Tenuta San Guido : Le Difese 2022

Le Difese 2022 is a blend of 55% Sangiovese and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, the former brought in from long-standing partners based in Chianti and Chianti Rufina – ‘In Bolgheri it's not easy to find Sangiovese,’ third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta explained. 2022 saw slightly lower production than 2021 due to a warm spring and a rainy autumn. Macerations were shorter than previous years, and the wine retains the same blend as last year as part of the estate's continuing plans to make Le Difese approachable almost immediately and give it its own Tuscan identity. Bright red and purple scents with a creamy backdrop and herbal touches lead to a soft and textured palate full of fresh, tangy cherry and dark hedgerow berries. Ripe, precise and sapid with a long, breezy, balsamic finish, Le Difese should be enjoyed over the next decade.

I've always been drawn to so-called “second wines” (aka the little brother to the estate's star wine), both because I love an underdog and because it's objectively more likely to be impressed when your expectations are lowered and your guard is down. Tenuta San Guido's Le Difese always punches above its weight, but in 2022 it's a knock out.