A wine and its territory: guidalberto and tenuta san guido

Here, the Via Aurelia follows the path of the ancient railway, which has been one of the most important rail traffic routes in Tuscany for over 150 years. It is also where, in 1703, the Della Gherardesca family built a chapel, the Oratory of San Guido, destined to become the symbol of this territory.

The Oratory of San Guido is the starting point of the famous Cypress Avenue, stretching for five kilometers to the historic center of Bolgheri. It was Guidalberto della Gherardesca, a pioneer in agricultural conversion who breathed new life into this area, who planted those "duplici filari di giganti giovinetti" described by Giosuè Carducci.

When Tenuta San Guido decided to release a new wine in 2000, it wanted to approach the territory with the same passion, respect, and enthusiasm that characterized the construction of the oratory and the creation of the iconic Cypress Avenue. The homage to family tradition is reiterated in the name, inspired by the noble ancestor Guidalberto, and in the label illustration, a stylized reproduction of the Oratory of San Guido.

Unlike what Carducci wrote, "fresca è la sera e a te noto il cammino" Guidalberto's journey has not always been as straight as that of the Cypress Avenue. Initially considered the younger brother of Sassicaia, Guidalberto took time to 'emancipate' from the imposing presence of the elder brother. Reviewing the twenty-one years of its evolution means understanding how a wine can grow and acquire its own identity, a result of the foresight of its parents and the constant attention of Nature, a tutor guided by patience and reliability.

The Guidalberto Story, the Wine of the New Millennium

The late 1990s Merlot became increasingly popular, as a new protagonist in the global wine scene. Even in Bolgheri, already one of the most iconic places in Italian winemaking, there was a shift towards this prestigious grape for both single-varietal wines and blends.

Nicolò Incisa Della Rocchetta, always attentive to new trends in the wine world, sought the assistance of winemaker Giacomo Tachis to plant new vineyards along the Cypress Avenue, between the Oratory of San Guido and the hills. These clay and loam-rich soils, less rocky than the Sassicaia terroir, were more suitable for Merlot ripening. The perspective of a blend between these two grape varieties proved to be a fortunate intuition, allowing Tenuta San Guido to produce the 2000 vintage as the first harvest of Guidalberto, facing the new millennium with renewed enthusiasm.

In the following years, the vineyard area dedicated to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon was further expanded, with numerous plots planted at various altitudes, on different soils and with different exposures. The average age of the vineyards dedicated to the production of Guidalberto rose to 18 years, defining a wine even more complex and authoritative. Merlot imparts a soft elegance that perfectly complements the flair and verticality of Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot requires precise timing in harvesting to bring lively notes of fresh fruit, a sensory aspect that consistently appears in all Tenuta San Guido wines.

Tenuta San Guido's Meticulous Winemaking

Winemaking is a process that requires passion, patience, and knowledge at every stage. Grape selection is done in the vineyard and then on the sorting table. Primary fermentations take place in steel tanks using proprietary yeasts reproduced to enrich the wines' structure and aromatic qualities while preserving the characteristics of the originating terroir. Macerations, with frequent pump-overs and delestage, yield well-balanced musts, excellent anthocyanin extraction, and good aromatic extraction with noble and well-integrated tannins. Malolactic fermentations also occur in steel tanks gradually, providing finesse and balance to the musts.

Each wine lot from different vineyards is then aged separately in French oak barrels for about 15 months. After wood aging, the wine is transferred to steel vats for a period of 20-30 days. Aging is conducted to best balance the complexity of the tannins while highlighting primary and secondary aromas. Finally, the wine is aged for about three months in glass before being released to the market.

From Cadet to Protagonist: Guidalberto Today and Tomorrow

The Tenuta San Guido school involves long and meticulous agronomic experiments—a patient work that has borne fruit. After more than twenty years of careful analysis, Guidalberto is now a wine that well interprets its land of origin. 

It has a recognizable character in its full and satisfying drinkability, akin to Sassicaia in elegance and sapidity. Embracing a youthful style, it seeks characteristic scents of the territory, such as hints of Mediterranean scrub. Merlot expresses notes of wild blackberries and can provide a delightful bouquet even in a relatively short aging period; Cabernet Sauvignon adds spicy aromas, red fruits, and distinct balsamic nuances.

Guidalberto is in a mature phase of its "coming-of-age novel," and Nature, as its educator, accompanies its daily growth, accommodating its aspirations and needs. Evidently, Guidalberto has been able to treasure its experience and, at the age of twenty-one, walks proudly along the famous Cypress Avenue, to the great pride of Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta and his team. But the road is still long and, between straight paths and twists, leads far ahead.