Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2020

The legacy of Sassicaia began in 1944, when Mario Incisa acquired Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vine cuttings from France and planted them on a sloping hillside of the San Guido estate. Years later, Sassicaia was officially born. Since the late 1960s, the Sassicaia name has represented a standard of quality that is without compromise.

This rich and ageworthy blend consists of 85-90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10-15% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are hand picked, destemmed, crushed and fermentation is set off by natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Aging ultimately takes place in 225-litre French oak barriques, approximately 30% new, for 18-22 months depending on vintage.

The 2021 has an unmistakable nose that immediately immerses the drinker in the terroir of Tenuta San Guido. This vintage fully expresses its complexity on the nose with fresh, minty lavender hints but also citrus notes mixed with sweet spices. In the mouth it shows the character of the vintage, with an enveloping but non-intrusive body, which gives an infinite pleasure. The good saline component helps to make its way onto the palate, making it long and persistent. This wine, although already pleasant at a young age, after 4-5 years of aging in bottle, it will have the maturity and richness, in terms of polyphenols, that characterize this vintage. Pair with rich flavors like braised meats, osso bucco and aged, hard cheeses. 

'Italy’s most iconic wine estate – Tenuta San Guido - the ground zero for all fine wine made in the country today – has entered an exciting new chapter with a renewed sense of purpose. This change was not sparked by any single event, rather a confluence of events starting with a fortuitous string of great vintages. Driving his Jeep through his vineyards, with all those little Jack Russell heads straining through the open windows, Marchese Nicolo Incisa della Rocchetta has good reason to smile. Much of coastal Tuscany once served as a giant hunting reserve for Florentine nobility.' Wine Advocate

The 2020 is a beautiful vintage of Sassicaia that presents itself at a young age with a marked acidity and freshness and beautiful complexity both on the nose and in the mouth. It well identifies the style of elegance typical of Sassicaia in which the structure never dominates the elegance and flavor of the wine. 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. The tannins, although noble and silky, require a longer period of maturation in glass compared to other previous years, but already at a young age the wine presents itself with a beautiful freshness and very harmonious.