Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2013
Not long ago I went to a tasting and tried the Tenuta San Guido wines. They offer three noteworthy reds, the famous Sassicaia and two additional labels; Guidalberto and LeDifese. LeDifese is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend and has been produced by the winery since 2003. LeDifese is their lowest priced wine and is an excellent offering, however today I will be commenting on the 2013 Guidalberto, their second label to Sassicaia. If Mario Incisa, creator of Sassicaia, was inspired by his great-uncle Leopoldo Incisa della Rocchetta, then his son Nicolò, director of Tenuta San Guido since forty years, has been motivated by Guidalberto della Gherardesca his great great great grandfather. The latter, who lived in the early nineteenth century in Bolgheri was a pioneer of modern agriculture, and is famous for having planted the cypress alley that inspired the poet Giosuè Carducci. Nicolò Incisa explains the choice of the name and creation of new wine in 2000, Guidalberto. Nicolò indicated that “Guidalberto was created for two reasons: first of all, the desire to see what we could accomplish with Merlot, a grape that we had never used before; second, the desire to offer the consumer a wine which could be appreciated at a younger age compared to our veteran Sassicaia”.
Opening a bottle, and if you attempt the 2013 you need to decant for at least an hour; I noticed a deep Ruby red color with concentrated red and black fruit aromas and gentle spice. The palate of this 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot blend shows layers of fruit, cherries, plums and blueberries with tobacco, cacao and earthy/peppery spice notes, a real powerhouse of integrated flavors. Tannins are firm but approachable, a wine with a solid structure, yet elegant and smooth. This full-body wine’s finish was long, had a great mouth feel and was enjoyable. The 2013 was a cut above the 2012 vintage and should age well for 5 to 10 years.
Cheers!