CRITIC REVIEWS
Aldo Fiordelli
The opulent style typical of Guado al Tasso is confirmed this year. In warm vintages such as 2011, for example, it demonstrated character and power not without grace or personality. This vintage shows great fruit concentration with a floral touch, with ripe, forward cassis aroma and dark chocolate flavour. Still vinous on the palate, it shines for its youthfulness. Silky tannins give a slightly drier finish, but this is very well balanced for long ageing.
Monica Larner
From a warm and sunny vintage that produced darkly concentrated fruit, the Tenuta Guado al Tasso 2017 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a teaser and a super pleaser. This is one flashy wine. This carefully calculated blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot pours from the bottle with a beautifully saturated and rich color. I double-decanted my sample before writing this review, and the wines aromas showed immediate harmony and intensity. The wine seduces and flirts with all your senses. This vintage caps many years of study regarding blending: The Merlot is slightly decreased here, and the Cabernet Franc is slowly taking on a more important supporting role. The Petit Verdot that was used as a peppery accent two years ago has now been removed altogether. The results are pliant, seamless and fluid, and thats the big takeaway here. The wine is bountiful, round, supple and full-bodied. Unless you are decidedly not a fan of this style, theres nothing not to love. I had anticipated more tightness in terms of possible hot-vintage tannins, but I am very pleased by the general integration of the mouthfeel. The Guado al Tasso vineyards are located not too far from the sea, at a low elevation of about 60 meters above sea level. The soils are alluvial with a unique mix of limestone clay and sand, with pockets of rocks and are generally known as the Bolgheri Agglomerate. Some 120,000 bottles of this vintage hit the market in February 2020.