2023 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Magnum
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The drying, grippy feel on your gums and tongue, as with strong tea. It comes from the skins and seeds of black grapes and from oak, and softens with age.
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The bars follow how sommeliers taste (WSET): body, tannin, sweetness and acidity, each from low to high.
Body: powerful. Fuller than most red wines from ; 14% alcohol.
Tannin: firm. Aged in oak.
Sweetness: dry. Red wine from is almost always dry.
Acidity: fairly high. The warm climate of .
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Log inEXCLUSIVE - AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2026
Winery: Tenuta San Guido
Tenuta San Guido is the iconic estate behind Sassicaia and is located in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. The winery is regarded worldwide as the founder of the Super Tuscans. Sassicaia was one of the first Italian wines to use international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, thereby breaking with traditional rules.
The estate benefits from a unique terroir with gravelly soils and a maritime climate. The combination of sea breeze, altitude variations, and soil structure produces wines of both power and refinement. Today, Tenuta San Guido remains at the absolute top of Italy, and Sassicaia is among the most sought-after wines in the world.
2023 Year: challenging but exceptional
The 2023 vintage in Bolgheri was anything but easy. After a cold winter and a wet spring, a period of heavy rain and high disease pressure from downy mildew followed. This led to strict selection in the vineyard and a yield reduction of approximately 20%.
In April, frost posed additional challenges, while the summer was characterized by short but intense heat peaks. Rain in August eventually brought relief and ensured that the grapes could ripen perfectly, both phenologically and in terms of sugar content. The harvest was completed in early October under ideal conditions with warm days and cool nights.
The result is a wine that proves that difficult years sometimes produce the most characterful wines. Where there was great doubt beforehand, 2023 actually reveals one of the most convincing Sassicaias of recent years.
Grapes and vinification
The blend consists primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon, supplemented by approximately 13 to 14% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Franc plays an important role in the structure and provides extra freshness, aromatic precision, and linear tension.
After a rigorous selection, the grapes are fermented separately. Vinification focuses on extraction while preserving finesse. The wine subsequently ages in French oak barrels, where the balance between fruit, wood, and structure is paramount.
Style and taste profile
The 2023 Sassicaia opens with a complex and layered nose of blackcurrants, wild herbs such as sage and rosemary, and floral notes of violets and rose petals. Beneath this lies a distinct mineral core, complemented by spices such as pink pepper, nutmeg, and a subtle hint of orange zest.
On the palate, remarkably accessible for a young Sassicaia. The structure is refined with chalky tannins and a lively acidity that provides tension. The fruit is concentrated but never heavy, with layers of blackcurrant, plum, and spiciness.
What makes this wine special is its balance. Intensity and elegance go hand in hand. The wine continues to develop in the glass, revealing new nuances time and again. The finish is long, clean, and slightly saline, with a clear focus and precision.
Food and wine pairings
This Sassicaia calls for dishes with structure and depth. Classic pairings include grilled red meat such as sirloin or côte de boeuf. Game dishes such as venison or wild boar also complement the spicy and earthy notes.
For a more refined pairing, dishes with truffle, mushrooms, or slow-cooked beef are highly suitable. The fresh acidity and elegant tannins also make the wine surprisingly versatile with dishes featuring Mediterranean herbs.
Storage potential and drinking window
The 2023 Sassicaia has great aging potential. Although it already shows charm and openness, it will continue to develop over the coming decades.
Drinking window: 2027 to 2060.
Reviews and ratings
100/100 points – Monica Larner, Wine Advocate: an exceptionally complete Sassicaia with intensity, balance, and a rare accessibility in its youth.
99/100 points – James Suckling: complex and layered with black fruit, spices, and refined tannins. Very characteristic and with great aging potential.
Ordering from Grandcruwijnen
The 2023 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia is one of the most sought-after releases of the year. Due to low yields and high international demand, availability is limited. Order online in good time or choose to pick up in Dordrecht and benefit from an attractive discount.
