Guado al Tasso 2012 75cl

Poised and focused, this is a young red that shows great complexity and style with lots of blackberry, mint, spice and rosemary aromas that follow through to a full body, chewy tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Needs two to four years to soften. Rivals Antinori's Solaia in 2012. Try in 2017

Alluring violet, black currant, blackberry, wild herb, spice and mineral aromas coat the dense underlying structure at first, but the latter emerges as this cruises to a long conclusion. Shows excellent balance and expression of fruit and place. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2018 through 2033. 1,200 cases imported.—B.S.

The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Guado Al Tasso is a wine to fall in love with at first sight. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot offers enormous fullness and generosity that accompanies all the senses. The effect is seamless with thick extraction and richness that is contrasted against the tonic freshness of the fruit. The wine is creamy, soft and enduring. You can count on this vintage to age ten years or more.  Tenuta Guado al Tasso has produced three new wines in virtual secrecy. In fact, I only found out about them because I was having my morning cappuccino at the local enoteca in Bolgheri one morning and noticed them on the shelves. I immediately sent an SMS to Marchesi Antinori general manager Renzo Cotarella to ask why he had not submitted these wines for review. He replied that they are experimental wines (made in very small production numbers), and are therefore impossible to locate in foreign markets. Understandably, he did not want to generate market confusion for wines that are - for all intensive purposes - impossible to find. The three wines are as follows: A delightful Vermentino named Camillo, a Provençal-styled Rosé called Gherardo and a pure expression of Syrah named Walfredo (that I did not review here because I tasted it during an informal dinner setting). All three wines are spectacular and I enthusiastically call upon the Antinori family to offer these wines in wider release (especially the Walfredo that is immaculate). I was really blown away by these discoveries.