Summary
Cantine Lenotti is one of the most traditional family wineries in Bardolino on the eastern shore of Lake Garda. Officially documented since 1906, the house is now run by the fourth generation of the Lenotti family. At its heart are the wines of its home: red Bardolino Classico and the rosé Chiaretto di Bardolino, both made mainly from Corvina and Rondinella. Alongside these come Amarone, Ripasso and Recioto from its own vineyard in Valpolicella Classico, plus white wines from the Soave and Custoza areas. With around 100 hectares of vines and an export share of roughly 90%, Lenotti is a fixture among Lake Garda producers.
History
The Lenotti family's winegrowing tradition dates back to the 19th century. 1906 is regarded as the founding year: that is when the Lenotti name appeared in the "Oenological Map of the Province of Verona", published for the Milan World Expo. The family's first winegrower was Alessandro Lenotti, a magistrate and landowner. Back then, wine was sold exclusively in casks or demijohns.
His son Ermenegildo Lenotti brought chemical and oenological expertise and moved the winery to its current site on Via Santa Cristina in Bardolino. The step into the modern era came with the third generation, oenologist Giancarlo Lenotti: from 1969 he introduced bottling and temperature-controlled storage, and in the early 1970s the first complete range of wines under the family name followed. With Claudio Lenotti, who joined in the late 1980s, the house turned firmly towards export – today its wines are shipped to more than 40 countries.
Location & Terroir
Bardolino lies on the south-eastern shore of Lake Garda, nestled among morainic hills left behind by Ice Age glaciers. The lake acts as a heat reservoir and creates a mild, almost Mediterranean climate – olive trees grow right next to the vines. The gravelly, stony moraine soils yield light, fragrant red wines with lively freshness, typical of Bardolino.
Lenotti farms eight vineyards in five areas. In the hills of Bardolino lie Le Giare and Santa Cristina, while in Cavaion Veronese the large sites La Prà and Tacchetto sit on calcareous clay soils. In Valpolicella Classico, at Sant'Ambrogio, the La Grola vineyard is planted with Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oseleta – the basis for Amarone and Ripasso. For the white wines there are Froscà and Le Coste on volcanic soils in Soave Classico near Monteforte, as well as Betulla in the Custoza area.
Style & Philosophy
Lenotti sees itself as an ambassador of the Veronese wine tradition. The Bardolino wines are fresh, cherry-fruited and easy-going – classic partners for lakeside cooking. The Chiaretto shows the pink side of Corvina: pale, crisp and delicately scented with red berries.
The Valpolicella wines offer more depth and concentration. For the Amarone, the grapes are dried for months after harvest (appassimento) before being fermented and aged in wood. The cellar in Bardolino combines tradition and technology: besides stainless steel tanks, the wines mature in large oak casks and in more than a thousand barriques. The house is ISO 9001 certified.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
The range stretches from approachable everyday wines to premium lines. Among the best-known wines are:
- Bardolino Classico – the house's classic, light red wine
- Chiaretto di Bardolino "Decus" – a fresh rosé from Corvina and Rondinella
- "Le Olle" – Bardolino Superiore DOCG
- Amarone della Valpolicella Classico – also in the "Collezione Famiglia Lenotti" line
- Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore and Recioto della Valpolicella Classico
- "Massimo" – a red wine labelled Veneto IGT
- Soave Classico, Custoza and Lugana as white wines
Awards
Lenotti's wines regularly receive ratings in international competitions and wine guides, above all the Amarone and the Bardolino lines. As a visitor winery, Lenotti has also received the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award. Above all, though, the house stands for continuity: for more than a century, the Lenotti family has helped shape the image of Bardolino wine.
