Tenuta Belguardo 2003

I had this Super Tuscan over the Chinese New Year, though with the very untraditional fare of roast lamb rack. I had seen this wine around in the shops before, but what I had not known was that the Mazzei family which owns the estate goes back to the 11th century (well before the 1435 on the label) and that Ser Lapo Mazzei (1350-1412) was considered the "father" of Chianti! The Mazzei also own the well known Chianti estate, Castello di Fonterutoli.

Back to Tenuta Beluardo, which was purchased by the family in the 1990s. They see their mission as promoting the awareness of the Maremma region in Tuscany, and have expanded vineyards and built a new cellar. The flagship wine, Tenuta Belguardo, was first made in 2000 from predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with small proportions of Cab Franc and Sangiovese. In more recent years, Sangiovese seemed to have been dropped in favour of Cab Franc, though the 2003 which was tasted contained Sangiovese but no Cab Franc. This wine was a ruby with brick tints, and had a sweet acid plummy nose. The palate was sweet plummy with a bit of wood, supported by an acid slightly tannic backbone.