Tenuta San Guido – Sassicaia
Guidalberto is the second wine of Tenuta San Guido, the Sassicaia estate, a Bolgheri blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aged 15 months in French and American oak. Expect plum and blackcurrant fruit, tobacco and sweet oak, firm but polished tannin
Tenuta San Guido builds Guidalberto on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown on limestone, marl and pebble soils at 100 to 300 metres above Bolgheri. Fifteen months in French and American oak barriques shape the oak, plum and tobacco that Vivino drinkers most often name.
Guidalberto opens on the oak, vanilla and tobacco that lead Vivino's aroma read across more than 9,500 reviews, set against plum and blackcurrant from its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Tenuta San Guido's 15 months in part-French, part-American barriques push a sweet cedar and gentle balsamic edge over the dark fruit. Bolgheri drinkers also flag violet and a leather-and-earth undertone.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackcurrant
Plum
Tobacco
Leather
Oak
VanillaCabernet Sauvignon carries firm, fine-grained tannin while Merlot, picked first off the estate's warmer plots, fills the mid-palate with rounder plum and black cherry. The limestone, marl and pebble soils at 100 to 300 metres keep acidity bright, so the 2022's hot, dry season reads as ripe rather than heavy at 13.5 percent alcohol. Sweet oak from 40 percent new barriques frames a savoury, gravelly core.
The close is medium-long, tobacco and cedar trailing the dark fruit with a fine gravel-and-tar grip that critics note in the 2022. Polished tannin and Bolgheri salinity keep it fresh rather than drying.
Guidalberto is the second wine of Tenuta San Guido, the Sassicaia estate, and Vivino's 4.2 average from over 67,000 ratings reflects how reliably it pleases: drinkers consistently praise its oak-framed dark fruit and balanced structure, with the 2022 ranked among the top one percent of wines worldwide on the platform. Carlo Paoli, the estate's head of winemaking, calls it full and satisfying with long-term ageing potential, but it is built to drink well young, ideally within six years of harvest.
Guidalberto sits a tier below Sassicaia from the same Tenuta San Guido cellar, which is why it is widely stocked across UK and Italian merchants. Recent vintages list around the mid-fifties to low-sixties per bottle here.
A Bolgheri Cabernet-Merlot from the Sassicaia estate scores high for food and occasion and mid-pack for everyday value at its mid-sixty-pound price.
Cabernet tannin with bright limestone-soil acidity and Merlot flesh make Guidalberto a strong, versatile match for Tuscan roast meats and aged cheese.
The Tenuta San Guido name, Bolgheri pedigree and Sassicaia association make Guidalberto a confident choice for a dinner or gift.
An approachable Cabernet-Merlot blend, but its oak-forward style and premium price make it less of an easy first Italian red than an indigenous-grape classic.
Fifteen months in 40 percent new barriques give real structure, yet Guidalberto is built to drink young, roughly within six years of harvest, rather than for long cellaring.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
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The 2022 was made in a hot, dry Bolgheri summer broken by mid-August rain; the cooler, fresher 2023 drew a 93-point Wine-Searcher critic average. Each is a near-term Cabernet-Merlot built for the table.
The latest Guidalberto release from Tenuta San Guido, carrying an early 92-point Wine-Searcher critic average. Still building its track record with drinkers; the estate's 15-month barrique programme means the 2024 will reward a little patience before it shows its plum and tobacco depth.
A cooler, fresher Bolgheri season than 2022, drawing a 93-point Wine-Searcher critic average and rated a top year for the wine by Vivino drinkers. Deep purple-red with lavender, blackcurrant and thyme over a saline, well-integrated palate. Give it a year or two for the oak to settle.
A hot, dry Bolgheri summer with no rain until a mid-August perturbation; Tenuta San Guido harvested Merlot from 23 August and Cabernet Sauvignon through September. Ripe, generous fruit with firm but polished tannin, carrying a 92-point Wine-Searcher critic average. Drinking well now.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Guidalberto carries the Tenuta San Guido name, manual harvest and a 15-month barrique programme using 40 percent new oak, all of which sit behind a Toscana IGT red that trades around 55 to 63 pounds in the UK.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Guidalberto is the second wine of the estate that makes Sassicaia, and that pedigree is the single biggest reason it trades near 55 pounds rather than the 15 to 20 pounds of a typical Toscana IGT red.
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are hand-picked off the estate's Bolgheri vineyards in separate passes from late August into September, with field and cellar sorting tables, all labour-intensive steps that raise the cost per bottle.
