Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia :
[teh-noo-tah sahn gwee-do sahs-see-kah-yah]
The One That Started It All...You’ve heard it before, Sassicaia is the most collectible Italian wine to come out of the Boot. The now historic wine is single-handedly responsible for launching the Super-Tuscan movement and remains one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta continues the 36-year-old tradition at the Tenuta San Guido estate, which is considered by many to be the birthplace of Tuscan Cabernet. He is NOT influenced by the international demand to create a super-extracted, monster red wine; instead, he continues to produce the most elegant Super-Tuscan there is.
The term "Super-Tuscan" conjures up words like creativity, freedom, spirit, and defiance. In the time pre-dating the 1960's, no one considered making a wine crafted along Bordeaux lines on Italian soil, much less in a region not yet established viticulturally. The theory back then was that vines exposed to the sea winds and salty air of Bolgheri would produce poor results. More importantly, the viticultural regulations set forth by the DOC and DOCG limited creativity, expression, and the qualitative potential of terroir.
It was the drive and foresight of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, along with guidance from Giacomo Tachis (Piero Antinori's winemaker) that made enological history and created the Super-Tuscan movement. Mario believed in the evolution of Tuscany's viticulture and planted a small vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Bolgheri hills in 1944. The estate, Tenuta San Guido, was influenced by the location’s similarity to Graves in Bordeaux. “Graves” means “gravel” in French, and similarly, the earth at Tenuta San Guido gave Sassicaia its name, which in the Tuscan dialect means “stony ground.” After 25 years of experimentation and relentless energy, Sassicaia entered the world stage in 1968 to critical acclaim with its first international release and thus the Super-Tuscan Pioneer was born.
Sassicaia is a masterful cuvée of the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes from the vineyards of Castiglioncello, Doccino, Quercione, San Martino, Mandrioli, Sassicaia, and Aianova, all of which are situated on hilly slopes in a subzone of Bolgheri. When blended, the fruit from these carefully selected and meticulously maintained sites creates an elegant and beautifully balanced wine.
When discussing vintages it is widely understood that Sassicaia's 1968 and 1985 vintages have attained legendary status. The ’03 Sassicaia, which emerged impeccably balanced and structured despite the heat of the vintage, allows us to reflect on what is, perhaps, Sassicaia’s most distinguished quality—consistency. The nearly flawless 1990 bottling is a wine possessed of the capacity to contend with the impeccable, irreproachable quality of the landmark 1985 Sassicaia. Also of note is the classic refinement rendered by the 2004. While the 1990 is realizing its optimal state today, the '04 bottling captures the nascent glory of a vintage lauded for its superior structure, an endowment that may well enable it to surpass its counterpart well into the next decade.
Simply put: Sassicaia is reliably excellent and undeniably distinct; it ages beautifully; and it appreciates quickly at a high rate. Its character is distinct and indescribable, completely different not only from every other Super-Tuscan but also from every wine in the world. It is a constant guiding star in a category that has been compromised by some of its new members, many of which favor generic character in place of true identity.
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Wine: Super-Tuscan
Producer: Tenuta San Guido
Varietal(s): Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Region: Toscana
Province: Livorno
Commune: Bolgheri
Vineyard(s): Castiglioncello, Doccino, Quercione, San Martino, Mandrioli, Sassicaia, and Aianova
Altitude: 80-300 meters
Classification: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
First Year: 1968
More Landmark Wines:
Antinori Solaia
Antinori Tignanello
dell'Ornellaia Masseto
Vintages
2003 Sassicaia
2004 Sassicaia
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