Bolgheri "Cont'Ugo" DOC Antinori

The red wine Cont’Ugo DOC Bolgheri of the Guado al Tasso estate of Antinori is a wine made by 100% Merlot grapes. It is certificated with the DOC Bolgheri certification and it represents the territory for the Guado al Tasso estate produced for the first time with the year 2011. It has to age for 12 months in oak barrels and then for 6 months in bottle. The fragrance and the exuberance young fruity aromas are two characteristic aspects. It is a deep, complex and pleasant wine. The Merlot grapes are carefully selected in the 40 hectares of the estate’s vineyard. After the manual picking and a careful selection in the cellar the grapes are put in stainless steel thermos-conditioning tanks where the maceration and the fermentation takes place for about 25 days. The fermentation temperature depends of the degree of maturation of the grapes. The low temperatures keep the aromatic freshness while the 30°C fermentation accentuates the polyphenolic extraction and the final structure of the product. The different typologies of Merlot are put in barrels. The malolactic fermentation takes place in barrels up to the end of the year. After 8 months of French oak barrels the best lot are blended together and put for further four months in barrels. At the end of this period there are 6 months of bottle aging.

The Cont’Ugo wine of the Guado al Tasso estate has an intense and deep red color. The smell has intense prune aromas together with cherry, raspberry and spices. The taste is remarked by roundness and thickness. A very pleasant and deep wine marked by an exuberant fruity aftertaste.

The red wine Cont’Ugo has to be matched with structured courses. The game, the braised and the grilled meat and the spicy aged cheeses are perfect matches. It is perfect with game cold cuts and tasty cheeses. It has to be served in Ballon or Bordeaux wine glasses at 18°C.