Today we have on offer the new release of wines from Tenuta San Guido, producer of the famed Sassicaia and its sister wines, Le Difese and Guidalberto.
About The Estate
 Tenuta San Guido is one of the great estates of Italy. Smaller today than once it was, it extends over 5,000 acres, of which about 150 are planted with vines. The first vineyard was planted on the estate in the early 1940s near Castiglioncello, the Incisa Della Rochetta fortress which dominates the local landscape, with grafts of Cabernet Sauvignon purchased from Château Lafite. The site was selected because of its perfect microclimate and the shelter from the sea breezes provided by the castle. The vineyard carries the name of the castle, and as each subsequent vineyard has been planted, it has been named after a nearby farmhouse or landmark. Traditionally, the family only made wine for the consumption of relations, friends and local people but Nicolò's father Mario, who came from Piedmont, was a great wine lover, particularly of the best Bordeaux wines. Mario decided to make his own wine on the estate, which until then had only been famous for the breeding of racehorses and the production of tulips. The Antinoris were cousins and there may also, perhaps, have been an element of competition involved. One thing led to another and the Incisa Della Rocchetta family launched Sassicaia onto the open market with the 1968 vintage when only six hundred cases were produced. Today, Sassicaia is a wine of international renown and is recognized as the founding father of the "Super Tuscan" movement. Harvesting is all done by hand with a low yield of 5-6 tonnes of grapes per hectare, to ensure that each vine produces fruit rich in sugar, tannins, and potential extract. Vinification takes place in stainless steel vats with maceration normally lasting for around 14 days. Small French oak barriques, of which a third are renewed each year, are used to age the wine for 20 months. The wine is then aged in bottle, in the Tenuta San Guido cellars, for 6 months before being released for sale.
Orders can be placed by emailing Jon Ellison at jonellison@marquis-wines.com.
* Prices and availability subject to change without notice.
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Tenuta San Guido 2012 Le Difese - $33.00 inclusive of tax
"The 2012 Le Difese is a bright and fruit-forward blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Sangiovese (aged one year in oak) that shows a point of ripe fruit or strawberry at the very start. There's a frank simplicity to this wine that makes it a pleasure to drink without too much contemplation. That solid core of ripe fruit is embellished by soft contours of spice and tobacco."
- eRobertParker.com #215 88 points
Tenuta San Guido 2012 Guidalberto - $60.00 inclusive of tax
"The 2012 Guidalberto (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) impresses for the approachable, yet intriguing, delivery of fruit. The style is fruit-forward and ripe, yet the wine is not banal. There's a fluidity to the bouquet that brings it to cherry and blackberry with soft tones of leather and tobacco woven deep within. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and rich without feeling heavy or flat. The 2012 vintage shows good energy and verve, with a long flavor trail of chocolate and toasted espresso that leaves a favorable mark."
- eRobertParker.com #215 91 points
Tenuta San Guido 2011 Sassicaia - $210.00 inclusive of tax
"The 2011 Sassicaia Bolgheri Sassicaia does not reach the awe-inspiring heights of the two previous vintages (2009 and 2010) that are both iconic in their beauty and pedigree. Sassicaia always suffers when tasted young, which makes it a challenge to assess properly at release time. Even accounting for the wine's future evolution, there's no doubt that this vintage lacks the amazing sense of depth, energy and profound complexity that characterize the greatest editions of this landmark Italian wine. The winemaking quality is intact and the quality of fruit is beautiful indeed, albeit on the soft and ripe side. The bouquet is redolent of wild blackberry, cola, Mediterranean herb and blanched almond. In the mouth, it delivers a lingering sense of strength and firmness with ash, crushed rock and dried cherry. Perhaps the magic is still to come: Sassicaia should be aged for at least five to ten more years."
- eRobertParker.com #215 94 points
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Offering Archive
To view the offerings we have recently sent out, please click any of the links below:
*please note that some of the wines listed in the links above may no longer be available.
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