2024 Tenuta San Guido Le Difese

In the 1920s, as a student in Pisa, Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta already dreamed of creating a 'noble' wine. Like most Italian aristocrats of the time, he had a pronounced fondness for fine Bordeaux wines. After moving into their estate in Tenuta San Guido on the Mediterranean coast with his wife, Clarice, he experimented with various French grape varieties. His conclusion was unequivocal: 'the bouquet I sought,' I found in the Cabernet. A wine with Cabernet Sauvignon as the main component represented a radical departure from the traditional Tuscan and Piedmontese Sangiovese and Nebbiolo varieties. No one had ever considered producing a wine on Italian soil following the Bordeaux approach, and certainly not in a region that (until then) had no foothold within the wine universe.

Apart from the bouquet of the Cabernet Sauvignon, the decision to plant the vine variety at Tenuta San Guido was influenced by the strong similarities between the Tuscan village and the Graves region in Bordeaux. 'Graves' is the French word for 'gravel'. Sassicaia, which means 'stone-strewn ground' in the Tuscan dialect, thus owes its name to the soil conditions of Tenuta San Guido. Every year, a small number of cases were kept in the cellars of Castiglioncello. The Marquis discovered that as the years passed, the quality of the wine improved rapidly. As is often the case with wines of great origin, what was initially considered a defect eventually turns out to be one of its great qualities over time. Soon, his friends and relatives urged him to persevere in his passion and to further perfect this revolutionary style of winemaking. In 1965, he planted two additional vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Today, Sassicaia is known as one of the most prominent red wines in all of Italy. Together with Ornellaia from Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, it is the most sought-after wine of Tuscany! A salient detail is the fact that part of the vineyards of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia originate from Tenuta San Guido. Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, originally founded by Ludovico Antinori (the brother of Piero Antinori and both cousins of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta), bought its first vineyards from the Marquis (!). Now world-famous, Tenuta San Guido is currently part of the 'Primum Familiae Vini' group, which stands for 'the best wine families'. Other members include Bodegas y Viñedos Vega-Sicilia, Antinori, Château Mouton-Rothschild, and Perrin & Fils of Château de Beaucastel.

The Le Difese from Tenuta San Guido is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The Le Difese vineyards are located in the Maremma, between Cecina and Bolgheri, close to the Mediterranean Sea. Tenuta San Guido has played a key role in making the town of Bolgheri so famous. The grapes are hand-picked and carefully sorted. After picking, the first fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, with the grape skins remaining in the must. The wine ages in these stainless steel tanks for a period of 12 months. Subsequently, the wine ages further in French and American oak barriques for another 12 months before being bottled. The wine has a beautiful garnet-red color and is medium-bodied. The Le Difese features lovely notes of blueberry and blackberry, followed by cherry and cranberry. The Le Difese (Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese) is a smooth and modern wine with beautiful fruit aromas of blueberries and cherries supported by Mediterranean herbs. This medium-bodied wine has a good balance between fruit and acidity and is silky smooth with a long finish/sense of freshness that keeps the wine beautifully lively on the palate. Gastronomically, it is a great wine with pasta dishes or a good (homemade) pizza.

FUN FACT: The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you come to pick up the wine, you often receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you select 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht, almost next to the A16, with ample parking. Click here for our address.