Character
The wine
Origin
Bottle
Wine features
Parker
The Wine Advocate
RP 100
Reviewed by:
Monica Larner
Release Price:
$300
Drink Date:
2027 - 2060
Very few vintages of this legendary Tuscan wine deliver the immediate joy, richness and complexity found in the Tenuta San Guido 2023 Bolgheri Sassicaia. Tasted both before and after its January 2026 bottling, this is a wine that feels uncannily open and generous in its youth, a rare trait for Sassicaia, which is famously inscrutable at this stage. The 2023 vintage was marked by a cold winter and above-average rainfall followed by a severe outbreak of downy mildew that damaged leaves, forcing brutal fruit selection and resulting in a 20% reduction in yields. Only the estates willing to make these sacrifices succeeded, and the best wines rank among the most compelling and elusive of recent years.
The blend includes 13% to 14% Cabernet Franc alongside Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Franc playing a decisive phenolic role that reinforces elegance, linearity and brightness. Aromas unfold with wild sage, rosemary and dark fruit before moving into crushed stone minerality, rose petal and a finely spiced spectrum of pink peppercorn, nutmeg, anise, cardamom, bergamot and blood orange, joined by a delicate note of mentuccia romana, sweeter and gentler than classic mint. The palate shows beautiful softness framed by chalky tannins and mineral tension. Its acidity shines bright and guarantees long cellar aging potential. The wine remains fluid and flexible in the glass as different facets of the bouquet emerge. Like the legendary 1985, 2023 was a difficult and stressful vintage shaped by a cold winter, yet it stands as proof that great pressure can indeed give birth to diamonds.
There are great vintages that produce iconic wines, difficult vintages that yield compromised results and, on rare occasions, underdog vintages that exceed all expectations. The 2023 growing season at Tenuta San Guido is a case in point.
Given all the bad news surrounding the 2023 season—the frost, the rain and the downy mildew—I approached the vintage with a healthy dose of skepticism. Those doubts, however, were emphatically dispelled during two visits to Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri: first in December 2025, before bottling, and again in January 2026, after bottling, to taste the 2023 Sassicaia.
What I discovered was a magnificent wine that excels in intensity, focus and balance. Most importantly, it is profoundly delicious, drawing you in until the last drop.
“The vintage can be summed up in three key words: fruit, salinity and length,” said Tenuta San Guido General Manager Carlo Paoli during our December 2025 tasting.
No one who works in viticulture will remember 2023 as an easy year. This complex and challenging growing season began with mild autumn temperatures following the 2022 harvest, only to be interrupted by a cold front on December 20 that brought rain and wind. The extended winter chill that followed through much of January and February ensured proper vine dormancy.
March then turned warmer and wetter, with the first signs of green appearing in the vineyards—not only for early varieties such as Merlot but also for Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
On April 3 and 4, a severe frost event dropped temperatures to minus four degrees Celsius. Vines that had already experienced budbreak were damaged, with Merlot in particular suffering losses.
Spring continued with frequent rain and below-average temperatures. Carlo Paoli recalls still wearing knit sweaters until June 12. Four days later, on June 16, more rain arrived.
“This put us to the test,” he said. Rising humidity and temperatures created ideal conditions for downy mildew, which decimated vineyards in Chianti Classico, Montalcino and parts of Bolgheri.
July and August then brought scorching heat, with temperature spikes exceeding those of 2022. The difference, Carlo Paoli notes, was duration; in 2022, the heat persisted longer, whereas in 2023 it burned hotter and faster.
“In 2022, we applied kaolin four times to protect the leaves from excessive solar radiation, but in 2023, we only used it once,” Carlo Paoli explained.
Additional rain fell on August 11, but these showers proved beneficial, relieving vine stress and allowing phenolic ripeness to develop alongside sugar ripeness. In this respect, the 2023 Sassicaia stands as a textbook example of the two, finding perfect alignment.
