Tenuta San Guido

Tenuta San Guido is an Italian wine producer in the DOC Bolgheri in Toscana, known as a producer of "Super Tuscan" wine. Its wine Sassicaia is considered one of Italy's leading Bordeaux-style red wines.[1][2][3] The estate also produces a second wine, Guidalberto, and the third wine Le Difese. Sassicaia is member of the Primum Familiae Vini.

Contents

History

Tenuta San Guido was established by Mario Incisa della Rochetta. Considered the seminal "Super Tuscan", the name Sassicaia (Italian sasso meaning stone) indicating a stony field,[1] originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rochetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines reputedly sourced from Château Lafite-Rothschild,[2] and for years only used for family consumption.[1] From 1968, internationally renowned consultants were engaged to improve the production, such as Giacomo Tachis and Émile Peynaud.[1] Small commercial quantities were not released until in the mid 1970s.[4]

At a 1978 Decanter tasting of "great clarets", a panel including Hugh Johnson, Serena Sutcliffe and Clive Coates awarded the 1972 Sassicaia victory over a field of 33 wines from 11 countries, and established the wine's international reputation.[1] Since the 1980s the position of Sassicaia has been by some accounts eclipsed by Ornellaia, produced by the property adjacent to Tenuta San Guido, suggested to be its owner Lodovico Antinori’s competitive answer to his cousin Nicolò Incisa's Sassicaia and his older brother Piero Antinori's wine, Solaia.[5]

In the late 1990s Sassicaia was granted its own DOC (Bolgheri), the only wine from a single estate in Italy to enjoy this privilege.[4] Before that, and in similarity to other wines made outside the traditional DOC/DOCG regulations, Sassicaia was classified as an Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT). Initially it was a Vino da tavola, which is normally a category for wines of little complexity.

Production

Tenuta San Guido cultivates fruit from several plots scattered around Bolgheri extending 75 hectares (190 acres), with a grape variety distribution of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.[1][6] The annual production is approximately 180,000 bottles.

The second wine, Guidalberto, was introduced in 2000, and is composed of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 10% Sangiovese, and has an annual production of 150,000 bottles.

The most recent addition to the portfolio, La Difese,[7] is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, with an annual production of 120,000 bottles.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Belfrage, Nicolas (2001). Brunello to Zibibbo: The Wines of Tuscany, Central and Southern Italy. Mitchell Beazley classic wine library. London: Mitchell Beazley. pp. 392–395. ISBN 1840007907. OCLC 51030764. 
  2. ^ a b Stevenson, Tom (2005). "West-Central Italy". The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia (4th ed.). London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 283. ISBN 0756613248. OCLC 63178380. 
  3. ^ Atkin, Tim (October 1, 2000). "Roll out the Barolo". The Observer (London). http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/experts/timatkin/story/0,,1620033,00.html. 
  4. ^ a b Robinson, Jancis, ed (1999). "Sassicaia". The Oxford Companion to Wine (2nd ed.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 616. ISBN 019866236X. OCLC 41660699. http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2863. 
  5. ^ Teague, Lettie (December 2006). "Are Super-Tuscans Still Super?". Food & Wine. http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/are-super-tuscans-still-super. 
  6. ^ Kissack, Chris (5 February 2008). "Tenuta San Guido". The Winedoctor. http://www.thewinedoctor.com/italy/sanguido.shtml. 
  7. ^ Zacharkiw, Bill (November 25, 2008). "Spend cash and drink Italian". The Montreal Gazette. http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/wine/story.html?id=8ae64917-1de8-4c8f-9e39-6b35a31ce300. Retrieved 29 July 2011. 

External links