2020 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia

Type of Wine | |
---|---|
Country | |
Region | |
Appellation | |
Winery | |
Vintage | 2020 |
Grape | , |
Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
Drink window | 2025 - 2055 |
- Buy 6 for 375.00 309.92 each and save 5%
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Description
2020 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia vintage year details
The year 2020 was a special one for Tenuta San Guido. The autumn was damp with abundant rainfall occurring from mid-October and lasting until the end of December. Temperatures were quite mild and sometimes even above the seasonal average. In February, the intense cold has arrived, with temperatures dropping to almost 0°C. March started with strong sea winds and rain, but with mild temperatures that contributed to the enlargement of the buds, especially of the early varieties such as Merlot. At the end of March, a disturbance from Russia caused a clear drop in temperatures with northerly winds and even some frost at night. These weather conditions caused no damage to the Cabernet Sauvignon vines. April and May were mild with alternating sunny days and average seasonal temperatures. A somewhat unusual spring that caused no damage to the vines. After mid-June the climate recovered, with sunny and warm days lasting until harvest time, with the exception of some interruptions of precipitation in July and August. The ripening of the grapes took place about 7 to 8 days earlier than normal and the beautiful sunny days ensured that the grapes were fully ripe quickly. The grapes, although with a higher sugar content, arrived in the cellar healthy and of excellent quality.
Terroir of the Sassicaia
The soils have varied and complex characteristics with a strong presence of limestone, areas rich in marl and pebbles, and partly clay. They are located at an altitude between 100 and 400 meters above sea level, with a west, south-west orientation. The manual harvest started in the first week of September with the grapes from the younger vineyards, starting with the Cabernet Franc and then continued with the Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards at lower altitudes, ending in the last week of September with those on the hills located more than 300 meters above sea level (Vigna di Castiglioncello and Vigna del Quercione).
Vinification
Selection of the grapes via a sorting table, to eliminate impurities and any presence of imperfections. Gentle pressing and destemming of the grapes, preserving the integrity of the berries and avoiding excessive transfer of tannins. The alcoholic fermentation (completely spontaneous and without the addition of external yeasts) was completed at the end of October and carried out regularly at controlled temperatures of up to 27-28 °C. Regular distillation and pumping over ensured excellent aromatic extraction and freshness in terms of acidity of the must. The malolactic fermentations took place in steel at the end of November. In the first week of December, after frequent decanting to clean the must, the wine was placed in oak barriques. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the wine was placed in barriques containing 45% new wood, 45% first passage and 10% second passage. Sassicaia 2020, after more than 25 months of aging in wood, was decanted into steel tanks before final blending and subsequent bottling. Then aged in the bottle before being put on the market.
Tasting notes of the Sassicaia
The highly perfumed Sassicaia opens quickly and gives a beautiful mix of forest floor, deep dark fruit, herbs, black tea and balsamic vinegar on the nose. The wine has a special freshness, texture and soft tannins. This Sassicaia is concentrated, spicy and energetic with a fine acidity. It consists of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest is Cabernet Franc. Now very attractive in a youthful and lively way, but this will only really show itself in 3 to 4 years.
FACT : The wine is stored in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you pick up the wine you will often receive a nice discount. You will immediately see the possible discount if you choose Pickup in the Checkout page. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking space. Click here for address.
Specifications
Packing information | Box |
---|---|
Type of Wine | Red |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Appellation | Super Tuscan |
Icons | Icon Italy |
Winery | Tenuta San Guido |
Grape | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2020 |
Drinking as of | 2025 |
Drinking till | 2055 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Promotion | Tier Price |
Parker rating | 96 |
James Suckling rating | 97 |
Vinous rating | 97 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Donker fruit, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Tannines, Vol |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
Professional Reviews
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 96
Reviewed by:
Monica Larner
Release Price:
$300
Drink Date:
2024 - 2042
The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term.
