Tenuta Guado al Tasso Cont'Ugo 2013
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Cont'ugo is named after the Count Ugo della Gherardesca, an ancestor of Carlotta della Gherardesca, Piero Antinori's mother. The estate is located approximately 50 miles southwest of Florence, near the medieval town of Bolgheri.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
An opulent, dense red, featuring ripe black cherry and blackberry notes, with persistent hints of earth and tobacco. The flavors linger on the spicy aftertaste as the vibrant structure lends support. Decant now or age another year. Merlot.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Made entirely from Merlot, this offers subtle aromas of plum, French oak, menthol and a whiff of chopped herb. The round accessible palate shows blackberry jam, star anise, clove and mocha alongside lithe tannins and vibrant acidity.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Enthusiast
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast
The Guado al Tasso Estate is located in the prestigious Bolgheri DOC, part of the Tuscan coastal area of Maremma, known for its untamed landscape and unspoiled beauty. Just 60 miles southwest of Florence, it sits on a magnificent plain in the heart of the Bolgheri amphitheater, a natural phenomenon created by hills that embrace the sea and produce a mild and temperate microclimate. Blessed with ample sunshine and constant breezes that take the edge off the summer heat and winter cold, Guado al Tasso is the ideal environment for cultivating healthy vine growth and proper ripening of the estate’s grapes. Inherited from Carlotta della Gherardesca, and revolutionized by Niccoló Antinori, the mother and father of Piero Antinori, Guado al Tasso is a reference point property in the life and history of the family. Here the challenge is to create wines of absolute excellence, always representative of the Bolgheri history, culture, and winemaking traditions.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.