Leuta

In the Cortona DOC denomination, the Leuta di Denis Zeni company produces excellent wines despite the initial prejudices in the area. The most appreciated wine is definitely Sangiovese-based Solitaire.

Leuta’s History and Terroir

Cortona is a classic Tuscan village perched on the slopes of Alta Sant’Egidio above the Val di Chiana with a breathtaking view over a large part of the southernmost area of the region. The walls of Etruscan-Roman origin have been perfectly preserved over the centuries and the winding streets and alleys cross the city with numerous ups and downs and beautiful views. In fact, visitors have to face long walks in order to appreciate the numerous Renaissance Palaces and medieval beauties, to be finally rewarded at the Diocesian Museum with the works of Pietro da Cortona, Fra Angelico, Luca Signorelli, by Pietro Lorenzetti, and at Maec one of the most important Etruscan museums in the world. Outside the Etruscan walls you can easily reach the hermitage of the monastery Le Celle, which once housed San Francesco, the Basilica of Santa Margherita which towers over the city and the countless Etruscan treasures in the various museums in the area.

Trentino, a region in the far north of Italy, cool in the climate and mountainous in its orography, might seem the opposite of Cortona and Tuscany, but this region has, for centuries, exerted a magnetic influence on visitors. It is from here that Denis Zeni decided to leave to land in Tuscany with a specific goal in mind: to become a producer of excellent wine.

The Philosophy of the wines of Leuta

Certainly this was not an easy task: although the wine had always been produced in the surroundings of Cortona, the place did not enjoy a particular reputation as an area suited to the production of fine wine. On the contrary, it has long been overshadowed by nearby Montepulciano and its famous Vino Nobile. However, already in the 70s some producers of Vino Nobile had started to invest in Cortona, one of these, Ettore Falvo , former owner of the Avignonesi winery, helped his friend Denis Zeni to start his own business.

Another disruptive phenomenon of those years was the arrival on the market of its first impressive bottle of Syrah , a grape that had been associated with Cortona since its origins as an important place dedicated to its cultivation. A missing piece of the puzzle returned to its place with the arrival of the agronomist, wine consultant and friend Maurizio Saettini.

The wines of Leuta

The result is an impressive line of wines from different grape varieties: Syrah , Merlot , Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese ( Solitaire Selection excellent ) or combinations of the three. Finally, the classic Vin Santo Leuta , modeled on the style of that of Avignonesi, in a sense, is simply one of the best dessert wines in Tuscany.