1999 San Leonardo
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Tasting notes
The 1999 San Leonardo is dark and brooding in the glass. The wine is not quite ready to show a fully mature bouquet. Rich black cherry mixes with brown spice, tobacco and hints of floral undergrowth. Velvety textures give way to ripe black fruits and hints of spice, perfectly balancing acids and sweet tannin to create a round and satiating expression. It's long and lightly structured through the close, presenting a mix of minerals, dried plum and sweet herbs. This shows the dry and warm vintage that it comes from, matching perfectly to the poised San Leonardo style. The 1999 is worth checking now, but with plenty of upside potential if stored in a cold cellar, as this bottle held up beautifully over the course of 48 hours.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1999 San Leonardo marks the first vintage made by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini who took over after Giacomo Tachis. The 1998 vintage of San Leonardo was not produced. The wine is full and generous but doesn't reach the same dizzying complexity as 1990, 1995 and 1997. The vintage saw low rainfall, but the growing cycle remained on track from flowering to harvest. This edition is soft and yielding from the start with dark fruit, leather, spice and cola. It's a big picture wine painted in broad brush strokes. It does't have the fine detail of other vintages but it speaks well of the San Leonardo philosophy. It still has room for further evolution.
The 1999 San Leonardo marks the first vintage made by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini who took over after Giacomo Tachis. The 1998 vintage of San Leonardo was not produced. The wine is full and generous but doesn't reach the same dizzying complexity as 1990, 1995 and 1997. The vintage saw low rainfall, but the growing cycle remained on track from flowering to harvest. This edition is soft and yielding from the start with dark fruit, leather, spice and cola. It's a big picture wine painted in broad brush strokes. It does't have the fine detail of other vintages but it speaks well of the San Leonardo philosophy. It still has room for further evolution. Dec 2014, www.robertparker.com