2019 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto

First vintage 2000. Near-final blend; final blending and bottling end February 2021. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot. Merlot grown on a neighbouring estate, outside Bolgheri. TA 5.95, pH 3.52, RS 0.11 g/l. Mid ruby with a touch of sediment – a sample blend, rather than a finished wine, as with the last two release presentations. Quite reticent on the nose, just giving hints of what it’s got – a flash of creamy vanilla, a scent of ripe, plummy, black fruit and some toasted tobacco. Full bodied, with mouth-coating but fine-grained tannins. Plump and velvety – Merlot making its presence felt here. Pretty good length too. This is embryonic and a little closed, but I think has plenty to give – an attractive Guidalberto that will reward cellaring. (TJ)