| Region of production: | Bolgheri |
| Winery Location: | Castagneto Carducci, Livorno |
| Year Established: | 1968 |
Vineyard Holdings
90 ha
- Castiglioncello (1.5 ha): Planted in 1944
- Sassicaia
- Aia Nuova
- Quercione
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Sassicaia Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged in new French oak for two years. 18,000 case production. Inaugural commercial vintage 1968.
- Guidalberto Toscana IGP: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. Aged in primarily French oak with a small portion of American oak. 23,000 case production. Inaugural vintage 2000.
- Le Difese Toscana IGP: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese. Aged in barrels previously used for Guidalberto. 27,000 case production. Inaugural vintage 2002.
Average Total Production
- 816,000 bottles
Summary
Tenuta San Guido is credited with producing Sassica, the first-ever Super Tuscan wine. The estate’s history dates back to 1930 and the marriage of Mario Incisa della Rochetta to Clarice della Gherardesca, whose dowry included the Tenuta San Guido estate. Before planting any vines, the couple was known for their increasingly large landholdings and equestrian interests. In the 1940s, Mario Incisa planted Bordeaux varieties, eager to produce a top wine. In addition to Bordeaux’s position as the ideal wine of the era, Mario Incisa recognized similarities to the region’s soils in his own property’s rocky terrain. The first wines were poorly received by critics, leaving Sassicaia to the family for private consumption until the 1968 vintage; by this time, Mario Incisa had noticed his wine’s ability to age. Sassica sparked the trend of high quality wines subverting DOC/DOCG rules and being released as Vino da Tavola, which led to the subsequent creation of the IGT classification in 1992. In 1994, the estate was granted appellation status, a rare occurrence, with the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC. The Incisa della Rochetta family still owns Tenuta San Guido and is a member of Primum Familiae Vini. Even today, horses are kept on the low-lying plains of the estate, between a coastal bird sanctuary and the vineyards further inland.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Sustainability is stressed in the vineyard. All grapes are harvested by hand and fermented in temperature-controlled tanks. Macerations last for about two weeks. Wines are racked into a mix of new and old barriques, then typically racked another two or three times while aging. The wines will remain in barrel for 18 to 24 months and are fined before bottling.
Producer Website: Tenuta San Guido