The Guado al Tasso estate takes its name from timid badgers (“tasso” in Italian), inhabitants of the region which are sometimes spotted crossing fords (“guado” in Italian) in the streams. The flagship wine of the estate is a Bordeaux blend, typically 50-60% Cabernet, expressing both the strength and suppleness of this corner of the upper Maremma. This release has contributed to the elevation of the Bolgheri region to become one of the most important areas of European viticulture, expressing the decisively Mediterranean characteristics of power, elegance, and balance.

Marchesi Antinori’s 2023 Guado al Tasso is the flagship Bolgheri DOC Superiore from Tenuta Guado al Tasso on Tuscany’s coast, a long-established estate wine first produced in 1990. The blend is firmly Bordeaux in its makeup—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot—with both Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck reporting the same proportions: 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 26% Merlot.

The estate describes a meticulous, parcel-by-parcel approach, with double sorting, stainless-steel fermentations lasting 18–25 days, malolactic in barrel, and élevage in 100% new French oak barriques before bottling in July 2025. In 2023, Antinori reports evenly ripened fruit harvested through September, a sequence that began with Merlot in early September and finished with Cabernet Sauvignon late in the month.

Critically, this release is a clear success, anchored by two excellent 97-point reviews. Wine Spectator calls it “expressive, yet classy rather than flamboyant,” detailing flavors from “black currant, blackberry, plum” to “cedar, vanilla, coffee and graphite,” and concluding simply: “Superb.” Wine Spectator’s drinking window is 2029–2048. Jeb Dunnuck likewise awards 97 points, noting an “opaque purple/red hue,” aromas of “graphite, plum, ink, and dark cocoa,” and a palate that is “lush and polished… with a seamless texture throughout,” recommending 2027–2050.

Multiple 96-point assessments reinforce the wine’s consistency and refinement. Monica Larner (Wine Advocate) describes “lovely fruit ripeness followed by elegant volume and depth,” adding that it delivers an “all-rounder profile… with controlled intensity,” and even in an “underdog vintage,” “stands out with unexpected finesse.” Antonio Galloni (Vinous) emphasizes freshness and detail—“mocha, rose petal, mint, blood orange and red plum”—with “brisk acids” and tannins that give “shape and momentum,” calling it “a new standard of finesse.” James Suckling’s team highlights a “pristine” profile of “cassis, eucalyptus… and graphite,” with “supple, velvety tannins” and “crisp acidity,” noting it is “drinkable now, but best from 2027.”