2008 Guidalberto, Castagneto Carducci
45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 10% Sangiovese
Aged for 1 year in 225 Liter French and American Barriques
Price: $40 – 45
Also known as baby Sassicaia and making its debut in 2000, this is no doubt one of my preferred bottles and one of the best values out there as it is priced at a quarter of what its older brother fetches at top cost. Up to 20% of the Cabernet is sourced from declassified Sassicaia grapes, giving you a small glimpse of what legendary tastes like. Initial aromas consisted of cassis and sweet cigar box tightly coiled, slowly unraveling and revealing itself. This is a delicate wine, restrained in nature with a subtleness to it, which is why you need to be patient and attentive. Blueberry, blackberry and cassis make up the fruit leading into an incredibly sweet cigar,cedarwood and Tuscan earth taste laced with an assortment of spices. Tannins are round, silky smooth and are soft enough to lay down and fall asleep on, not to mention a focused yet fresh acidity in the background courtesy of the Sangiovese. There is so much balance and lingering depth within this glass, its simply amazing….
This bottle can be enjoyed at this very moment and could be aged for another ten years. I opened an 03 somewhere around three months ago and it was drinking fantastic. Aromas were mature with dry flowers and cedarwood leading into flavors of sweet cigar, cassis and Tuscan earth.
No one would expect anything less from Tenuta San Guido, the first to create and release a Bordeaux style wine and aged in small French barriques. The first to set off the suertuscan craze with Sassicaia making its debut to the market in 1968 with vines being originally planted in the early 1940’s for personal consumption. If you have the opportunity to taste this wine chances are you will not be disappointed. 80-85% Cabernet Sauvignon & 15-20% Cabernet Franc
Grapestompers 