Tenuta San Guido, Guidalberto, Tuscany, Italy, 2021

Overview of the Wine
The Tenuta San Guido is a 7,500-acre estate located in the province of Livorno on the western coastal outskirts of Tuscany near the village of Bolgheri. Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta acquired it through his marriage to Clarice della Gherardesca in 1940.

The legacy of Sassicaia began in 1944, when Mario Incisa acquired a number of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc vine cuttings and planted them on a sloping hillside of the San Guido estate, called Castiglioncello after the 11th-century castle at the vineyard's upper edge. This tiny, 3.75-acre vineyard stood alone until 1965, when a second Cabernet vineyard was planted with cuttings from the Castiglioncello parcel; the gravelly, 30-acre plot would give the wine its name: Sassicaia, "the place of many stones".

With the radical changes in the D.O.C. system of regulations as of the 1994 vintage, Sassicaia's extraordinary reputation was acknowledged through the Italian government's granting the wine its own appellation.

Sassicaia is today considered to be the new plus ultra of Italy's great red wines for its consistent excellence and its intuitive spirit. Acclaimed by the wine world's most respected voices, Sassicaia remains the legacy of its creator, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, and his son, Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta.

Grape / Blend
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot

Origin
Tuscany, Italy

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
A full-bodied wine of intense red fruit flavor and elegantly supple texture supported by ripe, silky tannins. The Merlot in the blend is expressed in sweet black fruit with overall aromas of ripe, concentrated berries offset by restrained spicy oak notes.

Pair with meat sauce pastas and roasted meats.

95 Points - Decanter
According to Tenuta San Guido’s director of winemaking, Carlo Paoli, the 2021 is the best Guidalberto he has ever made. The percentage of Merlot was reduced back to the typical 40% this year because the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon was so good. The 2021 Guidalberto is very deeply coloured, almost black with a narrow purple rim. It took an hour or so to really open up, but when it did, it had a wonderful range of aromas and flavours. Cassis and blueberry, blue flowers, and violet and iris notes are followed by a palate full of perfectly ripe blackberries and blueberries wrapped in gentle, cream flavours. This is a wine of velvety richness balanced by vivid acidity, with very pure, focused flavours and aromas. Delightful!

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the Tenuta San Guido 2021 Guidalberto shows tart cherry fruit with darker tones of blackberry and plum. This vintage delivers especially chiseled and focused fruit characteristics that are elegantly framed by light spice, cola and earth. This vintage shows a heightened sense of intensity and territorial identity that is the hallmark of this storied estate.

93 Points - Vinous
The 2021 Guidalberto, San Guido's blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is soft, succulent and alluring right out of the gate. The supple contours of Merlot lend fleshiness to this mid-weight, racy Maremma blend. Ripe red cherry fruit, spice, leather and tobacco are nicely pushed forward. Best of all, the 2021 will drink well right out of the gate.

93 Points - James Suckling
Aromas of blackcurrants, dark cherries, chocolate, ground spices and crushed rocks. Medium- to full-bodied with compact but supple and polished tannins. Shows savory notes with hints of dried mushrooms and chocolate. Attractive with a lingering finish.

Product size: 750ml