Tenuta San Guido Experience - Sassicaia Guidalberto Le Difese Collection

TENUTA SAN GUIDO EXPERIENCE

1 Sassicaia 2018 - 1 Guidalberto 2019 - 1 Le Difese 2018

The whole collection from the most prestigious and awarded winery in Tuscany  

SASSICAIA 2018, Tenuta San Guido, Toscana
Grape Varieties : 85% Cabernet Sauvignon & 15% Cabernet Franc

One of the secret of Bolgheri’s mediterranean and windy climate is to turn pyrazines from the Cabernets into extra-dimensional scents of citron and leafy aromas. Sassicaia has been producing Cabernet-based wines here since 1968, which are typically marked by this fresh character on the nose.

There's a note of kiwi peel that's particularly intense in this 2018, along with some cedar. In this vintage, its character is - if possible - more restrained than usual and definitely more so than the exceptional 2015. Small dark fruits lurk in the depth of the super- youthful nose, while on the palate the wine is not completely ready to drink - despite the good integration of oak, the tannins are still crunchy, perfectly ripe yet chewy, pushed by a lively acidity. An extremely elegant Sassicaia with a refined finish, this is built for the long haul and is possibly the best of this decade.

GUIDALBERTO 2019, Tenuta San Guido, Toscana
Grape Varieties : 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot
The wine is characterized by its optimum roundness and softness, having a density without sharpness. Its excellent body and great balance with enduring persistence are already evident on the palate. This wine's significant polyphenolic content allows us to predict an excellent longevity.

LE DIFESE 2018
From Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia Producer, a unique wine for every day drinking  

Le Difese (Toscana IGT) is produced by Tenuta San Guido since 2003.

It is a 70% Cabernet and 30% Sangiovese blend.

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at controlled temperature and maceration lasts for about 12 days for both the Cabernet Sauvignon to the Sangiovese. It is then aged for 12 months in French and American oak barrels and for a further three months in the bottle.

The wine is distinguished by a good structure and is extremely supple making it very pleasant and drinkable  

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TENUTA SAN GUIDO

Tenuta San Guido is named after the Saint Guido della Gherardesca who lived during the XI century. It is located on the Tyrrhenian coast, between Leghorn and Grosseto, in Maremma an area made famous by Italian Nobel prize winner Giosuè Carducci, and it stretches for 13 km from the sea to the hills.

Three are its defining characteristics: the Sassicaia wine, the Razza Dormello-Olgiata thoroughbred studfarm and the Bird Sanctuary Padule di Bolgheri. They divide the estate between the Padule on the coast, the horse's training grounds on the plain, and the vineyards planted up to 350 meters on the hills. The latter have been given their own DOC, the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, the first, and so far only case in Italy of a DOC contained in one estate.

The wedding of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and Clarice della Gherardesca on October 18th 1930 started it all.

They shared a love for thoroughbred horses that made them form a partnership with horse breeder and trainer Federico Tesio. Mario Incisa's love of good wine made him plant Cabernet vines in 1942 for what was to become Sassicaia. Seventeen years later the Bolgheri Bird Sanctuary becomes Italy's first private nature preserve.

The Vineyards

The vineyards of Tenuta San Guido cover approximately 90 hectares and are divided into areas chosen for the particular characteristics of both exposure and composition of the soil.

Some of the vines are planted on the hillside, at an altitude ranging from 200 to 300 meters a.s.l..

For example, the vineyards of San Martino and Mandrioli are close to the hills in the central area of the estate, while the remaining are located lower, at an altitude of about 80 meters a.s.l..

Climate is crucial for a correct and healthy maturation of the grapes. It is influenced by the sea and by the hills that shelter the estate from the inland winds.

The location of vineyards in different areas and elevation is an important factor in the complexity of the wines, and provides a wide choice for the harvest, depending on the weather conditions and the maturation of the grapes. This was recently proved in a study by the University of Pisa that highlighted the uniqueness of the vineyards of Tenuta San Guido by soil type and exposure, compared to the surrounding area.

The vineyards produce about 55-60 quintals (5500-6000 kg) per hectare. The farming system and the low yield of grapes per vine, give a product that is healthy and rich in sugar, tannin and extract.