Guidalberto (2nd Vin) 2006 37.50cl

The 2006 Guidalberto is timid and understated on first nose. Give it time and this wine opens to enormous elegance and grace. Steep diurnal shifts toward the end of the growing season helped to enhance the wine's aromatic offerings and persistence. In fact, the depth and beauty of the bouquet is its strongest card. It reveals small berry tones with cassis, wild cherry and dried cranberry. Quick to follow are ethereal tones of licorice, balsam herb and dried ginger. The impact is tight, focused and long-lasting. This edition of Guidalberto shows extremely fine tannins and a silky texture. It has aged beautifully. You can drink it now or wait a little bit longer.  When Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made a state visit to Washington, D.C. this past April, he packed a few bottles for the trip. He selected four wines to share with President Barack Obama. According to media reports they were Sassicaia (the 2011 vintage), Ornellaia, Tignanello and a Brunello di Montalcino by Mastrojanni. The statesmen sampled the wines together and President Obama joked that it would be “insulting” not to taste them. During a press conference, he turned to Renzi and smiled: “I will give you, Matteo, a report on whether it is up to the quality we expect.”  Born in Florence, Prime Minister Renzi made a sound selection of wines from his native Tuscany to share with the American president. Of these wines, none is more iconic than Sassicaia. Roughly one month prior to the White House wine summit, I was in Bolgheri at Tenuta San Guido to taste a few older vintages of Sassicaia including the 1982 and 1998. I was also able to taste preview samples of the excellent 2013 vintage and the challenging 2014 vintage. June 2015

Aromas of toasty oak and ripe fruit lead to a full body, with a solid core of fruit and a chewy finish. Needs some time to come around. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best after 2011. 12,000 cases made. –JS