Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2015 750ml

Wine Advocate #230, Apr 28, 2017 by Monica Larner
The 2015 vintage promises good things in Tuscany and this wine offers an informal sneak peek at what we can expect from the celebrated Tenuta San Guido vineyards in Bolgheri. The 2015 Guidalberto opens to a darkly saturated garnet hue. It shows similar concentration and power in terms of its aromatic delivery. Aromas are shapely and round with dark fruit nuances followed by leather, spice and dark tar. The wine is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a smaller part Merlot. You feel the lush softness of the second grape as the wine glides smoothly over the palate. It takes on more weight in the glass. This is a solid buy from Bolgheri on the Tuscany Coast.

Tenuta San Guido is an Italian producer of wine and was founded by Mario Incisa della Rochetta. They are a well respected producer of a Super Tuscan wine called Sassicaia which is today one of Italy’s finest Bordeaux style red wines. The Super Tuscan first came about in 1948 when Incisa della Rochetta, who established Tenuta San Guido, used Cabernet Sauvignon vines to make the wine. For twenty years this wine was used strictly for family consumption until the wine producer engaged some international wine consultants to improve on the wine. Many years later in the mid 1970s commercial quantities were released in small amounts.

When you hear the term Super Tuscan today words like creativity, rebellion, defiance and freedom all come to mind. Mario Incissa della Rochetta had a vision and drive to make a blend of wine that followed a path similar to Bordeaux wines. This was a bold move since no one expected the vines in Bolgheri to amount to much with the salty air coming from the sea invading the atmosphere. Regulations from the DOC and DOCG were another limiting factor which held the creativity of the wine makers in check.

Meats, Beef and Venison