the Traditions

Viticulture has an ancient tradition here at Campi Sarni, as this area is known. The name is a reference to the location - Sardis or Sarnis - of the wedding in 589 of Autari, king of the Lombards, to Theodolinda, daughter of the king of the Bavarians.

The earliest evidence for winemaking at Tenuta San Leonardo dates from the ninth century of the Christian era, when Nottingus, the bishop of Verona, granted in usufruct to the bishop of Trento the woodlands, meadows and vineyards he owned at Sarnis in Vallagarina. The document shows that vines were already cultivated in the area at the time, even though the territory was prevalently woodland.

Three centuries later, the Fratres Cruciferi, known in England as the Crutched Friars and who remained at San Leonardo until 1656, expanded this activity and adopted a modern approach to viticulture at their monastery. Today, the monastery's ancient hospice, which once gave shelter to the destitute, is the cellar where our wines mature in their barrels.

More recently, in the 18th century, we find evidence of firm commitment to quality in local viticulture and the wines of San Leonardo in Cristoforo Migazzi's pressing demands to his estate manager for good wine to offer his guests. A descendant of the Migazzi Counts who owned the Tenuta San Leonardo from the early 18th century, Cristoforo rose to become an archbishop, and then cardinal, in Vienna.

At that time, the lower Vallagarina and Campi Sarni were already displaying a genuine vocation for winemaking. The area had a jealously protected personality of its own, firmly rooted in the concept of a small homeland and coherent community. It had a different, Rovereto-focused sensibility with respect to the northern, part of the region, which instead took its cue from Trento. Here in the south, there was a more Enlightenment-inspired, uncompromisingly European spirit.

Historically, the zone is the home of the local Lambrusco a foglia larga variety, which only three decades ago represented about 25% of the total area under vine. Today, that figure has fallen to 12.5%. This special subvariety of Lambrusco has its origins in the ancient winemaking tradition of lower Trentino, and an age of once widely cultivated but now-forgotten vine types.Since at least the early 20th century, however, when post-phylloxera reconstruction was in full swing, other vines have also found an ideal habitat here, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Lagrein. Subsequently, they were joined by Chardonnay and Pinot Nero.

Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga is well aware of this long-established winemaking heritage. Guerrieri Gonzaga is able to call on his oenological studies, the experience he acquired in France and Tuscany, and the invaluable advice of a leading expert in Giacomo Tachis. With this solid foundation, he has striven to bring out the extraordinary potential of this territory by selecting the most appropriate varieties, scrupulous vineyard management, rigorous selection at harvest, meticulous care in the vat cellar and patience in the barrel and binning cellars. The aim is to create, year after year, wines that reflect and enhance the special personality of the land.