Sassicaia, Gorgeous Selection Of Original Cases, 2013-2020
We are delighted to offer a lovely selection of back-vintages of Sassicaia, all of which have been placed on sale by a long-standing client. With examples from the 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages, it is the perfect opportunity to either back-fill your collection or create an instant cellar of this iconic Super-Tuscan.
An icon of fine wine, Sassicaia needs no introduction and is one of the most recognisable labels on the market for good reason; it is consistently outstanding. First made in 1968, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc has risen to become arguably Italy’s most famous wine and a must-own for collectors across the globe. This selection, which spans multiple vintages, affords the chance to sample its greatness across many years and includes two perfectly-scored iterations.
All of these cases were bought on allocation on release and have been professionally stored in the UK ever since. Do take a look:
2013 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,300 per case in bond
97 points Monica Larner
I had reviewed this wine just a few months prior and my impression has remained pretty much the same. One difference I did notice at this more recent tasting of the 2013 Bolgheri Sassicaia is the bouquet. It has shifted to slightly more delicate and finessed aromas of pressed flower and blue violets. You do of course get that solid core of dark fruit and spice that characterizes this famous Tuscan blend. But that extra time in the bottle has awarded wiggle room for profound precision and focused detailing. The wine’s complexity emerges slowly with subtle notes of savory spice and tobacco. There is power and depth here, especially in terms of the mouthfeel. As the wine evolves in the glass, it begins to show ethereal tones of road paving, tar and licorice. This Sassicaia should go straight into the cellar. www.robertparker.com Drink 2018-2040
2016 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,920 per case in bond
(1*150cl OWC) @ £825 per magnum in bond
100 points Monica Larner
The 2016 Bolgheri Sassicaia is a wine of soaring achievement. I tasted this wine several times during the course of its creation in both barrel and bottle, and the highly deserved 100-point score you see here was enthusiastically assigned at the conclusion of a mini vertical in which I tasted and compared the 2016 vintage against 2015 (which I scored 97 points). It makes perfect sense to present these two excellent vintages in back-to-back comparison fashion because they are two of the best to emerge from Bolgheri, and indeed Tenuta San Guido, in recent memory. These are very similar vintages with long, hot summer months that fueled a long growing season. There was a bit more rain in 2016, and in analytical terms this vintage has a tad more acidity. However, the results in the glass are extraordinarily different. The 2015 vintage is exuberant, round, succulent and immediate, whereas the 2016 vintage shows pinpoint sharpness and precision (with similar grit and texture at the back). That acidity will carry it long into the future as the wine completes its slow evolutionary course. This wine is chiseled and sharp with blackberry, ripe cherry, grilled herb and barbecue spice. The aromas flow from the glass in a continuous stream and are all marked by radiant intensity. The mouthfeel is long and powerful. The crisp linearity of the wine’s tannic backbone is perfectly measured to the volume and depth of the fruit flavors. To my mind, the 2016 Sassicaia stands tall next to the epic 1985 vintage that set the ultimate benchmark for vino italiano. www.robertparker.com Drink 2021-2050
2017 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,100 per case in bond
(1*150cl OWC) @ £435 per magnum in bond
94 points Antonio Galloni
The 2017 Sassicaia shows the natural richness and intensity of the year while retaining its mid-weight sense of balance and overall poise. A burst of super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit makes a strong opening statement. Mocha, cinnamon, leather and dried herbs appear later, adding aromatic lift. The 2017 is a fairly immediate Sassicaia. Even so, it has enough energy to drink well for a number of years. Production is down 35%, a combination of naturally low yields, dehydration on the vine and then selection in the cellar. Most of the fruit comes from the estate’ hillside vineyards, older parcels that resisted the conditions better.
www.vinous.com Drink 2022-2037
2018 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,225 per case in bond
(1*150cl OWC) @ £500 per magnum in bond
97+ points Monica Larner
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 growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. 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.
www.robertparker.com Drink 2024-2045
2019 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,350 per case in bond
(1*150cl OWC) @ £600 per magnum in bond
100 points Susan Hulme MW (Decanter)
The 2019 Sassicaia is a truly beautiful wine. 2019 was a return to some normality in terms of the characteristics of the vintage after the cool wet and slightly humid 2018 and the hot and very dry 2017. 2019 had more regular weather patterns throughout the year. For Priscilla Incisa Della Rocchetta and the Tenuta San Guido team 2019 was one of the great vintages of the last decade, ‘a fantastic growing season that one wishes to happen every year.’ This wine is, of course, still very young and full of subtle, creamy oak and brilliant ripe blackberry fruit. A sort of joyful vivacity bubbles over in this wine. The wonderful thing about it, is that it already has a beautiful inner harmony with a delightful texture and weight and very finely melded, integrated tannins. It just needs time to really show its full potential.
www.decanter.com Drink 2026-2052
2020 Sassicaia
(6*75cl OWC) @ £1,275 per case in bond
(1*150cl OWC) @ £550 per magnum in bond
97 points Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It’s an intensity that is hugely appealing.
Estate Manager Carlo Paoli describes 2020 as a year with a long, rainy winter and a cold spring. “Temperatures warmed up in the middle of June,” he explained. “July was very hot, but heat moderated in August. Even so, it was a year in which ripeness moved quickly, as opposed to 2021 when ripeness was more gradual. We picked the entire estate in 22 days instead of the 29-30 that is more typical.” The 2020 spent 15-18 days on the skins, followed by 25 months in French oak, 50% new. Production is down about 30% because of selection in the vineyard. (2023) www.vinous.com Drink 2028-2050
Offered subject to final confirmation. Available from London in 2-4 weeks.
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