Tenuta San Guido is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

producer in the DOC

Bolgheri Bolgheri () is a central Italian village and hamlet (''frazione'') of Castagneto Carducci, a municipality (''comune'') in the province of Livorno, Tuscany. in 2011 it had a population of 131. History First mentioned in 1075, in a papal bull by ...

Toscana it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, known as a producer of "Super Tuscan" wine. It produces Sassicaia, a

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectu ...

-style red wine. The estate also produces a

second wine Second wine or second label ( French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

, Guidalberto, and a third wine, Le Difese. Tenuta San Guido is member of the

Primum Familiae Vini Primum Familiae Vini (often abbreviated PFV, Latin: "First Families of Wine") is an association of family-owned wineries with a membership limited to twelve families. History The association was established in 1993 by Miguel Torres and Robert D ...

History

Tenuta San Guido was established by marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who was also co-owner of the race horse Ribot. Considered the seminal " Super Tuscan", the name Sassicaia (

''sasso'' meaning "stone", indicating a stony field) originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rocchetta using

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon ...

vines A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth Habit (biology), habit of trailing or wikt:scandent, scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to ...

and for years only used for family consumption. A story about these vines being sourced from

Château Lafite-Rothschild A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

, was dismissed by Mario's son, Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, as the vineyard was planted from "cuttings from 50-year-old vines from a friend’s estate near

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ci ...

". Though for years Sassicaia remained the marchese’s personal wine, his son Nicolò and nephew Piero

Antinori Marchesi Antinori Srl is an Italian wine company that can trace its history back to 1385. They are one of the biggest wine companies in Italy, and their innovations played a large part in the " Super-Tuscan" revolution of the 1970s. Antinori is ...

convinced him to release it commercially, starting with the 1968 vintage, which was unveiled in 1971. Initially there were only a few thousand bottles available, but those created a demand for more. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta hired consulting

enologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ...

Giacomo Tachis Giacomo Tachis (4 November 1933 – 6 February 2016) was an Italian oenologist. Known as the father of Super Tuscan wines, he has been credited with having kickstarted Italy's wine renaissance. Biography Born in Poirino, Piedmont, in 1954 Ta ...

to further refine the wine while increasing production. At a 1978 ''

Decanter A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or crystal. Their volume is usually equ ...

'' tasting of "great clarets", a panel including Hugh Johnson,

Serena Sutcliffe Serena Sutcliffe, Master of Wine, (born 1945), is the head of Sotheby's international wine department, as well as a prominent writer on wine. She is married to fellow Master of Wine David Peppercorn. Joining the wine trade in 1971, she passed the M ...

and

Clive Coates Clive Coates (21 October 1941 – 26 July 2022) was a British wine writer and Master of Wine, best known for his books about the wines of Burgundy.winepros.com.au. Biography Born in Wimbledon, London on 21 October 1941, Coates worked for Th ...

awarded the 1972 Sassicaia first place over a field of 33 wines from 11 countries. In 1994 Sassicaia was granted its own DOC (Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC), the only wine from a single estate in Italy to enjoy this privilege. Before that, and in similarity to other wines made outside the traditional DOC/DOCG regulations, Sassicaia was classified as an

Indicazione geografica tipica ''Indicazione geografica tipica'' () is the third of four classifications of wine recognized by the government of Italy. Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with th ...

(IGT). Initially it was a

Vino da tavola Table wine (rarely abbreviated TW) is a wine term with two different meanings: a style of wine and a quality level within wine classification. In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortifi ...

Production

Tenuta San Guido cultivates fruit from several plots around Bolgheri, extending , with a grape variety distribution of 85%

and 15%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being u ...

. The annual production is approximately 180,000 bottles. The second wine, Guidalberto, was introduced in 2000. Its first vintage was composed of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

and 20%

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grap ...

. Newer vintages do not contain any Sangiovese. The wine has an annual production of 150,000 bottles. The most recently added wine, Le Difese, is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, with an annual production of 120,000 bottles.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:San Guido, Tenuta Wineries of Italy Primum Familiae Vini