Ageing 15 months in 225-litre French and American barriques with 40 percent new wood ties up expensive barrels and cellar space, a cost the disciplinare for Toscana IGT does not require but the estate chooses.
The complex limestone, marl and pebble soils at 100 to 300 metres in Bolgheri are among Tuscany's most sought-after and priciest vineyard sites, feeding directly into the bottle price.
On a 55-pound bottle, UK excise duty of 2.67 pounds for still wine up to 15 percent ABV plus 20 percent VAT account for well over a tenner before the wine itself is paid for.
Guidalberto sits under the flexible Toscana IGT rules rather than a yield-capped, tasting-gated DOCG, which keeps it more affordable than its quality and estate would otherwise command.
Dishes that complement this wine
Guidalberto pairs firm Cabernet Sauvignon tannin and bright acidity with the rounder fruit Merlot brings. It is built for Tuscan roast meats and aged cheese rather than delicate or chilli-led plates.
Guidalberto's firm Cabernet Sauvignon tannin needs protein and fat to soften against. The char and marbling of a Bolgheri-style grilled steak bind those tannins, letting the Merlot fruit come forward. This is the estate's home pairing in coastal Tuscany.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · Bollito dei Pastori · Beef wellington · More pairings →
The bright acidity the limestone and marl soils give Guidalberto cuts through the fat of slow-roast pork and grazing lamb. Cabernet structure stands up to the richness while Merlot keeps the match round, not austere. Vivino drinkers most often reach for lamb and cured meat with this wine.
Try with: Porchetta · Porceddu · Arrosticini · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
Guidalberto's medium-full body and 15 months of barrique ageing match the weight of a layered, slow-cooked ragu without burying it. The dark plum fruit echoes the tomato-and-meat depth while the tannin resets the palate between forkfuls. A classic central-Italian table red role.
Try with: Lasagna · Pasta alla Norma · Pappa al Pomodoro · More pairings →
The leather, smoke and earth that Vivino drinkers name in Guidalberto bridge straight to truffle and forest-floor flavours. Sweet cedar from the American-oak portion of the barriques lifts the aroma rather than fighting it. Best with the 2022 or older, where the savoury notes have opened.
Try with: Tagliatelle al tartufo di Acqualagna · Cotoletta alla Milanese · More pairings →
The salt and crystalline bite of a long-aged cheese is balanced by Guidalberto's ripe black fruit and Bolgheri salinity. Cabernet tannin scrubs the palate clean of the fat, so each bite tastes fresh. A simple, reliable end to a meal with this bottle.
Try with: Strong cheddar cheese · Caciocavallo farcito · More pairings →
Guidalberto's firm tannin and oak amplify chilli burn and turn metallic against oily or delicate fish, while its dark structure flattens lighter dishes. For spice-led or seafood plates, reach for a Vermentino di Bolgheri or an aromatic Tuscan white instead.
Skip with: Chicken tikka masala · Chicken pad thai · grilled sardines · oysters · Pairing guide →
Carlo Paoli, head of winemaking at Tenuta San Guido, points to the wine's structure and potential for long-term ageing, though Guidalberto is designed to drink well young, within roughly six years of harvest.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Fifteen months in 40 percent new barriques give real structure, yet Guidalberto is built to drink young, roughly within six years of harvest, rather than for long cellaring.
£43.15 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
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Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumGuidalberto is the second wine of Tenuta San Guido, the Bolgheri estate behind Sassicaia. It is a Toscana IGT red blended from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, first released with the 2000 vintage and named after the family ancestor Guidalberto della Gherardesca.
Guidalberto is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. The Cabernet brings firm tannin and structure while the Merlot, picked first off the estate's warmer plots, adds rounder plum and black cherry fruit and softness.
Expect plum and blackcurrant fruit framed by oak, vanilla and tobacco, the notes Vivino drinkers name most often across more than 9,500 reviews. Leather and earth sit underneath, with firm but polished tannin and bright acidity from the estate's limestone soils.
Tenuta San Guido ferments the hand-harvested grapes in stainless steel with no added yeasts, then ages the wine 15 months in 225-litre barriques, mostly French oak with a small American-oak share and 40 percent new wood, before a final period in glass.
Guidalberto is built to drink well young, ideally within about six years of the vintage. The 2022 is drinking now; the fresher 2023 will reward a year or two more. The estate notes it also has the structure for longer keeping if you prefer.
Recent Guidalberto vintages list around 55 to 63 pounds a bottle at UK merchants. That places it well above most Toscana IGT reds, reflecting the Tenuta San Guido name and its standing as the Sassicaia estate's second wine.
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