San Guido's Sassicaia is Super Tuscan excellence in the eyes of many, almost defining the loftiest ideal of the movement to which it belongs. As Château Margaux defines Margaux and Pétrus defines Pomerol, so does Sassicaia define Bolgheri.

Like Margaux, Sassicaia has a phenomenal second wine – Guidalberto. Guidalberto is made of grapes sourced from the same celebrated Bolgheri vineyards as the estate’s iconic flagship cuvée, and benefits from the same expert winemaking skills. Aged for 15 months in oak and a further three months in bottle, it delivers the essence of Sassicaia, showing a wealth of charm and balance whilst being inherently more approachable upon release and significantly costing only 12% of the price.

The latest vintage, Guidalberto 2019, is undoubtedly an outstanding iteration of this wine. Scoring a magnificent 95 points from the Wine Enthusiast’s Kerin O’Keefe, its highest-scoring vintage to date, Guidalberto 2019 is a 'nicely balanced' wine with 'fresh acidity'. Offering 'alluring aromas of fragrant purple flowers, dark-skinned berries and crushed mint', it is surprisingly enjoyable right out of the gate.

Not only has the 2019 been ranked the highest-scoring vintage ever, it also represents outstanding value. Released at just £250 per dozen IB, compared to Bordeaux second wines like Carruades de Lafite, where the proportion is usually around 30-40% the price of the Grand Vin, Guidalberto's value is starkly illustrated.