Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2018
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Guado al Tasso 2018 is an intense ruby red color. The nose opens with captivating notes of sweet spices and small dark ripe fruit, licorice root, leather and tobacco. On the palate the tannins are graceful: silky on entry and vibrant on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Renzo Cotarella, managing director of Marchesi Antinori tells me that the 2018 vintage showed very different results in the inland and hilly Chianti Classico appellation compared to the flat, sea-facing Bolgheri appellation. This season saw some rain right before harvest. That extra humidity rolled right off the Chianti Classico hills and disappeared without effect, but it stuck around longer in the thicker, flatter soils of Guado al Tasso. For this reason, one of the estate's top wines, the Cabernet Franc-based Matarocchio, was not produced in 2018 for fear that the fruit would not offer the concentration required of a wine of that important stature. The best of that fruit was used in this wine instead. For that reason, the 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees a little more Cabernet Franc (clocking in at about 22% of the blend) and less Merlot, with the rest being Cabernet Sauvignon, of course, (at about 60%).
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James Suckling
Lots of redcurrants and flowers on the nose, together with crushed stones. Full-bodied and very layered with beautiful fruit and density, yet it remains agile and light. The tannins are totally integrated. I like the light herbal touch to the red fruit here. Flower petals. Juicy, flavorful finish with citrus zest at the end. 60% Cabernet sauvignon, 22% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. Really pretty now, but wait two or three years.
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Wine & Spirits
Rain showers early in the growing season replenished the water reserves at Guado al Tasso, leading to a plush and rich wine freshened by accents of cool herbs and violets. Its black plum and dark chocolate flavors are ripe and opulent, layered with notes of licorice and espresso, couched in a smooth, creamy texture. There’s plenty of vibrant acidity to keep those flavors lively in the coming years, as the rich oak tones integrate.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot, this has aromas of cassis, French oak, leather and a whiff of bell pepper that waft out of the glass. Elegantly structured, the bright, linear palate offers black-skinned berries, licorice and coffee bean set against taut, fine-grained tannins.
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Wine Spectator
Rich, intense fruit flavors of black currant and black cherry are shaded by vanilla, toasty oak, iron, black olive and tobacco accents in this complex, harmonious red. Fine balance and a lingering finish cap it off. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035.
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The Guado al Tasso Estate is located in the prestigious Bolgheri DOC, part of the Tuscan coastal area of Maremma, known for its untamed landscape and unspoiled beauty. Just 60 miles southwest of Florence, it sits on a magnificent plain in the heart of the Bolgheri amphitheater, a natural phenomenon created by hills that embrace the sea and produce a mild and temperate microclimate. Blessed with ample sunshine and constant breezes that take the edge off the summer heat and winter cold, Guado al Tasso is the ideal environment for cultivating healthy vine growth and proper ripening of the estate’s grapes. Inherited from Carlotta della Gherardesca, and revolutionized by Niccoló Antinori, the mother and father of Piero Antinori, Guado al Tasso is a reference point property in the life and history of the family. Here the challenge is to create wines of absolute excellence, always representative of the Bolgheri history, culture, and winemaking traditions.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.