Cont’Ugo Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Bolgheri 2018 75cl

This is the kind of Italian red wine that makes you pause mid-sip, because there’s a lot going on and it’s all good. Cont’Ugo from Tenuta Guado al Tasso is Bolgheri doing its signature move, Tuscany with a Bordeaux accent, stacked with dark fruit, savoury herbs, and serious structure.

Bolgheri (on Italy’s Tuscan coast) is famous for reds that bring power and polish at the same time. The 2018 vintage leans into balance, ripe fruit, fresh lift, and tannins that feel confident, not aggressive. In other words, it’s a wine you can nerd out on, or just enjoy because it tastes incredible.

What makes it worth your time is the layering. You’ll get juicy black fruit up front, then it pivots into cocoa, cedar, and that earthy, Mediterranean vibe, like warm herbs and sun-baked soil. It keeps changing as it sits in the glass, which is exactly what you want from a bottle with depth.

• Appearance: Deep ruby with a darker core, slow legs that hint at a concentrated style.
• Nose: Black cherry, blackcurrant, dried rosemary, cedar, a touch of tobacco and cocoa.
• Taste: Dark fruit leads, then savoury spice and earthy notes. Dry, medium to full-bodied, with firm tannins and bright acidity that keeps it lively.
• Finish: Long and savoury, lingering on cedar, dark berries, and a gentle cocoa bitterness.

If your usual “nice red” feels one-note, this is the upgrade. It’s bold enough to stand up to big flavours, but detailed enough that you’ll keep finding new little hints, especially as it opens up in the glass. It also scratches that itch for a Bordeaux-style red while keeping the sunlit Tuscan personality front and centre.

This one’s for anyone building a serious Italian wine shelf, getting into Bolgheri reds, or just chasing that mix of fruit, spice, and structure that makes a wine feel like an event.

Fun Fact: Tenuta Guado al Tasso is part of the Antinori family, one of Italy’s most famous wine dynasties, with a winemaking history stretching back more than 600 years.