Antinori Guado al Tasso 2018
Non-Member Price:
$239.56 SGDMember Price: $227.58
(SAVE 5%)
96 points - Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, May 2021
Renzo Cotarella, managing director of Marchesi Antinori tells me that the 2018 vintage showed very different results in the inland and hilly Chianti Classico appellation compared to the flat, sea-facing Bolgheri appellation. This season saw some rain right before harvest. That extra humidity rolled right off the Chianti Classico hills and disappeared without effect, but it stuck around longer in the thicker, flatter soils of Guado al Tasso. For this reason, one of the estate's top wines, the Cabernet Franc-based Matarocchio, was not produced in 2018 for fear that the fruit would not offer the concentration required of a wine of that important stature. The best of that fruit was used in this wine instead. For that reason, the 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees a little more Cabernet Franc (clocking in at about 22% of the blend) and less Merlot, with the rest being Cabernet Sauvignon, of course, (at about 60%). To be honest, the percentage of Cabernet Franc has been deliberately creeping up over the years to render a more focused and sharper bouquet. Aromas of dark fruit and freshly milled white pepper replace the more banal cherry-based flavors delivered by the Merlot, and the wine appears more lifted and precise as a result. The Cabernet Sauvignon delivers spice and licorice, and these pretty aromas are likewise given more breathing room, thanks to the counterparts found in the Cabernet Franc. Linearity, sharpness, pencil shavings and dark currant or blackberry—this is the direction Guado al Tasso is taking, and this 2018 vintage opens the door to a new chapter for the wine. - Monica Larner
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Wines of Kings is a US-registered wine importer and online wine store, offering a curated selection of high-end European wines. We are devoted to the direct sourcing, handling, importing, sale, and delivery of some of the most sought-after and beloved wines in the world - selected carefully for their quality, vintage and terroir.
From cellar-to-cellar, or cellar to shelf, we maintain the highest standards, thanks to close relationships with the finest producers of wine across the globe, ensuring authenticity.
We maintain strict, direct, temperature- controlled delivery from the cellar to the customer, guaranteeing the integrity of each vintage’s character and flavor profile.
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Founders Marco Prete and Cristina Fragni have spent a lifetime in close contact with the top European winemakers and cellar masters, and have spent decades on their shared passion for learning, tasting, and even assisting in the production of fine wines.
After relocating to NYC in 2013, they found that many of their favorite vintages were not available in the US. Inspired by a lack of available inventory on the usual channels, they decided that it was essential to them personally and professionally to create a bespoke, world-class collection of fine wines available for US import.
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