Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2007 750ml

Wine Advocate #184, Aug 31, 2009 by Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Guidalberto is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with most of the fruit coming from a property adjacent to the vineyards used for Sassicaia. About 20% of the wine consists of declassified barrels of Sassicaia. The 2007 Guidalberto is another sexy, ripe offering from Tenuta San Guido. The wine reveals gorgeous inner perfume and endless layers of fruit that coat the palate all the way through to the long finish. The 2007 is not likely to be as long-lived as the 2006, but I doubt that will be much of a problem as these bottles are likely to be long gone by the time ageability becomes an issue. Readers will have a very hard time keeping their hands off this irresistible, sensual, opulent wine. The 2007 is another blockbuster Guidalberto! Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.

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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