The 2011 Guado al Tasso impresses for its balance and overall harmony. Silky and gracious, the 2011 is built on pure texture and balance. Plums, mocha, espresso and dark spices all blossom in the glass. The 2011 is all about texture persistence. Although the 2011 drinks well young, I also think it will develop nicely in bottle.

A dense, layered red with asphalt, berry and clove character. Figs too. Full body, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Needs time to soften. Better in 2017.

Forever the superstar, the 2011 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a delicious wine that never holds back in terms of intensity and seamless integration. Every detail has been finessed. The blend is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Each vineyard parcel is fermented separately to maintain varietal identity. The wine’s appearance is dark and luscious with thick extraction and a vibrant dark garnet hue. Generous aromas of dark fruit, tobacco and chocolate lift steadily from the glass. The mouthfeel is soft and yielding with a great sense of tannic persistency that holds up the finish, which can be counted in many long minutes. Give this wine five years or more to fully evolve.

The 2011 vintage was characterised by a spring and late summer which were warm and registered temperatures above normal. The heat of late August caused some irregularity in ripening, mostly in the case of the early ripening Merlot. This caused some loss of production. Renzo Cotarella says the tannin is 'less evolved'. Guado al Tasso 2011, indeed, is the dark side of Bolgheri; blackish in the glass, with black fruits, dark chocolate and cigar box aromas, full on the palate with a youth vintage-Port-like tannin yet a great depth and personality.

Tobacco, black cherry, meat, iron. Almost closer to Hermitage than Médoc, thanks to that meatiness and dark fruit. Or perhaps that's just my palate preference talking! Finishes with a nice lift of medicinal herby scent. Long, full, intense. (RH)

A bordeaux lookalike with plush oak and supple cassis fruit. Really well made and polished but a little too marked by oak at this stage. (WS)