Clusters were compact yet loose and deeply colored. At Tenuta San Guido, harvest concluded on October 5, following a period marked by warm days and cool nights—conditions that sent Carlo Paoli back to his closet in search of those knit sweaters.
“The berries were so crunchy, you could see them bounce off surfaces,” he recalled.
Given the many pitfalls of the 2023 season, the risk of error was high, yet the vineyard and winery teams navigated the vintage with skill and precision. The results can be tasted in this truly exceptional bottle.
Published: Jan 29, 2026
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James Suckling
Score
99
Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 2023
Saturday, Feb 28, 2026
Color
Red
Country
Italy
Region
Tuscany
Vintage
2023
Download Shelftalker
Very cool, complex and pretty aromas of black currants, fresh herbs such as sage and rosemary, with lavender and violet undertones. Medium- to full-bodied with crunchy and layered fruit delivering currant, plum, spice, cedar and bark flavors as well as polished and velvety tannins. A very clear and distinctive Sassicaia with true character of the estate. Drink in two or three years and beyond.
James Suckling
Senior Editor
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Vinous
97
Drinking Window
2033 - 2053
From: 2026 Tuscany Preview (Apr 2026)
The 2023 Sassicaia is elegant and supremely polished. Dark, ample and mysterious, the 2023 has much to offer once it opens up a bit. Blackberry, gravel, incense and new leather convey tons of somber intensity. Cabernet Sauvignon speaks quite loudly in the 2023, despite the wine's midweight structure. Tenuta San Guido’s 2023 Sassicaia is one of the wines of the vintage, an accomplishment that is even more impressive given the challenges of the growing season. Early April frost lowered yields in Merlot and Cabernet Franc by about 20%. Rain during flowering and fruit set resulted in loose bunches, perhaps not ideal for production but decidedly positive for air circulation, essential in a year with elevated disease pressure. The 2023 saw as much as 20-25 days on the skins, with the oldest parcels getting the longest vatting times. Malolactic fermentations were intentionally delayed; about 60% of the lots were done in barrel. The 2023 spent five months in used barriques, then 21 months in a combination of 44% new, 40% once-used and 16% twice-used barrels. This is an impressive showing. I can't wait to see how the 2023 ages.
- By Antonio Galloni on April 2026
Tenuta San Guido’s 2023 Sassicaia is one of the wines of the vintage, an accomplishment that is even more impressive given the challenges of the growing season. Early April frost lowered yields in Merlot and Cabernet Franc by about 20%. Rain during flowering and fruit set resulted in loose bunches, perhaps not ideal for production, but decidedly positive for air circulation, essential in a year with elevated disease pressure. The 2024 growing season was even more complicated. Severe frost, rain and a cold spell at the end of summer that halted physiological ripeness were especially problematic for the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, while Cabernet Sauvignon was less affected. In tasting, the 2024 Le Difese and Guidalberto are decidedly lighter relative to the norm. The winemaking team favored short extractions to avoid any bitterness in the musts.
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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.
Rijke tonen van zwart besfruit en pruim worden gedragen door wilde kruiden zoals salie en rozemarijn, florale viooltjes, krijtachtige tannines en een frisse minerale zuurgraad met subtiele specerijen van roze peper en nootmuskaat. Omdat de wijn veel structuur en geconcentreerd fruit heeft, snijdt hij door vet en bindweefsel van rund, lam en wild en vult hij aardse smaken van stoofgerechten en paddenstoelen prachtig aan, terwijl de mediterrane kruiden in de wijn harmoniëren met gekruide bereidingen. Vooral gegrild of op houtskool geroosterd vlees, langzaam gestoofde runder- of wildragoûts en gerechten met truffel of gebakken paddenstoelen doen het uitzonderlijk goed bij deze Sassicaia, net als een eenvoudige cote de boeuf of langzaam gegaarde carré van hert.
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