Guado al Tasso house spotlight
Anthony Gismondi walks Guado al Tasso in Bolgheri. The Antinori coastal estate behind Cont'Ugo is on camera: amphitheater hills, sea air, Merlot country.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2023 Cont'Ugo across the open market. Their published average is $65.03. Our slash is $59.
2023 Marchesi Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Cont' Ugo Bolgheri Tuscany, Italy
Guado al Tasso Cont'Ugo, Bolgheri Merlot from Antinori's coastal amphitheater, ninety-four points at fifty-nine dollars.
The 2023 Cont'Ugo is 100 percent Merlot from Tenuta Guado al Tasso. Ripe red and black fruit, graphite, licorice root, cocoa, a gentle herbal lift, now $59.
Bolgheri Merlot with an Antinori coastal handshake
Guado al Tasso sits in the Bolgheri amphitheater, sunlight and sea breeze in the same glass. Cont'Ugo is 100 percent Merlot, harvested September 6 to 18, about 20 days on skins, then second-fill barriques. Wine Enthusiast 94. Jeb Dunnuck 93. Polished enough to pour tonight, serious enough to cellar.
The estate
Antinori's Bolgheri property sits on Della Gherardesca lands in the coastal amphitheater. Cont'Ugo is a focused Merlot, not a leftover blend.
The wine
100% Merlot. Hand harvested and sorted September 6 to 18. About 20 days on skins, then 12 months in second-fill barriques.
The scores
Wine Enthusiast 94. Jeb Dunnuck 93. Wine Spectator 93. Wine Advocate 92.
The drinker
Serve 60 to 64 F. Decant 45 to 60 minutes. Bistecca alla Fiorentina or slow-cooked beef ragu.
Plush fruit, Mediterranean herbs, refined tannins
Ripe red and black fruit first, then graphite, licorice root, peat moss, cocoa, and the herbal lift that makes Bolgheri reds feel coastal rather than heavy.
Bolgheri's 2023 season needed attentive vineyard work: mild dry winter, spring rain, July heat, late-August showers, and a sunny dry September. Antinori reports Merlot for Cont'Ugo was harvested September 6 to 18.
Ripe red and black fruit, graphite, licorice root, cocoa, Mediterranean herbs.
Plush Merlot fruit, refined tannins, 14% ABV, second-fill barriques.
Coastal herbal lift, long. Serve 60 to 64 F. Decant 45 to 60 minutes.
Merlot lots kept separate, then a quiet oak year
Merlot for Cont'Ugo was hand harvested and sorted between September 6 and 18, with the best lots kept separate. Alcoholic fermentation and skin maceration took about 20 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel: cooler for aromatic freshness, warmer for structure. The top lots completed malolactic fermentation in barriques, then the final blend returned to second-fill barriques for an additional 12 months before March 2025 bottling. Fruit stays vivid. The Antinori name still has polish.
Alluvial clay-loam soils on the Bolgheri coast give Merlot both plush fruit and a herbal edge. Second-fill barrels keep that visible.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Decant 45 to 60 minutes so cocoa, graphite, and red fruit settle.
Guado al Tasso and the Bolgheri amphitheater
Bolgheri is young by Italian appellation standards, but it has become one of the country's defining coastal red-wine zones.
The Guado al Tasso estate sits on Tuscany's upper Maremma coast, surrounded by the hills that form the Bolgheri amphitheater. The setting gives the wines sunlight, sea breezes, and a natural sense of balance.
Antinori's history reaches back to 1385, and the family's Bolgheri story connects to the Della Gherardesca estate lands that became Tenuta Guado al Tasso.
Cont'Ugo is not a side thought. It is a focused expression of Merlot from a serious coastal estate.
Steak, ragu, rosemary, a Tuscan table
Cont'Ugo wants food with richness and savor: char, slow-cooked meat, tomato depth, herbs, olive oil, and aged cheese.
Two plates. One Bistecca alla Fiorentina. One slow-cooked beef ragu pasta.
Serve at 60 to 64 F and decant 45 to 60 minutes. Plush Merlot fruit loves fat and char. The herbal Bolgheri edge cuts through slow-cooked sauce.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
A thick grilled steak is the grand pairing: char, rosemary, lemon, and a coastal Merlot glass.
Why it works: Beef fat softens refined tannins. Rosemary and lemon pull out the herbal Bolgheri edge.
View Recipe for Bistecca alla Fiorentina (opens in a new tab)
Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu Pasta
Slow-cooked beef ragu gives comfort and polish in the same bowl.
Why it works: Tomato, herbs, and long-cooked meat echo dark fruit and cocoa while pasta rounds the tannin.
View Recipe for Slow-Cooked Beef Ragu Pasta (opens in a new tab)Open Cont'Ugo tonight
Antinori's Bolgheri Merlot, Wine Enthusiast 94, coastal herbs and plush fruit. Fifty-nine dollars.
Put it in the cart. Credible enough to cellar, polished enough to pour tonight.
