Can' Leandro is a passion project between two brothers that wanted to restore their family heritage and begin a winery. Alberto and Gabriel Sanchis began in 2013 with the goal to bring the local terroir and local (and some forgotten) grapes together, in harmony with the environment, to make a winery that offers a taste of their home. Gabriel studied design before he made a giant career shift and began his life in oenology. He not only makes the wine from start to finish, but also is responsible for the clean yet beautifully crafted labels of the estate. Almost to the point of obsession, they have focused and repaired old vineyards with nearly extinct varieties in order to bring them back from the grave. Merseguera (a white grape) and Bonicaire (red) are of utmost importance to their farm, alongside the local Monastrell in order to make a small range of wines that are farmed as naturally as possible, and made with a soft hand. Can' Leandro gives the best this region has to offer, being close to the Mediterranean but with high elevations, poor sandy soils and ancient limestone, and a climate that gives personality and style to what lands in the glass.
can' leandro 'la vella'
merseguera, tortosi, malvasia The Can’ Leandro La Vella is a blend of the estate’s white varieties that grow on the beautiful property. Mostly comprised of the old indigenous grape Merseguera, from a plot that grows on the north facing slope of the hill, as well as some Malvasia, and a tiny plot of another native grape Tortosi, all come together in the cellar and are held cold for 24-36 hours. The fruit is joined together and macerates with their skins for 3 hours before softy being pressed and a natural fermentation begins in stainless steel, where the wine remains on the lees for about 5 months before bottling. The resulting fresh white is remarkably bright with aromas of green apples, sea-spray, and faint white flowers. In the mouth, the fruit is zippy and zesty with citrus, saline, and mouthwatering acidity, all the while still retaining fantastic texture that lasts through to the long finish. 
can' leandro 'panxut'
bonicaire The Can’ Leandro Panxut is 100% Bonicaire (pronounce Boh-nee-ki-ruh), a grape that Can’ Leandro revived from old fields and brought it back into fruition for their red wines. This variety is the same as the Trepat grape found further north in Spain, although showcases a slightly different style due to its own particular terroir. Once the hand-harvested grapes come into the cellar, mostly whole-cluster fermentation takes place naturally in 500L used French barrels for 35 days with daily, but soft, punch downs. After pressing, the wine is returned to the same barrels for around 6 months before it is bottled. The result has a lift of crunchy and spicy fruit in the nose, like the brambles of wild blackberries in the forest. The acidity is fresh, but does not dominate the palate, while wrapped by the fruit and savory qualities that the aromas foreshadowed. There is a bit of chew to the tannins, but soft enough to let the delicious primary flavors last in the mouth for a very long time. |
can' leando 'pampolut'
100% merseguera The Pampolut is made from 100% Merseguera, an indigenous grape to southeastern Spain that is rare to find. These 60-year-old bush vines were recovered and brought back to health when Gabriel and Alberto found this plot of very white limestone growing white grapes. The vines are now producing intense and magnificent fruit, which must be hand-harvested, and then brought to the cellar to macerate with the skins for 36 hours before a gentle pressing. Natural fermentation took place in used French barrique, and lasted about 25 days, when the wine rested for 5 months in those barrels with soft batonnage. The aromas that jump from the glass showcase sweet coconut flesh, acacia flower, and crisp apple. For such a rich and deep nose, the palate hits in a completely different direction, with remarkable freshness that balances fruit and acidity, complex layers that merely hint at wood, and a very long and salty finish. 
can' leando 'la lloma'
bonicaire & monastrell Can’ Leandro La Lloma is a blend from a vineyard called La Lloma Rasa, with the region’s famous Monastrell grape, as well as what the estate has put so much time and energy behind, the Bonicaire grape (pronounced: Boh-nee-ki-ruh). The grapes were fermented primarily as whole clusters for about 12 days in stainless steel before they were gently pressed and then finished their natural fermentation and aging for 6 months in 400L Amphora, 3,000L concrete vats, and 500L 3-5year old barrels. The vessels and grapes were then blended together in stainless steel to mingle and naturally settle for another 4 months before bottling. The resulting wine is refined, elegant, and so bright. Aromas of spice, fresh brambly berries, and fennel-heavy licorice lead to a balanced and soft palate of mountain blueberries, rose pedals, and earth, all wrapping into a long and complex finish. 
can' leando 'alt de les flors'
100% monastrell The Can’ Leandro Alt de les Flors comes from two tiny plots of old bush vines in the Lloma Rasa vineyard. 100% Monastrell grown on the two patches where the soil is poor and calcareous and very white, much like the famous Albariza soils of Sherry country. After a hand harvest, the wine is stored cold for about 36 hours before it is partially destemmed (40% stays in whole cluster) and begins natural fermentation in 500 liter French oak barrels. Each day, soft punch downs are made by hand and fermentation continued for 38 days before pressing and returning to the same barrels for 10 months of aging. Once opened, the aromas are intoxicating, with dark ripe fruits, soft wood notes, and a lovely purple flower component. The palate is driven with minerality, backed with loads of dark fruits, and a freshness that lasts all the way through the long finish. |
can' leandro '4 mesos'
monastrell & garnatxa The Can’ Leandro 4 Mesos Monastrell is the winery’s example of the famous local grape in its vibrant and fresh form. 90% of the wine is made of Monastrell, from 20 and 40 year old vineyards, and the other 10% is made up of Garnatxa that they farm from a rented piece of adjoining property. The grapes are naturally fermented in stainless steel vats before the wine rests in used French barrique for 4 months. The result is delightful in the glass, offering fresh berries and wild herbs on the nose, and a mouthful of earth and dirt and fruit. The juicy palate is full of cherries, blackberries, and toasted oats. Overall, this is a very approachable red that is full of structure but is easy drinking enough to enjoy on its own or with food, and finishes long and complex reminiscing of the earth-dredged berry fruit. 
can' leando 'l'arenal'
100% monastrell The Can’ Leandro L’Arenal comes from 60 year old bush vine Monastrell planted on very poor sandy soils in a small portion of the estate. Two meters down is a limestone crust, adding to the complexity of what lies beneath the growing grapes. After a hand harvest, the grapes are stored at a cold temperature for 36 hours before partially destemmed (40% stays as whole clusters), and then they begin a natural fermentation in old 900-liter French oak vats for 35 days. Once pressed, the wine is moved to 500-liter used French barrels, and it ages for 6 months before being bottled. The nose is wildly complex, full of dark fruits and a very spicy character of grass, herbs, cardamom, eucalyptus, and clove. In the mouth, the spicy cardamom continues, along with cinnamon stick, black cherries, and blackberries. Balanced and as fresh as it is dark, the length and texture of this Monastrell goes long after the wine is gone. |