Acetaia Leonardi Traditional BalsamicModena D.O.P Extra Vecchio Minimum Aging 25 Years

This is the real deal. The radiant, super viscous Extra Vecchio shines with stunning mirror effects. Extremely aromatic, with notes of tobacco, chocolate and dried fruit. The taste begins with bright, almost tickling impact on the palate. Bursts of sweet and sour give way to rich flavors of sun-dried plums, dried currants and caramel before an outstanding, long, sweet, slightly tannic finish.

Traditionally drizzled over chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as an appetizer, this is a balsamic vinegar to enjoy in its simplest and purest form. Serve by the spoonful as a novel apéritif or digestif at either end of a feast, or try it over scallopine sautéed in butter or a very crisp veal milanese. Bring a perfect meal to a brilliant end with bowls of vanilla gelato and/or very ripe strawberries drizzled with Extra Vecchio.

There are over 300 producers of balsamic vinegar in Modena, but the Leonardi family is truly special. They have been making balsamic vinegar since 1871 and are still one of the few producers to own the land where the grapes grow. Four generations in, the Leonardi family is still making this prized elixir using traditional methods, such as cooking the Lambrusco and Trebbiano grape must in a copper cauldron and aging the vinegar in specific kinds of wooden barrels. The result is a perfectly balanced vinegar worthy of the name balsamico.