Guado Al Tasso Cont’Ugo Tenuta Antinori

Producer

The Bolgheri DOC, situated near the coast a hundred kilometres southwest of Florence, started out as a rosé-only; whites were permitted in 1984, and ten years later the laws finally recognised the extraordinary success of the mould-breaking Cabernet-based reds. Antinori’s Guado al Tasso estate débuted with the 1990 vintage, and covers 1,000 hectares of land stretching from the hills around the village down to the coast. The vineyard itself comprises 300 hectares, with the remainder planted to wheat, sunflower and olives.

Vineyard

The vineyards lie at 45-60 metres above sea level, with a rocky limestone soil. Cuttings were supplied by the on-site nursery. The grapes were hand-picked.

Winery

The best grapes were selected by hand, then destemmed, gently crushed, and fermented in stainless steel for twenty-five days, some lots at lower temperatures to maximise aromatic freshness, some at 30ºC for structure and richness. The wine was then transferred to oak barrels (thirty percent new) for malolactic fermentation and twelve months’ ageing.