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The best word for the ’08 Guidalberto is “balanced.” In this blend of equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that’s kissed with Sangiovese, you’ll find juicy black cherries and dark plums dance on a bed of spices and saddle leather; a spike of cypress and a dust of pepper complete this shimmering, delicious and finessed wine that’s replete with silky tannins. While most of the grapes for this wine derive from their own vineyards, a certain proportion come from fruit declassified from Sassicaia, making Guidalberto both extra delicious and a super value. Drinking for the next half decade, likely longer.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Toscana
- Subregion: Toscana IGT
The One That Started It All...You’ve heard it before, Sassicaia is the most collectible Italian wine to come out of the Boot. The now historic wine is single-handedly responsible for launching the Super Tuscan movement and remains one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta continues the 36 year old tradition at the Tenuta San Guido estate, which is considered by many to be the birthplace of Tuscan Cabernet. He is NOT influenced by the international demand to create a super-extracted, monster red wine; instead, he continues to produce the most elegant Super Tuscan there is!
The Super Tuscan Pioneer
The term "Super Tuscan" conjures up words like creativity, freedom, spirit, and defiance. In the time pre-dating the Sixties, no one considered making a wine crafted along Bordeaux lines on Italian soil, much less in a region not yet established viticulturally. The theory back then was that vines exposed to the sea winds and salty air of Bolgheri would produce poor results. More importantly, the viticultural regulations set forth by the DOC and DOCG limited creativity, expression, and the qualitative potential of terroir.
It was the drive and foresight of Mario Incisa della Rochetta, along with guidance from Giacomo Tachis (Piero Antinori's winemaker) that made enological history and created the Super Tuscan movement. Mario believed in the evolution of Tuscany's viticulture and planted a small vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bolgheri hills in 1944. The estate, Tenuta San Guido, was influenced by the location’s similarity to Graves in Bordeaux. “Graves” means “gravel” in French, and similarly, the earth at Tenuta San Guido gave Sassicaia its name, which in the Tuscan dialect means “stony ground.” After 25 years of experimentation and relentless energy, Sassicaia entered the world stage in 1968 to critical acclaim with its first international release and thus the Super Tuscan Pioneer was born.
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