2018 Guardiavigna
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Tasting notes
This is 100% Cabernet Franc from a seven-hectare site at a cool 500 meters in elevation in the Orcia Valley of Tuscany. The Podere Forte 2018 Guardiavigna Orniello opens to medium-dark intensity with plush dark fruit aromas and a good amount of oak spice to soften the load. Blackberry and black cherry are framed by nutmeg and toasted cinnamon. The mouthfeel works very nicely here, showing elegance and a rather streamlined style. This wine gracefully resists any temptation for heaviness or over-ripeness. I tasted bottle 904 of 1,529 produced. Like the other wines from this estate, this is certified organic and biodynamic.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Eric Guido, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Peppery and wildly intense, the 2018 Guardiavigna Orniello opens with masses of dried roses, savory herbs, dusty blackberries and exotic spice. It soothes with its soft textures, but it’s sleek and poised, showing red wild berry fruits underscored by saline minerals as a bump of sour citrus adds contrast. The 2018 finishes long and staining, with a coating of fine-grained tannins and hints of licorice that slowly fade over a saturation of primary concentration.
Don't sleep on the 2018 Guardiavigna. It opens with a youthfully coy blend of peppery herbs and crushed blackberry fruit. This holds its power in reserve. It's soft textured, nearly creamy in feel, mixing sweet spices and tart raspberry over a core of juicy acidity. The 2018 finishes with a crystalline structure, leaving lingering sour citrus and inner rose tones behind. I tasted the 2018 over the course of sixteen hours, and each time it gained depth and complexity. I'm excited to see what a few years of cellaring might unlock.