Sassicaia 2021 Bolgheri DOC - Tenuta San Guido

Sassicaia 2021 – Tenuta San Guido

The wine that changed the history of Italian wine. Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet at Bolgheri in the 1940s, when nobody on the Tuscan coast believed in it; the first vintage released was 1968. Today Sassicaia is the only Italian wine with an appellation all of its own, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from vineyards on stony soils, hence the name (from "sassi", stones). The 2021 spent 24 months in extra-fine-grained, lightly toasted French oak barriques, about 40% of them new. The style is as ever: more finesse and tension than showy power.

2021, with a warm but never excessive summer, gave an excellent balance between sugar and phenolic ripeness. In the glass: blackcurrant, blackberry, Mediterranean herbs and graphite, with dense, precise tannins. A classic, long-lived Sassicaia worth waiting a few years for; with roasts, game and aged cheeses.

At a glance: Cabernet Sauvignon 85%, Cabernet Franc 15% · 13.5% ABV · 0.75 l · Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri