Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Cont’Ugo Bolgheri DOC 2023
(Tuscany, Italy) - [WE 94] [WS 93] [WA 92]

About the Winery:
The Guado al Tasso Estate is located in the prestigious Bolgheri DOC, part of the Tuscan coastal area of Maremma, known for its untamed landscape and unspoiled beauty. Just 60 miles southwest of Florence, it sits on a magnificent plain in the heart of the Bolgheri amphitheater, a natural phenomenon created by hills that embrace the sea and produce a mild and temperate microclimate. Blessed with ample sunshine and constant breezes that take the edge off the summer heat and winter cold, Guado al Tasso is the ideal environment for cultivating healthy vine growth and proper ripening of the estate’s grapes. Inherited from Carlotta della Gherardesca, and revolutionized by Niccoló Antinori, the mother and father of Piero Antinori, Guado al Tasso is a reference point property in the life and history of the family. Here the challenge is to create wines of absolute excellence, always representative of the Bolgheri history, culture, and winemaking traditions. 

About this Wine:
The 2023 growing season in Bolgheri began with mild winter weather and very limited rainfall that caused the vines to break dormancy slightly earlier, beginning on March 20th. Spring brought periods of moderately intense precipitation that required careful vineyard management to keep the vines healthy and vigorous. Beneficial hot, dry weather in the month of July slowed down vegetative growth and provided perfect conditions for veraison and the beginning of the ripening phase. Temperatures in August were consistent with seasonal averages, although from August 20th to the 25th the area was affected by unusually hot and dry winds from the north that caused some episodes of canopy and berry dehydration in the most exposed vineyard parcels.

After the grapes were hand harvested and carefully selected on sorting tables, the berries were transferred into temperature controlled stainless steel vats where alcoholic fermentation and maceration on the skins took place over a period of about 20 days. Fermentation temperatures were adjusted based on the ripeness of the grapes: lower temperatures were chosen, about 25 °C (77 °F), to preserve and enhance aromatic freshness while higher temperatures, up to 30 °C (86 °F), were applied to boost extraction of phenolic compounds and enhance structure. The different lots were separated according to their individual characteristics and then transferred into barriques where malolactic fermentation was completed by the end of the year. The finest lots were blended and transferred back into second fill barriques for an additional 12-month period of aging, then bottled. Cont’Ugo was bottled during the last half of March 2025.

Cont’Ugo 2023 is intensely ruby red in color. Aromas on the nose are predominantly small ripe red fruit, hints of Mediterranean scrub and undertones of peat moss and licorice root. The full-bodied palate has excellent structure with a velvety, refined tannic texture that makes Cont’Ugo extremely pleasant to drink with good persistence of aromas and flavors.

Ratings & Reviews

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"The nose is peppery and earthy, and also has a tangy, invigorating element like tart blackberries squished over damp soil and graphite. On the palate, layers of sweet, dark berries and dark chocolate create a sleek, acrobatic wine." - Danielle Callegari (Dec 2025)

93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Rich, inviting and harmonious, this is laced with black cherry, blackberry, plum, vanilla, toast and earth aromas and flavors. Vibrant, with dense tannins. Expansive finish. Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2035." - Bruce Sanderson (Oct 2025)

92 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Made with 100% Merlot, the Marchesi Antinori 2023 Bolgheri Guado al Tasso Cont'Ugo reveals a soft, fleshy texture that coats the palate, carrying flavors of black cherry and blackberry with ease. The quality of the fruit is pristine and clean, sustaining the wine seamlessly from entry through the finish, though the mid-palate briefly slows under the weight of hot-vintage richness. Balance quickly returns, and the wine finishes smoothly." - Monica Larner (Feb 2026)