TSG brochure PC by armitwinesbrochures

The Estate The Tenuta San Guido takes its name from San Guido della Gherardesca who lived in the thirteenth century. It is located on the Etruscan coast between Livorno and Grosseto, in the Maremma made famous by the verses of Giosuè Carducci and extends for 13 kilometers from the sea to behind the hills. It contains three excellences: The Sassicaia, the Dormello Olgiata Breed in thoroughbred horses and the Marshes Of Bolgheri Wildlife Refuge, the first in Italy.

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta and her Father Nicolò

Quietly, elegantly and almost involuntarily, the Incisa della Rocchetta family set to release the wine that would revolutionise the Italian wine scene creating a totally new genre: the Super-Tuscan. Tenuta San Guido is now a legendary estate and was first planted in the 1940s by the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who noted the similarity between Bolgheri’s terroir and that of the Graves. When, in 1968, Sassicaia was finally commercially released, it took the fine wine world by storm. Cementing its iconic status, in 1994 it was granted its own appellation – Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC the first, and so far, only case in Italy of a DOC contained within one estate. The specific parcels chosen to cultivate the vines vary in altitude, aspect, and soil composition, adding to the overall complexity of the wines of Tenuta San Guido. the first, and so far, only case in Italy of a DOC contained within one estate. The estate yields are kept very low, 55-60 quintals per hectare, guaranteeing pristine grapes that will give life to elegant, age-worthy wines.

VINTAGE REPORT - 2020 The 2020 vintage was generally positive although it was conditioned by a certain climatic instability, that prevented it from reaching the level of the excellent 2016. This consideration generally applies to all grape varieties. Nonetheless, the less favourable conditions mostly influenced the more precautious grapes as opposed to Cabernet Sauvignon for example, which constitutes almost 70% of the entire ampelographic base of Tenuta San Guido and about 85% our DOC Sassicaia. The abundant rains that occurred in autumn, especially in November, throughout the first months of the new year, contributed to a good 2020 harvest. In fact, they guaranteed a good level of underground water resources, which proved to be indispensable during the hot summer months. Spring started late due to colder temperatures, however, from a qualitative point of view this situation has favoured the conformation of smaller bunches, with more sparse berries and greater concentration. Spring continued with cool temperatures without rain. During May, the month of flowering, we recorded days of sunshine, with normal temperatures and no winds. The latter aspect is fundamental to facilitate the regular flowering and optimal fruit set.

The most intense heat was recorded from the second half of June, with temperatures well above the seasonal average, continuing in the absence of rain until the first half of August. Luckily, thanks to the abundant rains that occurred in autumn and winter, enriching the water reserves of the subsoil, the vines never suffered any stress. On the contrary, they continued to develop regularly, even in the hottest months, close to the harvest. This is an important aspect that determined the good qualitative result of the 2020 vintage. The soils were fresh and moist, a condition that allowed the regular performance of the biological functions of the vines and facilitated their phenolic maturation. The grapes arrived in the cellar healthy and with good ripeness and homogeneous pigmentation. On the other hand, the maturity and lignification of the grape seeds was excellent, in favour of a less dominant tannin content in the wines. Although it is still early to be able to judge the quality of the products of the 2020 harvest, and equally to distinguish the results for the different wines and varieties, we would like to say that the main characteristics of the wines of this vintage are the good structure, with enveloping wines and of excellent density, a slightly lower acidity but in excellent balance with the PH, a good expression of the fruit, both on the nose but above all on the palate, and a nice persistence. Without a doubt, the wines of the 2020 vintage will have a long evolutionary path and a long positive curve in their evolution.

VINTAGE REPORT - 2019 After a rather mild and dry December, the month of January until the end of February, the temperatures were often below the seasonal average and made even more rigid by the strong north winds. The main feature of the winter was the significant lack of rainfall which, with the exception of some showers that occurred at the end of February, were practically absent for the rest of the period up to budding. Since mid-March, the beautiful sunny days and the consistent increase in temperatures have anticipated budding, giving the impression of an early spring. However, in April, the weather changed with a drop in temperatures and the arrival of the long-awaited rains. It was precisely the rainfall throughout the month of April that re-established the water level in the subsoils. Two short hailstorms of small size, which fell on two different days in late April, contributed to thinning the shoots but without compromising production. The continuation of spring especially throughout the month of May was somewhat unusual, characterized by a sudden drop in temperatures (clearly below seasonal average), heavy rains alternating with north cold winds. After a rainy and cold May, the good weather in June favoured an excellent vegetative recovery of the plants. The leaf canopy to date is enviable. The flowering phase took place between the end of May and the beginning of June, starting from the vineyards located on the flatter land and gradually ending in the vineyards located on the hills. Excellent fruit set that took place regularly and in optimal weather conditions. The whole month of June was affected by sharply rising temperatures with peaks above the seasonal norm. The last week of June was particularly hot with peaks above 40 ° but fortunately the excessive heat persisted for a short time, then stabilizing on average seasonal temperatures, with sea winds that brought greater refreshment to the vineyards.

The months of July and August were somewhat warm months but with average temperatures and never without excesses except for the last week of July. After mid-August, some rains brought refreshment to the plants and contributed to normalizing the vitality of the plants. With the last week of August, temperatures dropped, especially at night, bringing refreshment to the plants and favouring a slow but progressive ripening of the grapes. The harvest began on September 5 with the grapes from some of the younger Cabernet Franc and Merlot vineyards, while the other plants are expected to wait another week. On Monday 9, thanks also to the recovery the weather already on Sunday and the north winds, the harvest began with both the first Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Very beautiful, healthy grapes with crunchy fruits. Beautiful immediate extraction in young musts and beautiful concentration of the fruit. Sugar levels rather high 240/260 g / l but overall respectable analytical values and in some ways similar to the 2016 vintage. The month of September continued with temperatures above the seasonal norm and some thunderstorms between the middle and the end of the month prolonged the harvest time, especially of the cabernet sauvignon which slowed down the ripening compared to the initial forecasts. Sauvignon harvesting began around the last week of September and continued until the first ten days of October. The production, if initially it might have seemed higher than last year, was lower due to the smaller size of the bunches and the weight of the bunches of Cabernet Sauvignon. Compared to the 2018 vintage, production was around + 3.1%, while compared to the 2016 vintage it would have been -12.8%. Excellent quality of the grapes, good concentration of the fruit with spicy aromas and important structure that can be felt in the freshly drawn musts. Sugar load higher than the normal trend of the last years but with the advantage of respectable acidity and PH (Average Total Acidity 5.85-6.00 and average PH 3.453.50). The rain that fell between the night of Sunday 6 October and Monday 7 October has postponed the end of the grape harvest for a few days to complete however with the grapes from the vineyards located on the heights of Castiglioncello di Bolgheri on Wednesday 9 October, the date of the end of the harvest 2019.

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