and James Suckling's 90. No re-tasting is on record.
Vivino community data
2014 vintage rating distribution (844 ratings, average 3.6)
| 5★ | 44 (5%) | |
| 4★ | 318 (38%) | |
| 3★ | 435 (52%) | |
| 2★ | 40 (5%) | |
| 1★ | 7 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Black fruit | 308 | plum 84 · blackberry 57 · dark fruit 38 · blackcurrant 37 · black fruit 32 |
| Oak | 290 | oak 107 · tobacco 59 · vanilla 41 · chocolate 17 · cedar 15 |
| Earth & leather | 245 | leather 89 · earthy 68 · mushroom 20 · smoke 14 · forest floor 10 |
| Red fruit | 184 | cherry 79 · red fruit 31 · raspberry 16 · strawberry 13 · red cherry 12 |
| Spice | 108 | pepper 34 · mint 20 · licorice 11 · cinnamon 10 · rosemary 5 |
| Vegetal | 36 | bell pepper 7 · green bell pepper 7 · grass 4 · hay 4 · tomato 4 |
| Floral | 17 | violet 11 · apple blossom 1 · dried flowers 1 · dried rose 1 · geranium 1 |
Structure: Acidity 2.8/5 · Intensity 3.7/5 · Tannin 3.0/5 · Sweetness 1.9/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 11877 ratings, average 3.8)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 4.0 | 58 |
| 2007 | 3.7 | 102 |
| 2008 | 3.7 | 477 |
| 2009 | 3.6 | 218 |
| 2010 | 3.7 | 213 |
| 2011 | 3.7 | 538 |
| 2012 | 3.6 | 711 |
| 2013 | 3.6 | 697 |
| 2014 | 3.6 | 844 |
| 2015 | 3.7 | 1209 |
| 2016 | 3.8 | 1417 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 1052 |
| 2018 | 3.9 | 902 |
| 2019 | 3.9 | 796 |
| 2020 | 3.9 | 910 |
| 2021 | 3.9 | 558 |
| 2022 | 3.9 | 285 |
| 2023 | 3.9 | 95 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Terre di San Leonardo?
A Bordeaux blend from Tenuta San Leonardo in Trentino, Italy — the second wine below the flagship 'San Leonardo'. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère aged about 12 months, half in cement and half in French oak. 13.5% alcohol, Wine Spectator 91, Vivino 2014-vintage average 3.6.
How much does it cost?
World average price: US$15 per 750ml ex-tax (Wine-Searcher, Sept 2026). Will be updated once confirmed.
What food pairs well with it?
Beef, lamb, pasta and game such as venison. Its acidity suits rich red-meat dishes especially well.
What's the difference between San Leonardo and Terre di San Leonardo?
San Leonardo is the Cabernet-Sauvignon-led flagship Bordeaux blend and the estate's top wine. Terre di San Leonardo uses the same grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère) from the same vineyards but with only half the barrel time and a shorter aging period, built to drink sooner and lighter.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Tenuta San Leonardo official — Terre di San Leonardo technical sheet
- Tenuta San Leonardo official — family and estate history
- Wine.com — 2014 Terre di San Leonardo reviews (WS 91, JS 90)
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Italy · Puglia★★★★☆Same grapeChâteau La Lagune Haut-Médoc 1970
France · Bordeaux★★★★★Same grapeBlack Stallion Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
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