Merkki: Vini d'annata

GUADO AL TASSO 2004 MAGNUM - ANTINORI

CLASSIFICATION
Bolgheri DOC Superiore

BLEND
50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Syrah.

CLIMATE
Heavy rain in autumn 2003 enabled the soil layers to restabilize after the testing summer drought. The winter was cold and rainy with repeated fairly heavy snowfall. Thanks to the weather conditions, budbreak was delayed by 10-15 days even for more precocious varieties. During flowering and fruit-set, the weather was remarkably wet and cool (the lowest temperatures in the last 3-4 years). The vegetation developed well although with consistent delay through to veraison and ripening of the grapes. Intense pre-harvest selection was necessary because the weather conditions caused over-production. Lastly, the harvest began a couple of weeks later than average, when the grapes were perfectly healthy and ripe and showed a perfect balance of quantity and quality.

VINIFICATION
Merlot was harvested at the beginning of September, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from mid September. After destemming and light crushing, the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were vinified separately; maceration took place in stainless steel tanks over a period of 15-20 days, during which time alcoholic fermentation was also completed, at a temperature never exceeding 30 °C. The resulting wine is rich in colour and very structured but soft on the palate, without any astringency. The wine were then transferred to new French oak barriques (Troncais and Alliers) where malolactic fermentation was completed by the year's end. The wine were then racked, blended and then returned to the barrels for about 14 months aging, followed by aging for about one year in bottles before release. Alcohol : 14 % Vol.

HISTORICAL DATA
Guado al Tasso, meaning literally "Badger's Ford", takes its name from a common sight at the estate of #Tenuta Guado al Tasso#, Bolgheri, where it is produced. The vineyard is at an elevation between 44 and 58 metres (145 and 190 feet) above sea-level on stony, slightly calcareous soils. Tenuta Guado al Tasso is located 60 miles southwest of Florence, near the medieval village of Bolgheri, in an area known as the Maremma. The 900 hectares (2,223 acres) estate stretches up from the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the hills, and aside from extensive vineyards, also grows wheat, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and olive trees. Guado al Tasso was first produced in 1990; the successive vintages are 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. All the vintages have been produced in limited quantities.

TASTING NOTES
Ruby red in colour. Fruity, with hints of toast, coffee and dark chocolate. Finely structured and complex; balanced, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Displays unmistakable varietal flavor while retaining strong regional character.

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