Tenuta San Guido Toscana IGT Le Difese 2018 Bouteille (75cl)
Tenuta San Guido's Le Difese 2018 is a Tuscan red wine crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. This cuvée pairs an expression of dark fruits, plum, and cherry with savory nuances of dried tobacco, nuts, and bark; the palate is medium-bodied with a creamy and sapid finish. The Wine Advocate awards it 88/100 and suggests drinking between 2020 and 2024; James Suckling rates it 91/100.
La bouteille proposée
- Size
- Bottle (75cl)
- Label Condition
- Perfect
- Fill Level
- Perfect
- Capsule Condition
- Perfect
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- Italie
- Région
- Toscane
- Producteur / Domaine
- Tenuta San Guido
- Cuvée
- Le Difese
- Millésime
- 2018
Tenuta San Guido
Tenuta San Guido is a family-run estate situated in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci. The estate, which originated from the legacy of Clarice della Gherardesca and was developed by her husband Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, is notably known for producing Sassicaia. Its vineyards are planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, between the foothills and the hills of Castiglioncello.
- Owner
- Famille Incisa della Rocchetta
- Maître de chais
- Carlo Paoli
- Surface (ha)
- 90.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 780 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The origins of Tenuta San Guido are linked to Clarice della Gherardesca, who brought a vast estate of 2,500 hectares in the Bolgheri region as part of her dowry when she married Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in 1930. Born in 1899 and trained in agronomy in Pisa, Mario Incisa was interested in Bordeaux wines and was searching for a terroir suitable for growing Cabernet. Having settled in the Maremma in the 1940s, he recognised similarities between the estate’s gravelly and clayey soils and those of the Graves. In 1944, he planted his first vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri, marking the start of the Sassicaia project. The first wines were reserved for the family and their close friends and relatives from 1945 to 1967. The 1968 vintage was the first to be sold, when it was released in 1971. Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, Mario’s son, joined the management of the estate after studying economics in Geneva in 1959 and contributed to its commercial development as well as to new plantings. The collaboration with oenologist Giacomo Tachis helped to define the Bordeaux style of the estate’s wines. Today, the third generation of the Incisa della Rocchetta family is involved in the running of the business, whilst Carlo Paoli, who has been head of production since 2009, became managing director and then chief executive in 2025.
Le Difese
Le Difese is a Toscana IGT red wine blending Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese. It provides an accessible introduction to the style of Tenuta San Guido, with an explicitly Tuscan identity and a convivial, food-friendly vocation.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The name refers to the wild boar's tusks, represented in gold on the label.
- Cuvée creation year
- 2002
- Style of the cuvée
- Supple, fresh, elegant, and balanced style, prioritizing drinkability, food pairing versatility, and an accessible structure from its youth.
- Position within the range
- Introductory wine and the estate's most recent cuvée in the range, positioned below Guidalberto and Sassicaia.
Histoire de la cuvée
Le Difese joined the range with the 2002 vintage, following Sassicaia and Guidalberto. Tenuta San Guido presents it as its welcome wine intended for wine lovers from all over the world and as the most recent of the estate's three wines.
