{"title":"Super Tuscans","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"tenuta-san-guido-guidalberto-toscana-rosso-2023","title":"Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBolgheri sits on the Tuscan coast between Livorno and Grosseto, a natural amphitheater of low hills opening west to the Tyrrhenian. Tenuta San Guido runs more than fifteen kilometers inland from the shore, across elevations from 80 to 400 meters. The soils are a patchwork rather than a type: gravelly alluvial material washed down from the Colline Metallifere behind, marine clay, limestone, and sand left from when the sea covered the plain. A zonation study led by Attilio Scienza identified 27 distinct soil units inside the appellation. Sea breezes funneling through the Tuscan archipelago hold the growing area roughly a degree cooler than the coastline itself and keep the canopy dry. That last part matters more than it sounds, because in a wet year the airflow is the difference between a crop and no crop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuidalberto is not declassified Sassicaia. It is its own wine from its own parcels, and the blend is different: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, roughly 55\/45 in 2023, where Sassicaia is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Merlot is the whole point. The estate ran more than twenty years of trials before releasing the first vintage in 2000, looking for aromatic depth and a softer middle that shows early rather than after a decade in a cellar. Aging is about twelve months in barrel. Blackcurrant, plum, graphite, cedar, dried tobacco, and a green-herb lift off the Cabernet. Medium-full, with polished tannin and enough freshness to keep the fruit from going sweet. Spring 2023 was wet on the coast, and downy mildew and hail cost the appellation crop, but the maritime airflow spared Bolgheri the worst of it. Alcohols landed a half-degree to a degree lower than usual.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMario Incisa della Rocchetta inherited a vast Bolgheri property in the 1940s and did something nobody else on that coast was doing: he planted Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, in a place with no fine-wine reputation and no tradition of them. The first plantings went into the Castiglioncello vineyard, set back from the sea at higher elevation. From 1945 to 1967 the wine was made only for family and friends. The 1968, released in 1971, was the first commercial Sassicaia and the start of everything Bolgheri has since become. Giacomo Tachis came in as consulting enologist, and Mario's son Nicolo Incisa has run the estate since. Guidalberto takes its name from Guidalberto della Gherardesca, the nineteenth-century ancestor who built the Viale dei Cipressi, the cypress avenue that still marks the road to the sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBistecca alla fiorentina, salt and olive oil only, is the obvious call and the correct one, because Cabernet tannin wants char and fat. A grilled ribeye works the same way at home. Slow-braised short ribs with rosemary and a little tomato find the Merlot half of the blend. Wild boar sausages with white beans and sage suit its rustic side. Or a burger with aged cheddar on a Tuesday, which is not a joke. This is the Bolgheri bottle you can open without an occasion attached to it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Misa Colorado","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50576844325087,"sku":null,"price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7210711_79cdb671-68a6-42e3-ab45-60aa306aa058.jpg?v=1784742373"},{"product_id":"castello-della-sala-conte-della-vipera-2025","title":"Castello della Sala Conte della Vipera 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCastello della Sala sits in Umbria, about 18 kilometers from Orvieto and just over the border from Tuscany. The estate covers 600 hectares, with 229 planted to vine on gently rolling hills between 220 and 470 meters above sea level. Soils are rich in marine fossils with veins of clay, unusual ground for this part of central Italy, and it's part of why Castello della Sala has become one of the more serious white wine sites in the region. The specific vineyards used for Conte della Vipera sit between 250 and 350 meters, well exposed with strong swings between day and night that keep the fruit's acidity intact through ripening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Grapes are hand-harvested, cooled before pressing to protect aromatics, and the must is settled at 10°C before a cool fermentation in stainless steel that stays below 16°C. The wine is then held cold to block malolactic fermentation, keeping its freshness intact rather than softening it. Sauvignon Blanc brings the lift and verticality, Sémillon fills in with a rounder, more tropical fruit, and the two are blended to complete each other. The house style runs bright straw yellow, with pink grapefruit, lychee, lime, and pineapple on the nose, a lively, crisp palate, and a long finish