Tenuta San Guido

History

Tenuta San Guido, a 2,500-hectare estate in Bolgheri, Tuscany, has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century. The estate was inherited by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in the 1940s following his marriage to Countess Clarice della Gherardesca. Initially, the property was used for orchard fruit production, but Incisa della Rocchetta, a fan of Bordeaux wines, introduced Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vines from Pisa. He planted a small vineyard on the property, laying the groundwork for the famous Sassicaia wine.

The first vintage of Sassicaia, named after the Italian word for "stone," was produced in the 1940s but remained a private production for family and close friends until 1968. The wine's unique blend and aging process in barriques, inspired by Bordeaux, set a new standard for Italian winemaking. Giacomo Tachis, a renowned oenologist, collaborated with Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, making significant improvements to the wine's production methods. Sassicaia's rise to prominence in the late 1970s sparked the Super Tuscan revolution, cementing Tenuta San Guido's place in wine history[1][2][5].

Terroir

Tenuta San Guido is situated in the Bolgheri wine region of Tuscany, Italy, which is located between the cities of Livorno and Grosseto. The estate is by the seaside, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, one of the four seas that make up Italy’s portion of the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyards are spread over approximately 100 hectares, with south-west exposures and altitudes ranging from 100 to 400 meters above sea level. The soils are calcareous-clay, rich in mineral micronutrients that contribute to the wines' concentration of polyphenols, sapidity, and aging potential.

The climate is typically Mediterranean, favored by the thermoregulatory action of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The fresh sea breeze mitigates the heat during summer months, while the wooded boundaries and hillside altitudes contribute to good temperature variations. These conditions favor the refinement of aromas and the perfect ripening of the grapes. The combination of these terroir elements results in wines that are elegant and refined, characteristic of the Bolgheri terroir[1][4].