2019 Guado Al Tasso, Bolgheri

The ample richness of the 2019 Guado al Tasso is balanced with great energy that drives through the core of this wine. Polished, with aromas of black plum, graphite, cedar, and leather, it is ripe and full-bodied, with good tannins and a linear drive but a long finish. This remarkable wine will benefit from cellaring. Drink 2025-2045.

The 2019 Guado al Tasso is a model of refinement. Deeply pitched spice, mocha and leather nuances meld into a core of plush dark fruit as the 2019 reveals its considerable charms. The aromatics alone are mesmerizing, but the 2019 has so much more to offer. I admire the wine's balance and allure, both of which it has in spades. Like so many 2019s, Guado al Tasso is a wine more of energy and persistence than volume. Clean, bracing mineral notes linger on the sublime finish. The 2019 spent 18 months in barrel, 90% new. Drink 2027 - 2049

I've been tracking the increasing percentage of Cabernet Franc in the blend of this iconic Tuscan wine. The 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is made with 25% Cabernet Franc, with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Merlot. That this heat-resistant grape now makes up a quarter of the blend speaks to how vintners are gearing up to counter climate change. These are intelligent choices, and you can count on this wine to maintain that level of extreme elegance and intensity that it is known for (even when Merlot was a bigger part of the blend). Indeed, this is a new and improved Guado al Tasso with focused aromas of pencil shaving, white pepper and crushed stone that frame a rich core of black fruit. A fluttering of dried mint gives lift and power to the bouquet. This is a beautifully linear and powerful red blend.

Guado al Tasso has evolved to this classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot - the Petit Verdot has been omitted since 2015. It confirms in this good, impressively fresh vintage the consistency demonstrated last year. The wine is full of straw, eucalyptus leaf and graphite flavours which mingle with cassis and cedar wood. It has a great mid-palate, which doesn't come across as over-extracted, although the tannins are still oaky on the finish and the toastiness is yet to be integrated. It will evolve gracefully.

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. Ageing: 16 months in barriques. Bright, dense crimson. Rich and lively – no doubt this is on the warm coast rather than inland and uphill but it does taste Tuscan. There’s a light mintiness, but lots of interest too. A complete wine with a beginning, middle and end. (JR)