Antinori Guado al Tasso 2011

WA 95 / Decanter 94 pts

WA: Forever the superstar, the 2011 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a delicious wine that never holds back in terms of intensity and seamless integration. Every detail has been finessed. The blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Each vineyard parcel is fermented separately to maintain varietal identity. The wine’s appearance is dark and luscious with thick extraction and a vibrant dark garnet hue. Generous aromas of dark fruit, tobacco and chocolate lift steadily from the glass. The mouthfeel is soft and yielding with a great sense of tannic persistency that holds up the finish, which can be counted in many long minutes.

Decanter: The 2011 vintage was characterised by a spring and late summer which were warm and registered temperatures above normal. The heat of late August caused some irregularity in ripening, mostly in the case of the early ripening Merlot. This caused some loss of production. Renzo Cotarella says the tannin is ‘less evolved’. Guado al Tasso 2011, indeed, is the dark side of Bolgheri; blackish in the glass, with black fruits, dark chocolate and cigar box aromas, full on the palate with a youth vintage-Port-like tannin yet a great depth and personality.