Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2022

Guidalberto comes from Tenuta San Guido, the Incisa della Rocchetta estate in Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast of La Maremma, the same property behind Sassicaia. It blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux idiom that defined the region. The vineyards sit close to the Tyrrhenian Sea, where maritime breezes and free-draining soils extend ripening and keep acidity in line with the warm climate, so the fruit reaches full maturity while holding freshness. The wine spends fifteen months in French oak barrels. That time allows slow oxygen exchange through the staves, which softens and polymerises the tannins drawn from the Cabernet skins and adds cedar, vanilla and a fine grained structure. The blend completes malolactic fermentation, converting sharper malic acid to softer lactic acid and rounding the mid palate. It pours a deep ruby with garnet edges. The nose shows ripe plum, dark cherry and redcurrant lifted by tobacco, sweet spice and earth. The palate is medium to full, with firm but ripe tannins, savoury length and a cedar-edged finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant for an hour. It suits roast beef, lamb and aged hard cheese.