2023 Le Difese

The 2023 Le Difese includes Sangiovese from Montosoli and Rufina in Chianti Classico in the blend. The nose is fresh and pure, with a juicy, floral perfume of fresh red berries, violets, and wet stone. It’s fresh and inviting on the palate, with the very pretty elegance that the Sangiovese brings with its more defined structure and refreshing feel. This is a fabulous entry wine to drink over the coming 8-10 years.

A tangy raspberry and pomegranate attack is followed by some ripe dark fruits wrapped in soft, open-knit tannins. Tenuta San Guido sources the Sangiovese for Le Difese from family friends in nearby Chianti Montespertoli and Chianti Rufina, but as a result of the widespread peronospora (downy mildew) in 2023, the percentage has dropped from 70% in 2022 to 65% in the 2023. It doesn't seem to have slowed its momentum, however, as it bristles with energy. Bright and well balanced, it's a delicious introduction to the estate.

Onto 2023 Le Difese, a wine that has captured my heart of late. Made from 65% Sangiovese and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and weighing in at 13.5% alcohol, with some oak augmentation using old Guidalberto barrels, this is another cosmic release for this wine. Leave the anticipated release price aside for a moment and consider this wine in isolation, forgetting its parentage and hallowed turf. This beautiful, buoyant, highly attractive red wine balances enticing openness with formal build-quality under the bonnet. I know it is a baby, but you could conceivably down a bottle with steak frites without missing a beat, and yet I expect it to gather in kaleidoscopic appeal over the next 24 months. I adored last year’s 2022 vintage with its cool, calm, and collected attitude, knowing wink, and rakish appeal. But this 2023 is a phenomenon and the finest Le Difese I have ever tasted. I feel compelled to give it a gold medal score. It doesn’t matter that this wine is a ‘third tier release’ because its perfume, flavour and finish are simply stunning. So, it is with great pleasure that 2023 Le Difese gains a rare 18.5/20 score, and if this wine does not make it into my Finest Fifty 2025 round-up in late December, I will eat my capello.