Castello di Radda Guss 2015 | Super Tuscan | Toscana IGT

UK-exclusive, limited edition Super Tuscan wine. Deep flavour of dark cherries, chocolate, cinnamon and smoke

This exclusive wine offers a deep, rich taste of dark chocolate, cinnamon and smoke. It’s produced using the estate’s best Merlot grapes, grown on the hill behind the commune of Radda. “Guss” is dedicated to the Gussalli Beretta family – the famous owners of the Castello di Radda winery – and it’s possibly the most powerful and elegant Merlot we’ve tasted.

Here’s what James Suckling, a renowned wine expert, wrote about this wine: “aromas of black olives and berries with plums and cherries. Medium-to full-bodied with super integrated tannins that add polish and finesse to the palate. This is a pure merlot that is really attractive now, but will deliver excellence with bottle age. Try after 2022.”

Winemaking: Grapes are crushed and fermented in large, 5000-litre stainless steel tanks for an extended period of one month. Over that time the wine develops its deep colour and  flavours. Then it’s transferred to 500-litre oak tonneaux: 80% new French oak, and 20% old oak. After the malolactic fermentation, the wine ages in the same tonneaux for 24 months. Finally, the wine is bottled and spends at least one year undisturbed in cellar, where it reaches full potential.

Awards and ranking: James Suckling – 94 pts (2015 vintage) | Falstaff – 90 pts (2015 vintage) | Luca Maroni – 92 pts (2015 vintage) | Vitae la Guida Vini – 3+1 vines (2015 vintage) | Guida Bibenda 2019 – 4 Grappoli (2015 vintage) | Best of Merlot, Vinum.eu 2020 – 17.5/20 pts