2024 Le Difese
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Tasting notes
The 2024 Le Difese, composed of 70% Sangiovese sourced from Montespertoli and Radda in Chianti with the balance Cabernet Sauvignon, pours a bright ruby hue and is floral and lifted with aromas of fresh cherry, pomegranate, citrus, and sweet herbs. Lean to medium-bodied, it shows vibrant acidity, vertical graphite notes, and a stony texture. It was aged in barrique followed by stainless steel aging to preserve its freshness and clarity. Reflective of the vintage, this is a charming and bright wine to drink over the near term. Drink 2026-2030. The wines for this report were tasted at the estate with production manager Carlo Paoli and the Tenuta San Guido winemaking team. Graziana Grassini is their enology consultant for the estate’s Cabernet Sauvignon.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2024 Le Difese is a very pleasant, midweight red to drink now and over the next few years. Crushed red flowers, red berry fruit, mint, chalk, white pepper and blood orange are very nicely lifted. Le Difese is quite attractive, a success in a year marked by persistent rain all the way through to and during harvest.
Full bottle 1,184 g. Sangiovese and Cabernet aged briefly in used Guidalberto barriques, mainly French. pH 3.5, TA 5.86 g/l. Pale garnet with a very pale rim. Light nose but surprisingly fruity impact on the palate. What you might call ‘a real drinking wine’! Lots of fruity charm followed by the tang of Sangiovese. This is not a wine for the cellar but it should give lots of short-term pleasure. And it’s even quite persistent. Well done! GV (JR)
The Tenuta San Guido 2024 Le Difese is sharp and tight in profile, opening with aromas of candied cherry carried by a thin, stringy frame. A blend of Sangiovese (72%) and Cabernet Franc (28%), sourced primarily from estate fruit with a portion purchased, the wine is filtered, racked and aged for four months in barrique before bottling in June. It sees an additional six to seven months of cellar rest before its release. The style is shy and restrained rather than expressive, yet the wine is marked by good freshness and easy drinkability.
About the producer
Tentuta San Guido produces Sassicaia – Italy’s most famous wine. An icon from the Bolgheri coastline of Tuscany, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, its rise to prominence in the late 1970s sparked the Super Tuscan revolution.