Wine Reviews
The Tenuta di Biserno 2022 Biserno, a dark and rich blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, reveals layered aromas of dark fruit, sweet spice and campfire ember. A bright note of candied orange adds multidimensionality and a touch of extra sweetness, lifting the overall profile. Fermented in steel and aged for 15 months in mostly new French barriques, the wine reflects a hot vintage yet avoids feeling weighed down, finishing with soft, sweet tannins and a polished texture.
This is a great surprise. The Tenuta di Biserno 2023 Il Pino di Biserno, composed primarily of Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a small portion of Petit Verdot, shows appealing balance and tension alongside the plump, generous personality characteristic of the 2023 vintage. Fresh and easy-drinking without any sense of heaviness, the wine hits all the right marks, combining clarity of fruit with poise. It is fermented in stainless steel, with 85% of the wine matured for one year in French oak, both new and used, while the remaining 15% stays in stainless steel to preserve freshness. I happily recommend this bottle, especially if roast meats such as rosemary-scented lamb or beef are on the menu. At this price point, I recommend this wine over the 2022 Biserno.
The Tenuta San Guido 2023 Guidalberto comes from a challenging vintage, shaped by heat and rain that brought pressure from downy mildew, particularly affecting early-ripening Merlot. Big efforts were made during selection. Aromatically plump and expressive, the wine shows ripe cherry and blackberry preserves layered over a medium- to full-bodied mouthfeel, with primary fruit rounded by sweet notes of cinnamon. Despite the difficulties of the year, there is appealing freshness on the palate with hints of orange peel and blood orange that lift the fruit, giving the wine energy and balance.
The Tenuta San Guido 2024 Guidalberto shows spice and drive through the mid-palate, opening with fragrant notes of cherry shaped by its equal blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is lively and punchy in character with lifted aromatics and fine definition, supported by bright acidity that keeps the palate fresh and agile. Tannins show a touch of dryness, adding grip and structure, while the overall impression remains energetic and easy to appreciate.
Early indications from the first tasting of this wine in summer 2025 were that this may turn out as a milestone for Comtes de Champagne Rosé, which has always been a rather different beast from the more famous Blanc de Blancs. The heady, fruit-forward Pinot Noir focus is still there, but it seems to have been straightened, polished and tightened even in this extroverted vintage. It has yielding a blend that offers abundance of fruit (redcurrant, peach, pomegranate and cherry) but framed in an alluringly silky, racy Chardonnay-influenced texture that pushes through with beautiful length and subtle brown pastry and crême patissière richness. It wears its 14% red wine – high for modern Champagne – deftly, treading a beautiful line between purity and generosity.