with passion fruit and a touch of minerality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCastello della Sala is Antinori's Umbrian estate, dedicated almost entirely to white wine production apart from a single Pinot Noir planting that has found unexpectedly good conditions on this ground. Conte della Vipera takes its name from the Monaldeschi della Cervara family, who held the castle in the 16th century, and its label carries an image of the 13th-century Chapel of San Giovanni that still stands on the property. The wine was first produced in 1997, part of Castello della Sala's broader push to prove that Umbria could make serious, ageworthy whites and not just simple warm-weather wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrilled shrimp with lemon and chili, a goat cheese salad with citrus vinaigrette, fresh pasta with clams and white wine, or a plate of prosciutto and melon. The wine's bright acidity cuts through richer preparations while its tropical fruit picks up dishes built around citrus and shellfish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593210204383,"sku":null,"price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7250758.jpg?v=1785128330"},{"product_id":"antinori-pian-della-vigne-rosso-di-montalcino-2023","title":"Antinori Pian della Vigne Rosso di Montalcino 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePian delle Vigne sits 6 kilometers southwest of the town of Montalcino, on 184 hectares of which 83 are planted to vine, generally facing southwest to southeast at about 130 meters above sea level. The estate takes its name from a 19th-century railroad station that still stands within its boundaries. Soils are calcareous clay, rich in fine gravel, ground that gives Sangiovese here freshness and minerality rather than sheer power. Montalcino sits south of Chianti Classico, warmer and drier, with more Mediterranean influence, and Pian delle Vigne's vineyards translate that into a Rosso built on brightness and lift.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Sangiovese. Grapes are destemmed, gently crushed, and fermented in stainless steel at a controlled 26°C for 8 to 10 days, then aged about 10 months after malolactic fermentation before bottling. The 2023 growing season opened rainy through April and May, then turned hot and dry for summer; strong diurnal swings during ripening kept the Sangiovese aromatic, and harvest began September 11th with fruit in excellent health. The wine is ruby red, with black cherry, blood orange, and jasmine-like white flower on the nose. The palate is vibrant and supple, silky tannins carrying through to a long finish of strawberry and blood orange.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Antinori family bought the Pian delle Vigne estate in 1995, the same year as the first Pian delle Vigne Brunello, establishing it as their outpost in Montalcino. The Rosso is Antinori's way of showing pure Sangiovese from this site without the extended aging Brunello requires, a more direct fruit expression from the same vineyards and soils. It sits alongside Tignanello and Guado al Tasso as one of the family's regional interpretations of a single place and grape, farmed with the same attention to site that defines the rest of the portfolio.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrilled pork chops with sage, a simple margherita pizza, roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes, or a bowl of pici with tomato and pecorino. This is a Rosso built for daily use rather than a special-occasion Brunello: the acid and light tannin work through tomato sauce and grilled fat alike without asking for a long decant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593514029279,"sku":null,"price":38.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7250757.jpg?v=1785128310"},{"product_id":"antinori-tenuta-guado-al-tasso-il-bruciato-2024","title":"Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBolgheri sits on the Tuscan coast about 100 kilometers southwest of Florence, in the Upper Maremma, encircled by hills in a formation locals call the \"Bolgheri amphitheater.\" Guado al Tasso covers 1,000 hectares, with roughly 320 planted to vine and the rest given to wheat, sunflowers, and olive groves. Soils are alluvial, ranging from sandy clay to silty clay, with pockets of the coarse gravel known locally as scheletro. Sea breezes off the nearby Tyrrhenian keep summer heat in check and moderate winter cold, and that maritime influence, more than elevation, defines Bolgheri's structured, fruit-forward reds. Bolgheri DOC was only established in 1994, but the region is now one of Italy's most closely watched for Bordeaux-style blends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIl Bruciato draws on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and other Bordeaux varieties from across Guado al Tasso's vineyards. Fruit is destemmed and gently crushed, then fermented and macerated on the skins in temperature-controlled stainless steel for 15 to 20 days at 28 to 30°C, with a portion of the Merlot and Syrah kept cooler to protect their aromatics. Malolactic fermentation runs in both barrique and stainless steel, finishing by year's end; the blend then returns to barrique for at least six months before bottling. The 2024 season brought early budbreak, a cool wet spring, and a hot dry summer, with harvest running from late August (Merlot) into late September (Cabernet Sauvignon), interrupted by scattered rain that helped preserve freshness. The wine is intense ruby red, with raspberry and cherry fruit, vanilla, tobacco, and a faint note of cotton candy on the nose, filling out to a fresh, persistent palate with a fruit-driven finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIl Bruciato was first made in 2002, in what the estate calls one of the toughest vintages Guado al Tasso had seen, created to give Bolgheri's terroir a wine of its own outside the flagship Guado al Tasso label. The blend and the specific vineyard plots dedicated to it have shifted over the years as the estate identified which parcels suit the wine best. Guado al Tasso is one of the Antinori family's Tuscan estates, part of a winemaking history that traces back to 1385, and the property is considered a benchmark for the modern Bolgheri style alongside neighbors like Sassicaia and Ornellaia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrilled sausages with fennel and peppers, a Tuscan-style bistecca, pizza with pepperoni and calabrian chili, roasted chicken with olives, or a tomato-based pasta with pancetta. The wine's fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins mean it doesn't need a special occasion to open, and it has enough structure to stand up to the grill.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593539817695,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7250756.jpg?v=1785128291"},{"product_id":"antinori-tignanello-2022","title":"Antinori Tignanello 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTignanello is produced from a single vineyard on the same Chianti Classico hillside as Solaia, land the Antinori family has farmed since the mid-1800s. The vineyard covers roughly 77 hectares at 350 to 400 meters above sea level with a southwestern exposure, on Pliocene-era soils of calcareous marl and alberese limestone. The site runs hot by day and cools sharply at night, a swing that keeps acidity intact through a long ripening season. This is the core of Chianti Classico, the hill country between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, and the Tignanello vineyard is regarded, alongside Solaia next door, as one of the most consequential sites in modern Italian winemaking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e78% Sangiovese, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Cabernet Franc, fermented separately in truncated conical tanks with maceration on the skins, then moved to small oak barrels to complete malolactic fermentation. Aging runs just over 13 months in French oak with a small percentage of Hungarian oak, followed by 12 months in bottle before release. The 2022 growing season ran hot and dry through August in Chianti Classico; mid-August rain and cooler temperatures restored the diurnal swing ahead of harvest, with Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc picked mid-September and Cabernet Sauvignon in early October. The wine is intensely ruby red with purple hues. Cherry, ripe black cherry, and pomegranate lead the nose, with violets, balsamic hints, and vanilla underneath. The palate is dense and fresh, with supple tannins and a long finish that echoes the fruit on the nose.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarchesi Antinori has been making wine in Tuscany since 1385, one of Italy's oldest wine families and still run by the same family today. Tignanello was Piero Antinori's break from Chianti Classico convention: released in 1971, it was the first Sangiovese aged in barriques, the first modern Tuscan red blended with Cabernet, and one of the first reds from the region made without white grapes. The label carries the signature of Piero's father, Niccolò, a nod to his confidence in the project. Tignanello is bottled only in favorable vintages, skipped entirely in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984, 1992, and 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTignanello has the structure for a serious meal: grilled ribeye with rosemary and garlic, braised short ribs, wild boar ragu over pappardelle, or grilled lamb chops with a red wine reduction. The tannins need fat and protein to soften, and the wine's acidity keeps richer dishes from feeling heavy. This is a wine for a table, not a quick glass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Southern","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593556005087,"sku":null,"price":190.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7250755.jpg?v=1785128264"}],"url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/collections\/super-tuscans.oembed","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}