In mid-November of last year, I drove to Bolgheri on the Tuscan Coast to visit with Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta and managing director Carlo Paoli at Tenuta San Guido. The goal that morning was to taste through various vats of wine before the final blend of the 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia would be determined. The experience gave me a fascinating understanding of how the celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend comes together, and it gave me the opportunity to catch up with two of the most insightful people in Italian wine. Our conversation covered many topics, but as is becoming increasingly common in today’s world, we regularly returned to the subject of climate change and its effects on winemaking today. I tasted and reviewed the final blend from bottle in early January 2023. The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia will be released in the upcoming months. Our tasting focused on five vats: numbers 5, 6, 11, 29 and 33. Distinguished by harvests from various parcels across the estate (Castiglioncello, Quercione and Doccino) and the type of barrel used in aging, these are some of the favored vats that appear regularly in the final blend. In 2020, volume was down by almost 25% due to more restrictive fruit selection following a hot vintage. Vat 5 revealed a nervous personality with pronounced tannins and a mid-weight mouthfeel. Vat 6 was a little more closed initially, with a strong mineral vein and pretty freshness. Vat 11 offered a floral bouquet with rose and violet. Vat 29 was immediately open and immensely pleasurable with ample volume, sweet tannins, bigger density and length. Lastly, Vat 33 was subdued, with crisp sensations and lingering menthol notes. My favorite, Vat 29 represented the largest volume and would, therefore, constitute an important part of the blend. As you will read in my tasting note, I found the 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia a pleasure to drink now. This is an immediate wine that won’t require the long cellaring inherent to cooler vintages like 2019 and 2016. “I think 2020 was a rather challenging vintage,” said Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta. “The role played by the territory and a lot of selection that we made at every stage of production was very important in this case.” As the climate changes, hotter vintages like 2017, 2020 and 2022 are becoming more common, said Carlo Paoli. “I remain optimistic, however, because we listen to nature and we better understand the advantages and disadvantages of working in hot years. We are much better at handling them today,” he said. There are four winemakers working in the cellars of Tenuta San Guido along with agronomists and chemists for 360-degree in-house expertise. “Nothing can be left to chance, especially as the weather changes,” he said. “Greater control works well in the hot vintages. It’s the humid years with a lot a rain that leads to bacteria and fungal disease that cause the biggest problems.” For example, the estate now employees anywhere from 40 to 100 people during harvest. That extra manpower assures better quality controls, especially in vintages that see grapes coming to ripeness all at once. “We harvest by hand and bring the grapes in crates back to the winery, where they are stored in a cold room. We also harvest earlier, starting at 5 a.m. instead of 7 a.m., to get the cooler outdoor temperatures,” he said. Starting with the 2009 vintage, they selected yeasts that perform better in warm vintages and are slower to start. Dry ice was introduced in 2015 and has been used since then. Standard maceration times range from 18 to 22 days but were shortened in 2017, which had so much natural concentration to begin with. The team limits racking to a conservative three or four times per year. The woods used at Tenuta San Guido have not changed much over the years. The estate orders 400 new barriques per year and sends back as many as 100 because Brettanomyces is more common in new barrels as the climate changes, Carlo Paoli explained. The aging regime calls for one-third each of new oak, one-year-old barrels and two-year-old barrels over a period of two years. Tonnelleries Taransaud and Seguin Moreau are used for the most part, along with Remond, Saury and Orion (from forests Allier, Tronçais and Jupilles). The 2020 vintage saw 25 months in oak. Fine-grain wood for limited oxygen transmission and medium toast (over a long seasoning time) are selected.
Published: Jan 05, 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
James Suckling
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
97
Tenuta San Guido
Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2020
Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 23,300 cases made.
Bruce Sanderson
Senior Editor, New York
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Vinous
97
Drinking Window
2028 - 2050
From: 2020 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2023)
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.
- By Antonio Galloni on February 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
Wijnhuis
Tenuta San Guido was founded in the 1940s by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. The marchese was inspired by the wines of Bordeaux, especially those made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In 1944 he planted these varieties in the Bolgheri, an area not traditionally associated with wine production at the time.
