Guado al Melo Bolgheri DOC Superiore

The properties comprising Podere Guado al Melo have long been dedicated to viticulture, while. Historical documents go back to the mid-18th century, to the founding years of the Espinassi-Moratti estate, a part of which comprised today’s Podere. Known then as “vigneto di Santa Maria,” it was planted to Sangiovese, Vermentino, and other varieties, with Cabernet and Merlot added in the mid-19th century.

The value of this venerable tradition has been backed by modern soil and weather research, which confirmed the area’s singular potential for high-quality viticulture. Michele Scienza has been successful, over a succession of years, in ascertaining the specific areas of the estate most valuable from the point of view of soils and microclimate, and grapes for the production of “Guado al Melo” Bolgheri Superiore are sourced exclusively from those parcels. When complemented by rigorous, painstaking vinification, the result is a wine of exceptional elegance, breed, and complexity.

Label: This is the only label that we did not personally produce; it is the gift of a family friend who is a graphic artist. We immediately liked its modern style. It represents a tree with a grapevine wrapped around its trunk. We like to think that it has a double meaning. On the one hand, it recalls the tree-trained vines typical of Etruscan viticulture, which we have here at Guado al Melo.
On the other, we would like to see in it “our” tree, the apple tree of the winery name, around which the vine of our own passion is entwining itself.

DENOMINATION: Bolgheri DOC Superiore red wine
VARIETIES: Cabernet sauvignon (80%), Cabernet franc and Merlot
VINEYARD: Castagneto C. (LI) - Tuscany, planted in 1999, at an altitude of 50 metres, with a density of 8,000 vines per hectare (spurred cordon).
SOILS: Alluvial, with good pebble-gravel texture and moderate clay content.
CLIMATE: Mediterranean, with significant diurnal temperature ranges.
YIELD : max. 45 Hl /ha.
HARVEST: hand-picking selection
VINIFICATION: in temperature-controlled steel.
MATURATION: 24 months sur-lie in small oak barrel (10% new).
BOTTLE-AGEING: A minimum of 12 months in glass.

SENSORY PROFILE: The wine is a dense ruby with purplish highlights. The nose is rich, elegant, and ever-changing, releasing fruit preserves, dark chocolate, and tobacco leaf, along with a minerally note. In the mouth, it enjoys a firm structure and good balance of all its components, crisp with smooth mouthfeel, and a very long finish.
Suggested serving temperature 18°-20°C with elaborate meat dish, game, mature or strong cheese.