2012 Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi Campo Al Capriolo Bolgheri 750 ml

Holding the Line in Bolgheri — 92pt Campo al Caprioli Cabernet Sauvignon

In 1944, Mario, father of the Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, cleared an east-facing parcel in the woods above the sleepy village of Bolgheri, perched high above the Tuscan coast.  Inspired by his great uncle, a horticulturalist who was also one of the first Italians to import vine cuttings from France, he experimented with various cuttings. Of those, Bordeaux varieties proved to be the most successful.

The first commercial vintage from Tenuta San Guido, Incisa della Rocchetta’s Bolgheri estate, was 1968. That wine, named Sassicaia (from the Italian “sasso,” meaning “stone”), soon drew comparisons with the great Bordeaux First Growth Château Haut-Brion, which is drawn from similarly gravelly soils.

Sassicaia’s critical acclaim lured collectors and investors to Bolgheri, igniting an unprecedented land grab. As young Tuscan estates searched for a marketing angle that would distinguish their Bordeaux blends from indigenous Sangiovese, the term “Super Tuscan” was coined.

At first, the moniker seemed promising, as a handful of estates aspired to match Sassicaia’s quality. But as is so often the case on the world’s young wine routes, marketing agendas began to outpace quality. In Bolgheri, inflation ran rampant, seemingly regardless of quality.  

Just a few estates held the line on prices, determined to win market share based on what was IN the bottle, not ON it!  Of those, none did so with more resolve than Guicciardini Strozzi, with their magnificent “Campo al Caprioli.”  

Drawn from the family’s Le Pavoniere Estate near Livorno, the 2012 Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi “Campo al Caprioli,” crafted by superstar enologist Franco Bernabei, is a classic Left Bank blend of broad-shouldered Cabernet Sauvignon mixed with ripe, plump Merlot.

Is it the most compelling under-$20 Italian red of the year? Wine Spectator thinks so.  

Deep purple to the rim. Luscious aromas of crushed black fruits, violets, and sweet cherry, bracketed by new-wood cedar (aged for 12 months in French cooperage, 50% of which is new). Rich, bright, and high-toned, plushly concentrated on the mid-palate, Graves-like in both texture and pitch, finishing with fine, dusty tannins, arguing elegantly for 5-7 years of cellar slumber.

92 points from Wine Spectator. 1,200 bottles are up for grabs.  Shipping included on 6.