2023 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana

This vintage shows a remarkable aromatic profile of Mediterranean herbs, cassis, black cherries, leather and earth with a kind of gamey depth. Full-bodied, it shows velvety, slightly sandy tannins with a firm structure, refreshing integrated acidity and a savory cedar finish.

I have always argued that Guidalberto is the most misunderstood wine in Bolgheri. Too often dismissed as just "Baby Sassicaia," it is actually a distinct, serious wine with its own identity—and in a vintage like 2023 is where I find it more interesting. While the 2022s were about solar power and flesh, the 2023 vintage marks a return to a more "classic" style of Bolgheri: defined by tension, aromatics, and lift. This is where the Merlot (40%) in the blend really does the heavy lifting, providing a lush, velvety mid-palate that perfectly counterbalances the vertical, graphite-driven spine of the Cabernet Sauvignon (60%). On the nose, you get that signature San Guido balsamic note: It smells "cool" and sophisticated this year. On the palate, the wine has a vibrating energy. It is medium-bodied and sleek, avoiding the heavy extraction that plagues so many other wines from the coast. If you love the elegance of Sassicaia but want something you can actually drink on a Tuesday night, this is the benchmark. And this vintage might make happy also the Piedmontese drinkers