Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2023

Guidalberto comes from Tenuta San Guido, a vast estate on the Tuscan coast in the Bolgheri wine area of Italy. The vines lie between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the hills of the Maremma, an environment blessed with regular sea breezes and a mild Mediterranean climate. The plots sit on varied soils of pebbles, gravel, clay and sand, which encourage natural drainage and a gradual ripening of the grapes. This coastal setting, combined with the influence of the nearby hills, helps preserve freshness, balance and aromatic expression in the estate's wines.

The grapes are harvested by hand, then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, with a maceration of around 7 to 10 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for 15 months in French oak barriques.

This wine reveals notes of blackcurrant, black cherry and ripe plum, alongside hints of violet, sweet pepper, liquorice and cedar. Touches of blond tobacco, cigar box and garrigue round off a deep, elegant bouquet. On the palate, the wine is supple and harmonious, carried by fresh acidity and fine yet present tannins. The long finish extends the flavours of black fruit, spice and fine oak.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, home of the Dolce Vita, but how hard it is to understand how its wine is organised! The key to understanding Italy's appellation system is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single uniform one, since each region has its own appellation system. Yet Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavours and styles, as well as bottles full of surprise and creativity. Unfortunately it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most useful and commercially renowned names: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let us talk a little history: winegrowing in Italy goes back to the most distant antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and changed the grape varieties, later calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and some regions already stood out for the excellence of their produce. The Romans also planted many vineyards across Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquests. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a fairly harsh mountain climate. The plain in the "middle of the boot" has a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. The "south of the boot" enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very hot, very dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a great variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of them native to its land. It is a country just as complex as its wines, and well worth exploring!