Antinori - Guado al Tasso : Cont'Ugo 2024

Cont'Ugo 2024 by Antinori - Guado al Tasso: characteristics and tasting notes

Tasting

Appearance
This wine reveals a deeply intense ruby red colour.

Nose
The aromatic bouquet opens on notes of ripe red fruits, harmoniously accompanied by hints of Mediterranean scrubland, peat moss and liquorice root.

Palate
Full-bodied and well-structured, the palate stands out for its refined and remarkably velvety tannins. The finish is persistent, pleasant and graced with a beautiful aromatic length.

Food and wine pairings
This cuvée pairs wonderfully with flavoursome dishes such as mushroom risotto, game pasta like wild boar tagliatelle, roasted meats or a platter of aged cheeses.

Serving and ageing
Cont'Ugo 2024 reveals its full potential when served at a temperature between 16 and 18 °C. Endowed with a beautiful structure, it will flourish in the cellar and can be enjoyed until around 2039.

The elegance of a pure Tuscan Merlot by Antinori - Guado al Tasso

The estate
Located on the coast of Upper Maremma in Tuscany, Tenuta Guado al Tasso is a jewel of the Antinori family, whose winemaking history dates back to 1385. The modern estate and its production truly came into being in 1990. Now led by Albiera Antinori, this property extends over a 320-hectare vineyard. Renowned for its exceptional terroir, it produces wines of great elegance. This prestigious name embodies Mediterranean excellence, combining historical expertise with technical innovation to reveal all the richness of its coastal environment.

The vineyard
The vines dedicated to this cuvée flourish at the heart of the Bolgheri amphitheatre, at an altitude varying between 45 and 60 metres above sea level. This unique terroir benefits from clay-loam soils, mainly of alluvial origin, which give the grapes a beautiful depth. The Mediterranean climate, softened by constant sea breezes, helps temper the summer heat and promotes optimal ripening of the berries.

The vintage
The year began with a mild and rainy winter, leading to an early budbreak of around ten days. Spring, cooler and marked by frequent rainfall, allowed for a long and steady flowering. Summer proved overall hot and dry, ensuring a healthy development of the bunches. Finally, the harvest period benefited from lovely warmth, punctuated by a few showers in late September, thus offering a perfect balance between sugars and acidity.

Winemaking and ageing
The bunches are hand-picked and then meticulously sorted upon arrival at the cellar. The fermentation and maceration of Cont'Ugo 2024 take place in stainless steel tanks under controlled temperature, between 25 and 30 °C, for around twenty days. The different lots are then transferred to barrels to complete their malolactic fermentation before the end of the year. Finally, the best lots are blended and aged for a further twelve months in second-passage barrels, before bottling scheduled for mid-December 2025.

Grape variety
100% Merlot