2013 Tenuta San Guido, Guidalberto, Tuscany

I just returned from a very enjoyable weekend skiing in Vermont with friends. On our final evening at a little Italian restaurant, we were seated by a roaring fire and enjoyedwild boar bolognese and a bottle of the 2007 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto, a wine I first enjoyed in Italy several years ago while skiing in Cortina.
    Just as delicious then as it was the other night, Guidalberto is an incredible value that lets you enjoy Sassicaia fruit at a fraction of the price. That's because 20% of the wine's fruit is declassified barrels of Tenuta San Guido's famous Sassicaia with the balance of the wine coming from vineyards immediately next to those of Sassicaia. Add to that a blockbuster 2007 vintage and the value in this Super Tuscan becomes even more irresistible.
     The 2007 Guidalberto is a sexy, ripe offering that reveals gorgeous inner perfume and endless layers of fruit that coat the palate all the way through to the long finish. Aromas of sweet blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate fill the glass along with chewy tannins and a fresh herb and berry finish. The unctuous merlot gives this wine a wonderful silky finish and the cabernet gives the wine its classically Tuscan structure.
    While it wasn't quite like the thrill of my trip to Cortina several ago, I did have moments of nostalgia on this very memorable trip to Vermont. Enjoy this must have Super Tuscan now and over the next decade whether apres ski or apres a long week at work!