Matarocchio
Climate
The 2012 vintage was, in general, warmer than in 2011. The first months of the year were marked by the snowfall of the month of February, a rare event on the Tuscan coast. Bud burst took place in a normal fashion, despite the scarce rainfall of spring and early summer. The rains of mid-September fortunately pushed the ripening of the grapes, guaranteeing a crop of elevated quality. The 2012 vintage demonstrated that the Bolgheri production zone can give excellent wines even in the hottest years: the morphology of the territory and the nearby presence of the sea succeed in mitigating peak summer temperatures and prevent vine stress which could compromise the balance and the proper ripening of the grapes.
Vinification
The picking of the crop was entirely by hand, and the grapes, brought to the cellars in 37 pound (15 kilogram) packing cases, were sorted and selected both before and after destemming. A soft pressing and a five day pre-fermentation cold maceration, at 50° Fahrenheit (10° centigrade) in stainless steel tanks, then followed. The fermentation period, at temperatures allowed to rise to 77° Fahrenheit (25° centigrade), along with a lengthy post-fermentation period of skin contact, totaled 30 days. The wine then went into entirely new French oak barrels where, by the end of the year, it finished a complete malolactic fermentation. The aging period lasted 18 months, and during this period each individual barrel was regularly checked and controlled. At the end of the aging it was decided to bottle only those barrels with the best balance of oak and wine.
Historical Data
The Guado al Tasso estate is located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become an internationally recognized reference point for the Italian and international winemaking arena. The estate covers an area of about 320 hectares (790 acres) planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The nearby sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.
Tasting Notes
The 2012 Matarocchio shows a nose of great complexity and finesse. On the palate it is enveloping, silky and, at the same time, very fresh on the finish.
Awards
James Suckling 96/100 USA Wine Advocate 95/100 USA Wine Spectator 95/100 USA Antonio Galloni 97/100 USA Falstaff 94/100 Austria Wine Enthusiast 92/100 USA I Vini di Veronelli Super Tre stelle Italy I Vini dell'Espresso 16,5/20 Italy
The Wine
Il Matarocchio was inspired by the desire to create, at the Guado al Tasso estate, a wine that was the maximum expression both of a single grape variety and a single vineyard plot. Il Matarocchio was born precisely from one of these sites and is a wine of great elegance and depth, one which springs exclusively from its source of origin and from a remarkable vintage such as 2007.
Climate
The 2012 vintage was, in general, warmer than in 2011. The first months of the year were marked by the snowfall of the month of February, a rare event on the Tuscan coast. Bud burst took place in a normal fashion, despite the scarce rainfall of spring and early summer. The rains of mid-September fortunately pushed the ripening of the grapes, guaranteeing a crop of elevated quality. The 2012 vintage demonstrated that the Bolgheri production zone can give excellent wines even in the hottest years: the morphology of the territory and the nearby presence of the sea succeed in mitigating peak summer temperatures and prevent vine stress which could compromise the balance and the proper ripening of the grapes.
Vinification
The picking of the crop was entirely by hand, and the grapes, brought to the cellars in 37 pound (15 kilogram) packing cases, were sorted and selected both before and after destemming. A soft pressing and a five day pre-fermentation cold maceration, at 50° Fahrenheit (10° centigrade) in stainless steel tanks, then followed. The fermentation period, at temperatures allowed to rise to 77° Fahrenheit (25° centigrade), along with a lengthy post-fermentation period of skin contact, totaled 30 days. The wine then went into entirely new French oak barrels where, by the end of the year, it finished a complete malolactic fermentation. The aging period lasted 18 months, and during this period each individual barrel was regularly checked and controlled. At the end of the aging it was decided to bottle only those barrels with the best balance of oak and wine.
Historical Data
The Guado al Tasso estate is located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become an internationally recognized reference point for the Italian and international winemaking arena. The estate covers an area of about 320 hectares (790 acres) planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The nearby sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.
Tasting Notes
The 2012 Matarocchio shows a nose of great complexity and finesse. On the palate it is enveloping, silky and, at the same time, very fresh on the finish.
Awards
James Suckling 96/100 USA Wine Advocate 95/100 USA Wine Spectator 95/100 USA Antonio Galloni 97/100 USA Falstaff 94/100 Austria Wine Enthusiast 92/100 USA I Vini di Veronelli Super Tre stelle Italy I Vini dell'Espresso 16,5/20 Italy
Tenuta Guado al Tasso
The Guado al Tasso estate is located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become an internationally recognized reference point for the Italian and international winemaking arena. The estate covers an area of 320 hectares (790 acres), set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino Nero and Bianco. The nearby sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.
Antinori Estates
Estates in Italy
