Tenuta San Guido is calling the 2016 vintage “one of the best of the last decade,” and this ’16 Guidalberto is elegant and velvety, lively and complex, aromatic and profound. Lush, juicy red berries and succulent plums dance with warm saddle leather, tarry earth, crushed violet petals, melted chocolate and grilled herbs in this energetic, finessed and fully fleshed wine. Silky tannins and copious dry extract cling to the cheeks, but for all this wine’s generous ripeness, it retains a fresh, acidic kick. There’s no question that the 2016 is one of the best Guidalberto bottlings we’ve seen! A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Merlot, Guidalberto offers richness and density that’s balanced by vigor, precision and freshness; this wine ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel, followed by aging for fifteen months in barriques and three months in bottle before release. Accessible upon release with some decanting, this ’16 Guidalberto will be even more lovely in a few years, making this a wine to secure by the case.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Toscana
- Sub Region/Classification: Toscana IGT
Singularly responsible for launching the Super-Tuscan movement, San Guido’s Sassicaia—a masterful cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc—is one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Mario Incisa della Rochetta, along with guidance from Giacomo Tachis (Piero Antinori's winemaker), made enological history and created the Super Tuscan movement when, in 1968, his estate released Sassicaia to great critical acclaim. Believing Toscano was ripe for change, Rochetta in 1944 planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta San Guido, his small vineyard in the Bolgheri hills. The terrain, similar to that of Graves in Bordeaux, at Tenuta San Guido gave Sassicaia its name, which in the Tuscan dialect means “stony ground.” Today Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta continues the tradition at the Tenuta San Guido estate, where he continues to produce the most elegant Super Tuscan there is!
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