Bolgheri Sassicaia 2018 Tenuta San Guido 750ml

Description: In the 1920s the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta dreamed of creating a ‘thoroughbred’ wine for all the aristocracy of the time, the ideal was Bordeaux. This is how he described it in a letter to the esteemed wine critic, Luigi Veronelli dated 11 June 1974:

“…the origins of my experiment date back to the years between 1921 and 1925 when, as a student in Pisa and often a guest of the Salviati Dukes in Migliarino, I drank a wine produced from one of their vineyards…which had the same unmistakable “bouquet” as an aged Bordeaux….” This experiment was about finding the right soil, elevation, and sun exposure to make wines similar to Bordeaux. After years of research and development, in 1968 the first Super-Tuscan was born. A wine made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon was a fundamental change to the Tuscan and Piedmont tradition of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, respectively. The innovative decision to plant this variety at Tenuta San Guido was partly due to the similarity Mario Incisa had noted between Tuscan terrain and that of Graves in Bordeaux.

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2018 is one of their three finest vintages ever; it is the wine of the vintage. The winery has been working toward unrivaled excellence and for this 50th anniversary bottling, they have once again reduced production to elevate the quality. The only other two vintages to top the 2018 are the 1985 and 2016 and, like those two, this is a classic, elegant, polished Sassicaia. You should know Sassicaia is so unique and successful, it was granted its own appellation, Bolgheri Sassicaia D.O.C. in 1994.

Tasting notes from the estate: The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await.

"This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia......The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe...." - Monica Larner, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Jan. 2021)

97+ Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
97 Points Antonio Galloni’s Vinous
97 Points James Suckling
97 Points Decanter