Tenuta San Guido is located in the Bolgheri seaside region of Tuscany, Italy. The Sassicaia wine produced in the winery is known as the king of Italian wines and enjoys the reputation of "Italian Lafite".
Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is the founder of Tenuta San Guido. He loves wine, horse racing and environmental protection. He has always dreamed of making a wine of excellent quality, an Italian wine that can be popular among the upper class, preferably in the Bordeaux style. In the 1940s, Marquis Mario and his wife came to settle in Sanguito Winery. He kept experimenting with this high-quality soil and finally made the pioneering use of Cabernet Sauvignon to make wine. innovation, becoming the "first person to eat crabs".
Tenuta San Guido produced Sassicaia wine from 1948 until the mid-1960s, but at that time it was only consumed within the winery. 1968 is a year worth remembering. This year, Sassicaia, which has been continuously improved, was launched for the first time. In the international blind tasting competition that year, Sassicaia shocked the entire wine world with its excellent performance. Its popularity is comparable to the top wineries in Bordeaux.
Tenuta San Guido's vineyard covers an area of 173 acres (about 70 hectares), all located in the Sassicaia DOC production area. The garden is planted with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The average age of grapevines is 25-30 years, the planting density is 4,000-5,000 plants/hectare, and the average yield is 1 kg/plant.
Tenuta San Guido's wines are produced in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats with a capacity of between 3,500 and 11,000 liters. The maceration time is approximately 2 weeks. Aging is carried out in 33% new French oak barrels with a capacity of 225 liters for 2 years.
Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto, also known as "Little Church of Sassicaia", is the sub-brand of Italian wine king Sassicaia. This wine is very famous in Italy, especially in the world of Super Tuscan. It is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese. Unlike many Bordeaux secondary brands, it does not use inferior grapes. It can definitely bear the title of secondary brand. In addition to having great qualities at a young age, it can also Aged for a long time.
🏅 James Suckling 94 pts
Lots of mint with sage and fresh rosemary to the currant and orange character on the nose, as well as some ripe raspberries. The palate is very refined with creamy and crunchy tannins that run the length of the wine. It shows a crunchy and energetic personality. Give it a year or two to come together, but it’s showing brightness for the vintage.
🏅 Wine Advocate 94 pts
Made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenuta San Guido 2022 Guidalberto gives you a good taste of the same DNA that brings us one of Italy's greatest wines, Sassicaia, but it's offered in a more immediate style here (thanks to the addition of the Merlot). This warm vintage opens to medium-dark concentration and very plump aromas that take you immediately to blackberry and blackcurrant sitting out in the sun at your local farmers market. The wine shows a soft and gentle side with a pretty level of elegance transmitted through the fruit freshness and the light oak spice that is discernible here but delivered with grace.
🏅 Wine Spectator 94 pts
This red is elegant, despite its firm structure and dense tannins. Black cherry, black currant, plum, tobacco, iron and rosemary flavors hold court, while all the components show balance. The finish is long, with a salty taste.
🏅 Decanter 94 pts
Guidalberto used to be great value for money, and even though it's a bit pricier these days, the quality has also improved dramatically in recent vintages as Tenuta San Guido seeks to remove the idea of Guidalberto as a ‘second wine’ by building a dedicated winemaking facility and adjusting the blend. The 2022 is loaded with herbal and sea breeze scents among bright, tangy berries. In the mouth it is saline and precise, with a succulence to the concentrated plum and black berry core, and a gracefulness to the tannic and acid structures which weave through it. Sapid and incredibly moreish, with a beautifully ripe red berry finish, this really does stand up on its own two feet.
