- Colour Red
- Producer Tenuta San Guido
- Region Bolgheri
- Case size 1x150cl
- Available Now
2018 - Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido - 1x150cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Tenuta San Guido
- Region Bolgheri
- Case size 1x150cl
- Available Now
Select pricing type
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
-
Antonio Galloni, February 2021, Score: 97
The 2018 Sassicaia is fabulous. Bright and beautifully poised, the 2018 opens with brilliant aromatics that make a strong first impression. Delicate and light on its feet, the 2018 is a regal wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Sassicaia is the most finessed of Bolgheri’s top wines. That is very much the case in 2018 as well. I loved it.
-
Wine Advocate, February 2021, Score: 97+
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.
-
James Suckling, February 2021, Score: 97
Beautiful, serene aromas of sweet berries and wild flowers with light lavender and fresh sage. Really aromatic. A firm, silky red with medium to full body and ultra fine tannins that are polished and beautiful. Lots of blue fruit and blackberries follow through to a beautiful finish. Really tight and polished. Bright acidity. Will be lovely to drink in a few years. The 2017 and 2016 were about power, but the 2018 is about finesse and subtlety. Try after 2024.
-
Decanter, February 2021, Score: 97
The 2018 vintage was fresher than usual in Bolgheri, mainly due to a rainy spring which was challenging, but also following a cooler end to August. The higher vineyards on which Sassicaia could rely produced grapes with an outstanding quality of phenolics, benefitting from a useful fruit-set and mild September. The severe selection of the grapes - with a level of production similar to that of the dry 2017 - did the rest. Restrained red and black currant aromas are allied to aromatic herbs such as eucalyptus leaf and rosemary, completed by coffee bean, earthy tones and cedar. This is a wine focussed on fresh fruit, with a savoury citrus finish proving its depth. The tight-knit structure is firm with chalky yet ripe tannins and extremely fresh, natural and long acidity. More elegant than powerful, this 2018 is perfectly integrated with the Sassicaia style, full of tension. Not immediately ready to drink but promising stunning finesse.
Producer
Tenuta San Guido
The Original Super Tuscan, Sassicaia was created in the mid-1940s by the Marquis Mario Incisadella Rochetta, an aristocrat looking to reproduce his favourite wines of Bordeaux - a first in Italian viticulture. Noticeably distinct from the lighter styled wines of the region, the bold expression of Cabernet was not initially well received by the Italian drinking public. As a result, from 1948 to 1960, the wines were consumed ...Read more
The Original Super Tuscan, Sassicaia was created in the mid-1940s by the Marquis Mario Incisadella Rochetta, an aristocrat looking to reproduce his favourite wines of Bordeaux - a first in Italian viticulture. Noticeably distinct from the lighter styled wines of the region, the bold expression of Cabernet was not initially well received by the Italian drinking public. As a result, from 1948 to 1960, the wines were consumed only at the estate. The 1968 vintage marked its first commercial release.As Bordeaux blends grew in popularity over the years, Sassicaia was able to create a reputationunparalleled amongst its Super Tuscan peers. Recognising their unique terroir and exceptionalquality, they were even granted their own DOC in 1994 named accordingly, Bolgheri Sassicaia.Keeping these distinctions in mind, a winery of movie set proportions had been expected. Yet infact, it is superbly discrete and modest - reminiscent of a domaine in Burgundy or the Rhône.Read less
Region
Bolgheri
The medieval town of Bolgheri was originally made famous by the poet Giosuè Carducci who wrote about the stunning Cypress Avenue, a breathtaking and magical three mile long corridor of trees leading up to the entrance to the village. Swept away to the coastal and most westerly area of Tuscany, Bolgheri has become synonymous with wines known as ‘Super Tuscans'. Composed of classic Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (intermixed with the occasional Sangiovese), the Super Tuscans began as mere experimentation in the 1960s and 70s. These international French varieties flourished in Bolgheri's warm, yet maritime climate which resulted in unexpected success and reknown. It is here that one finds such famous names as Ornellaia, Tignanello and Sassicaia.
