Even at this very early stage, the 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is magnificent. Fresh and perfumed in the glass, with striking purity of fruit and exceptional balance, the 2015 is arrestingly beautiful from the very first taste. Bright red cherry and raspberry jam are pushed forward. I am struck by the wine's translucent color and overall level of finesse. Wow!

So much blue fruit such as blueberries and blackberries; the purity of the fruit is incredible. Essence of cabernet sauvignon. Full-bodied yet with focused and fine tannins. Forceful but focused and polished. Needs two or three years to come around. And then enjoy for years afterwards.

The 2015 Bolgheri Superiore Guado Al Tasso is another star performer from a vintage that was tailor-made by some higher being specifically for the blended red wines of Tuscany. This mix of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot slides seamlessly right in there with our highest expectations of the iconic vintage. The wine offers beautiful intensity and purity, yet it also delivers balanced power and lasting persistence. This is a baritone expression from Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast with impenetrable black fruit, chocolate and tobacco followed by rich concentration and tightly knit texture. I tasted this wine next to a barrel sample of the unfinished 2016 vintage. This vintage appears more exuberant and opulent at this early stage. Some 120,000 bottles were made.

Guado al Tasso sits in the Bolgheri amphitheatre that provides a unique microclimate with significant temperature variations, these were crucial in the warm 2015 vintage. Due to a mild winter and a dry spring the bud break, along with the flowering, and the harvest were earlier than the preceding vintages. The picking began on September 12th with the Merlot. Crimson, dominated by a salted chocolate aroma and flavour with restrained cassis, a touch of mint and coffee beans to finish; this vintage shows firm yet ripe tannins, not without suppleness despite the powerful structure. It will age easily for decades.

A thick, muscular red, featuring black currant, blackberry, licorice, mint, earth and leather aromas and flavors. Dense and builds to a lingering aftertaste, yet needs time to unpack all its facets. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2022 through 2035. 500 cases imported. — BS

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. There's emerging complexity in the nose here, starting to show the next stage of evolution – earth, moss, mushroom. The fruit is still impeccable, and very youthful. This has grandeur and persistence – still lots more to come with age. (RH)