Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2008 1500ml

Wine Advocate #191 Oct 2010
Tenuta San Guido¡¯s 2008 Guidalberto is a very pretty wine laced with mineral-infused dark fruit. This is a decidedly smaller scaled, lithe Guidalberto that impresses for its overall balance and finesse. The structure of the 2006 and the exuberance of the 2007 are missing, but the 2008 offers superb drinkability and pleasure today and over the next few years. Dried flowers, licorice and new leather add the final nuances of complexity on the finish. The 2008 Guidalberto is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Most of the fruit comes from vineyards that are separate from those used for Sassicaia, although Guidalberto always includes some barrels that don't make it into the top wine. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015.

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