Terroir of Tenuta San Guido
The estate is located in Maremma on the Tuscan coast. The Tyrrhenian Sea provides a unique microclimate that is favorable for grape growing. Tenuta San Guido covers over 2,500 hectares, of which approximately 90 hectares (approximately 222 hectares) are devoted to vineyards. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and other varieties. The soil of Tenuta San Guido, located between 60 and 400 meters above sea level, is partly clayey with diverse morphological characteristics, including limestone-rich areas with Alberese, Gabbro and stone. The climate is unique, with hills from Bibbona to Castagneto offering protection from northeasterly winds. In summer the sea cools the vineyards, creating a microclimate that is characteristic of Tenuta San Guido.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is the "flagship" of Tenuta San Guido and is considered the first Super Tuscan. It gained international fame and played a crucial role in defining Italian wines. The first vintage Sassicaia was produced in 1968, but was initially intended for private consumption. It wasn't until 1978 that Sassicaia was released commercially. Sassicaia is made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. The name "Sassicaia" comes from the Italian word "sassi", which means stones, as the vineyards are characterized by stony soils. The wine is known for its elegance, complexity and storage potential. It often receives high scores from critics and is highly sought after by collectors. Sassicaia played a crucial role in the recognition and elevation of Italian wines.
Production of Tenuta San Guido
In winemaking at Tenuta San Guido, the emphasis is on quality and traditional techniques. The estate strives to express the unique terroir of the Bolgheri region in its wines. Sassicaia is largely Cabernet Sauvignon with a smaller percentage of Cabernet Franc. Sassicaia is known for its elegance, complexity and potential. Sassicaia production varies from harvest year to harvest year, depending on factors such as weather conditions and quality. The exact number of bottles produced annually may fluctuate and specific production figures may not be readily available. Tenuta San Guido also produces other wines such as the Guidalberto, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Guidalberto is the estate's second wine and offers a more accessible and earlier drinking style than the Sassicaia. Finally, we have the Le Difese, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Le Difese is a more accessible and fruity wine, designed for earlier consumption.
Tenuta San Guido's olive oil?
In addition to its wines, Tenuta San Guido is known for the production of high-quality olive oil. The estate is located in Maremma (Tuscany) and many wineries in the region often have olive groves next to vineyards. They probably grow traditional Tuscan olive varieties such as Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo. The characteristics of the region's soil and climate, which contribute to the unique terroir of their wines, can also influence the flavor profile of their olive oil. The estate probably uses traditional and careful methods in the cultivation and harvesting of olives. The extraction process, usually carried out by cold pressing, is designed to preserve the quality and flavor of the olives. Like their approach to wine production, olive oil production can be limited, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
2020 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia vintage year details
The year 2020 was a special one for Tenuta San Guido. The autumn was damp with abundant rainfall occurring from mid-October and lasting until the end of December. Temperatures were quite mild and sometimes even above the seasonal average. In February, the intense cold has arrived, with temperatures dropping to almost 0°C. March started with strong sea winds and rain, but with mild temperatures that contributed to the enlargement of the buds, especially of the early varieties such as Merlot. At the end of March, a disturbance from Russia caused a clear drop in temperatures with northerly winds and even some frost at night. These weather conditions caused no damage to the Cabernet Sauvignon vines. April and May were mild with alternating sunny days and average seasonal temperatures. A somewhat unusual spring that caused no damage to the vines. After mid-June the climate recovered, with sunny and warm days lasting until harvest time, with the exception of some interruptions of precipitation in July and August. The ripening of the grapes took place about 7 to 8 days earlier than normal and the beautiful sunny days ensured that the grapes were fully ripe quickly. The grapes, although with a higher sugar content, arrived in the cellar healthy and of excellent quality.
Terroir of the Sassicaia
The soils have varied and complex characteristics with a strong presence of limestone, areas rich in marl and pebbles, and partly clay. They are located at an altitude between 100 and 400 meters above sea level, with a west, south-west orientation. The manual harvest started in the first week of September with the grapes from the younger vineyards, starting with the Cabernet Franc and then continued with the Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards at lower altitudes, ending in the last week of September with those on the hills located more than 300 meters above sea level (Vigna di Castiglioncello and Vigna del Quercione).
Vinification
Selection of the grapes via a sorting table, to eliminate impurities and any presence of imperfections. Gentle pressing and destemming of the grapes, preserving the integrity of the berries and avoiding excessive transfer of tannins. The alcoholic fermentation (completely spontaneous and without the addition of external yeasts) was completed at the end of October and carried out regularly at controlled temperatures of up to 27-28 °C. Regular distillation and pumping over ensured excellent aromatic extraction and freshness in terms of acidity of the must. The malolactic fermentations took place in steel at the end of November. In the first week of December, after frequent decanting to clean the must, the wine was placed in oak barriques. At the end of malolactic fermentation, the wine was placed in barriques containing 45% new wood, 45% first passage and 10% second passage. Sassicaia 2020, after more than 25 months of aging in wood, was decanted into steel tanks before final blending and subsequent bottling. Then aged in the bottle before being put on the market.
