Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2017 750ml

Wine Advocate 18Jan19, by Monica Larner

The 2017 Le Difese (a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese) meets its immediate goals as an entry level red. This is an easy-drinking Tuscan blend from a warm vintage that shows dark, ripe fruit nuances over a short and lean mouthfeel. That said, I have always thought that more could be done with Le Difese especially considering its Tenuta San Guido pedigree. There is potential here to make this a better wine for sure.

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.

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