Große Ausgewogenheit, angenehm und sehr harmonisch - ausgestattet mit der Rafinesse des Jahrgangs 2018
"Der Guado al Tasso 2018 präsentiert sich", so das Antinori-Team, "in intensiver rubinroter Farbe. An der Nase attraktive Noten von süßem Gewürz und reifen dunklen Beeren, Süßholzwurzel, Leder und Tabak. Am Gaumen überaus anmutige Tannine: seidig im Auftakt und vibrierend im Finale." Auch die internationale Kritikerschaft ist begeistert. Beim Vinous lobt man die Anmut des Marchesi Antinori Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2018 sowie seine aromatische Vielfalt, beim Decanter die seidigen und präzisen Tannine sowie die erfrischende Säure.
Im Mai 2021 bewertete ;onica Larner den Marchesi Antinori Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2018:
Renzo Cotarella, managing director of Marchesi Antinori tells me that the 2018 vintage showed very different results in the inland and hilly Chianti Classico appellation compared to the flat, sea-facing Bolgheri appellation. This season saw some rain right before harvest. That extra humidity rolled right off the Chianti Classico hills and disappeared without effect, but it stuck around longer in the thicker, flatter soils of Guado al Tasso. For this reason, one of the estate's top wines, the Cabernet Franc-based Matarocchio, was not produced in 2018 for fear that the fruit would not offer the concentration required of a wine of that important stature. The best of that fruit was used in this wine instead. For that reason, the 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso sees a little more Cabernet Franc (clocking in at about 22% of the blend) and less Merlot, with the rest being Cabernet Sauvignon, of course, (at about 60%).
To be honest, the percentage of Cabernet Franc has been deliberately creeping up over the years to render a more focused and sharper bouquet. Aromas of dark fruit and freshly milled white pepper replace the more banal cherry-based flavors delivered by the Merlot, and the wine appears more lifted and precise as a result. The Cabernet Sauvignon delivers spice and licorice, and these pretty aromas are likewise given more breathing room, thanks to the counterparts found in the Cabernet Franc. Linearity, sharpness, pencil shavings and dark currant or blackberry—this is the direction Guado al Tasso is taking, and this 2018 vintage opens the door to a new chapter for the wine. Some 115,000 bottles were made.
James Suckling schreibt im April 2021:
Lots of redcurrants and flowers on the nose, together with crushed stones. Full-bodied and very layered with beautiful fruit and density, yet it remains agile and light. The tannins are totally integrated. I like the light herbal touch to the red fruit here. Flower petals. Juicy, flavorful finish with citrus zest at the end. 60% Cabernet sauvignon, 22% cabernet franc and 18% merlot. Really pretty now, but wait two or three years.
Für den Wine Spectator notiert Bruce Sanderson:
Rich, intense fruit flavors of black currant and black cherry are shaded by vanilla, toasty oak, iron, black olive and tobacco accents in this complex, harmonious red. Fine balance and a lingering finish cap it off. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035.
Othmar Kiem und Simon Staffler bewerten für den Falstaff im August 2021:
Funkelndes, sattes Rubinviolett. Eröffnet mit Noten nach Tabak, dann reife Zwetschken, viel Holunderbeere, im Hintergrund etwas Lakritze. Am Gaumen stoffig und präsent, eröffnet mit satter Beerenfrucht, dichtmaschiges Tannin, saftig und im Finale satter Druck.