Tasting notes of the Sassicaia
The highly perfumed Sassicaia opens quickly and gives a beautiful mix of forest floor, deep dark fruit, herbs, black tea and balsamic vinegar on the nose. The wine has a special freshness, texture and soft tannins. This Sassicaia is concentrated, spicy and energetic with a fine acidity. It consists of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest is Cabernet Franc. Now very attractive in a youthful and lively way, but this will only really show itself in 3 to 4 years.
FACT : The wine is stored in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you pick up the wine you will often receive a nice discount. You will immediately see the possible discount if you choose Pickup in the Checkout page. We are almost next to the Rijksweg with plenty of parking space. Click here for address.
Packing information | Box |
---|---|
Type of Wine | Red |
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Appellation | Super Tuscan |
Icons | Icon Italy |
Winery | Tenuta San Guido |
Grape | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2020 |
Drinking as of | 2025 |
Drinking till | 2055 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Promotion | Tier Price |
Parker rating | 96 |
James Suckling rating | 97 |
Vinous rating | 97 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Donker fruit, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Tannines, Vol |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 96
Reviewed by:
Monica Larner
Release Price:
$300
Drink Date:
2024 - 2042
The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term.
In mid-November of last year, I drove to Bolgheri on the Tuscan Coast to visit with Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta and managing director Carlo Paoli at Tenuta San Guido. The goal that morning was to taste through various vats of wine before the final blend of the 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia would be determined. The experience gave me a fascinating understanding of how the celebrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend comes together, and it gave me the opportunity to catch up with two of the most insightful people in Italian wine. Our conversation covered many topics, but as is becoming increasingly common in today’s world, we regularly returned to the subject of climate change and its effects on winemaking today. I tasted and reviewed the final blend from bottle in early January 2023. The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia will be released in the upcoming months. Our tasting focused on five vats: numbers 5, 6, 11, 29 and 33. Distinguished by harvests from various parcels across the estate (Castiglioncello, Quercione and Doccino) and the type of barrel used in aging, these are some of the favored vats that appear regularly in the final blend. In 2020, volume was down by almost 25% due to more restrictive fruit selection following a hot vintage. Vat 5 revealed a nervous personality with pronounced tannins and a mid-weight mouthfeel. Vat 6 was a little more closed initially, with a strong mineral vein and pretty freshness. Vat 11 offered a floral bouquet with rose and violet. Vat 29 was immediately open and immensely pleasurable with ample volume, sweet tannins, bigger density and length. Lastly, Vat 33 was subdued, with crisp sensations and lingering menthol notes. My favorite, Vat 29 represented the largest volume and would, therefore, constitute an important part of the blend. As you will read in my tasting note, I found the 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia a pleasure to drink now. This is an immediate wine that won’t require the long cellaring inherent to cooler vintages like 2019 and 2016. “I think 2020 was a rather challenging vintage,” said Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta. “The role played by the territory and a lot of selection that we made at every stage of production was very important in this case.” As the climate changes, hotter vintages like 2017, 2020 and 2022 are becoming more common, said Carlo Paoli. “I remain optimistic, however, because we listen to nature and we better understand the advantages and disadvantages of working in hot years. We are much better at handling them today,” he said. There are four winemakers working in the cellars of Tenuta San Guido along with agronomists and chemists for 360-degree in-house expertise. “Nothing can be left to chance, especially as the weather changes,” he said. “Greater control works well in the hot vintages. It’s the humid years with a lot a rain that leads to bacteria and fungal disease that cause the biggest problems.” For example, the estate now employees anywhere from 40 to 100 people during harvest. That extra manpower assures better quality controls, especially in vintages that see grapes coming to ripeness all at once. “We harvest by hand and bring the grapes in crates back to the winery, where they are stored in a cold room. We also harvest earlier, starting at 5 a.m. instead of 7 a.m., to get the cooler outdoor temperatures,” he said. Starting with the 2009 vintage, they selected yeasts that perform better in warm vintages and are slower to start. Dry ice was introduced in 2015 and has been used since then. Standard maceration times range from 18 to 22 days but were shortened in 2017, which had so much natural concentration to begin with. The team limits racking to a conservative three or four times per year. The woods used at Tenuta San Guido have not changed much over the years. The estate orders 400 new barriques per year and sends back as many as 100 because Brettanomyces is more common in new barrels as the climate changes, Carlo Paoli explained. The aging regime calls for one-third each of new oak, one-year-old barrels and two-year-old barrels over a period of two years. Tonnelleries Taransaud and Seguin Moreau are used for the most part, along with Remond, Saury and Orion (from forests Allier, Tronçais and Jupilles). The 2020 vintage saw 25 months in oak. Fine-grain wood for limited oxygen transmission and medium toast (over a long seasoning time) are selected.
