LE DIFESE - Tenuta San Guido 2018
Tenuta San Guido is much better known by the name of its most famous wine: Sassicaia. The estate is located in the Tuscany region of Maremma, Italy, and has its own single-estate DOC appellation (Bolgheri Sassicaia) applied to its flagship wine. Tenuta San Guido also makes Guidalberto and Le Difese from declassified fruit from Sassicaia and other vineyards on the estate; these two wines are classified IGT Toscana. In collaboration with the Santadi Co-op, the estate also owns Agricola Punica in Sardinia.
Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2018 (“The Tusks”) takes its name from the teeth of the wild boar that roam the Tuscan hills. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Sangiovese (30%). Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and maceration lasts around 12 to 15 days for Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 to 18 days for Sangiovese. It is then aged for 8 months in French oak barrels of third use that contained Sassicaia, and for another three months in the bottle.
In 2018, the icy winds from Siberia (Buran) brought the temperature well below zero and it snowed twice over the Bolgheri region, a situation that had not occurred for many years. The production was slightly below average but of excellent quality. The optimal climatic conditions that characterised the year and especially the period of phenolic ripening gave healthy, very ripe and aromatic grapes with less sugar.
Grape varieties: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese