The Story
The Guado al Tasso estate is located approximately 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of Florence, near the medieval town of Bolgheri in the upper part of the Tuscan Maremma. The property, which consists of some 2500 acres (1000 hectares), stretches from the Mediterranean coast to the first inland hills and includes - in addition to 750 acres (300 hectares) of vineyards - wheat, barley, and oat fields, olive groves, and wooded areas which house a herd of Cinta Senese – a rare Tuscan breed - pigs.
Wine Information
The 2009 growing season, which began with driving and frequent rainfall until mid-June, saw the weather turn and become continuously sunny and warm in the following months, offering perfect conditions for the development of the vines and the ripening of the fruit. These conditions, and the important solar radiation of the second half of August to assist flourishing and healthy plants, created grapes with a notable varietal personality and fragrance.
VINIFICATION
the grapes, picked and carefully selected, come from a vineyard of some 200 acres (80 hectares) with all of the territorial characteristics of the Bolgheri production zone. The fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 82° and 86° Fahrenheit (28-30° centigrade) and lasted approximately 10-15 days. A part of the Merlot and Syrah crop was fermented at lower temperatures to better maintain varietal aromas. The malolactic fermentation took place in small oak barrels and was completed by the end of the year. The wine was the racked and went back into barrel, where it aged for ten months and then bottled at 14° of alcohol. A further period of four months of bottle aging preceded commercial release.