Published: Jan 05, 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
James Suckling
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Wine Spectator
97
Tenuta San Guido
Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2020
Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 23,300 cases made.
Bruce Sanderson
Senior Editor, New York
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Vinous
97
Drinking Window
2028 - 2050
From: 2020 Tuscany Preview (Feb 2023)
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.
- By Antonio Galloni on February 2023
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
Tenuta San Guido was founded in the 1940s by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. The marchese was inspired by the wines of Bordeaux, especially those made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. In 1944 he planted these varieties in the Bolgheri, an area not traditionally associated with wine production at the time.
Terroir of Tenuta San Guido
The estate is located in Maremma on the Tuscan coast. The Tyrrhenian Sea provides a unique microclimate that is favorable for grape growing. Tenuta San Guido covers over 2,500 hectares, of which approximately 90 hectares (approximately 222 hectares) are devoted to vineyards. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and other varieties. The soil of Tenuta San Guido, located between 60 and 400 meters above sea level, is partly clayey with diverse morphological characteristics, including limestone-rich areas with Alberese, Gabbro and stone. The climate is unique, with hills from Bibbona to Castagneto offering protection from northeasterly winds. In summer the sea cools the vineyards, creating a microclimate that is characteristic of Tenuta San Guido.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is the "flagship" of Tenuta San Guido and is considered the first Super Tuscan. It gained international fame and played a crucial role in defining Italian wines. The first vintage Sassicaia was produced in 1968, but was initially intended for private consumption. It wasn't until 1978 that Sassicaia was released commercially. Sassicaia is made primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. The name "Sassicaia" comes from the Italian word "sassi", which means stones, as the vineyards are characterized by stony soils. The wine is known for its elegance, complexity and storage potential. It often receives high scores from critics and is highly sought after by collectors. Sassicaia played a crucial role in the recognition and elevation of Italian wines.
Production of Tenuta San Guido
In winemaking at Tenuta San Guido, the emphasis is on quality and traditional techniques. The estate strives to express the unique terroir of the Bolgheri region in its wines. Sassicaia is largely Cabernet Sauvignon with a smaller percentage of Cabernet Franc. Sassicaia is known for its elegance, complexity and potential. Sassicaia production varies from harvest year to harvest year, depending on factors such as weather conditions and quality. The exact number of bottles produced annually may fluctuate and specific production figures may not be readily available. Tenuta San Guido also produces other wines such as the Guidalberto, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Guidalberto is the estate's second wine and offers a more accessible and earlier drinking style than the Sassicaia. Finally, we have the Le Difese, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Le Difese is a more accessible and fruity wine, designed for earlier consumption.
Tenuta San Guido's olive oil?
In addition to its wines, Tenuta San Guido is known for the production of high-quality olive oil. The estate is located in Maremma (Tuscany) and many wineries in the region often have olive groves next to vineyards. They probably grow traditional Tuscan olive varieties such as Frantoio, Leccino and Moraiolo. The characteristics of the region's soil and climate, which contribute to the unique terroir of their wines, can also influence the flavor profile of their olive oil. The estate probably uses traditional and careful methods in the cultivation and harvesting of olives. The extraction process, usually carried out by cold pressing, is designed to preserve the quality and flavor of the olives. Like their approach to wine production, olive oil production can be limited, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.