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VINIFICATION
 


SASSICAIA

The vineyards of Tenuta San Guido which add up to about 75 hectars, are placed, in different areas due to the special terroir's features.
The climate, influenced by the proximity of the sea and by the hills surrounding the vineyards, which protect them from winds, has a very strong influence on the correct and healthy maturation of the grapes.



The vineyards planted as "cordone speronato", produce about 5000 kg of grapes per hectare. The grape varieties are divided into 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining 15% Cabernet Franc. The harvest normally begins in the first two weeks of September.
The selection of grapes on the vine is seldom necessary. The farming system and very low grape yield per trunk guarantee a healthy product rich in sugar, tannins, extract etc. Vinification takes place in stainless steel vats of 35-110 hl with possible thermal conditioning of the fermentation process. Maceration lasts around 14 days. The alcoholic fermentation goes on for 12-14 days, followed by the malolattic fermentation which is over by the end of October. The wine is aged in 33% new 225lt. French oak barrels for 24 months. It is then bottled and kept in the cellar for 6 months before its arrival on the market.
The wine is produced in the winery situated on the cypress allée made famous by Giosuè Carducci, opposite the church of San Guido.

GUIDALBERTO

Since the vintage 2000, Tenuta San Guido produces another wine, called Guidalberto.
The grapes are grown in vineyards on lands adjacent to the Sassicaia DOC.
The grape varieties are approximately 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvingnon and 10% Sangiovese. The grapes are vinified in a new cellar created especially by the Tenuta San Guido in the locality known as 'Vecchio Frantoio" (Old Olive Press) not far from the town of Bolgheri.



Like with Sassicaia, the vinification of Guidalberto takes place in stainless steel vats of 35-110 hl with possible thermal conditioning of the fermentation process. Maceration lasts around 14 days. The alcoholic fermentation goes on for 12-14 days, followed by the malolattic fermentation which is over by the end of October. The wine is aged in 33% new 225lt. French oak barrels for 12 months.
Guidalberto della Gherardesca, who lived at the beginning of the 1800s, was an Incisa ancestor and was a pioneer of modern agriculture in the Bolgheri area. In addition to his many land reclamation projects, Guidalberto was known for his experiments in the winegrowing sector, which were already state of the art for his time, and for having planted the famous 'Cypress Road" which is now a national historic landmark.

History -  Philosophy - Vinification - Wines -  Addresses & Links