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Tenuta San Guido
Struggling to identify the familiarity I seemed to have with the wine in the glass before me, which I knew I had never tasted before, I racked my brains. There was a perfume to it, and a fresh, minerally quality that held much appeal. The wine was a child of Tuscany, and yet it seemed quite distinct from the many wines of this most popular of Italian regions that I had tasted or drunk before. But then the reason hit me; it was quite obvious. Unlike so many great wines of the area - Chianti, Brunello, Vino Nobile - this was not Sangiovese. It does not even contain a small percentage of Sangiovese, being a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. This is one of the original Super-Tuscans, wines that once rebelled through eschewing the indigenous varieties of the local vineyards but which have since long been brought into the Tuscan fold. And it is these varieties that bring a resemblance to Bordeaux rather than Brunello; indeed, the wine in my hand seemed more reminiscent of Margaux than of any other region.
Tenuta San Guido: The Estate and the Wines
An exploration of the history of the Sassicaia estate does not require access to ancient documents. Although the Incisa della Rocchetta family, who are still responsible for Sassicaia today, can trace their lineage back to the Medieval and Renaissance eras, their vineyard and its wine is a much more recent phenomenon. Without wishing to give a detailed account of all Italy's history, the story of Sassicaia probably begins with Leopoldo Incisa, a family member who retired from his post in the Austro-Hungarian government to his family's estate at Rocchetta Tanaro in 1840. Here he was able to pursue other interests, particularly agriculture and oenology; he was an avid collector of vines both native and foreign, and he published several works on these matters. It was not he, however, that planted the Sassicaia vineyard, as this action was down to his great-grandson Mario Incisa della Rocchetta.
Although Mario, allegedly inspired by his ancestors work and his writings,
planted Cabernet vines on the family estate it was not until he married Clarice
della Gheradesca, the heiress to the Tenuta San Guido estate in Bolgheri, that
we have the true origins of Sassicaia. The couple were betrothed in 1930, and
subsequently settled in Bolgheri after World War II, where they continued the
family association with horses by establishing a stud farm which still exists
today. Then, in 1940, on land below the castle at Castiglioncello, he began
to establish a vineyard, populated with Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine was
initially a very personal affair, for consumption within the family, but
following an expansion of the vineyard in 1965 the wine of Sassicaia became a
more commercial enterprise. It was released onto the market with the 1968 vintage,
marketed by the Antinori family - who are cousins - and the Incisa della
Rocchetta clan have never looked back. Although Mario died in 1983, the estate
is today in the hands of his son Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, who had
the great pleasure of seeing the estate receive its own DOC, Bolgheri, in 1994.
Today the
vineyards amount to 75 hectares, in several plots scattered around Bolgheri. In the very northeast of the region there are vines at Castiglioncello,
Doccino and Quercione, at an altitude of between 200m and 300m. There are plots
at San Marino and Mandrioli, and then Aianova and the Sassicaia - Italian for
place of many stones, I believe - vineyard itself,
with an altitude of 80m. Not far to the south is the Mediterranean Sea and here
there is the Bolgheri Natural Refuge, initially a bird sanctuary established by
Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in 1959, today a 513 hectare nature reserve, rich
in native flora and fauna, and regarded as wetland of international importance.
Turning our attention back to the vines, these are 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, and they have an
average age of 30 years. Once harvested
the fruit is transported to the winery, which was once located in Castiglioncello, a convenient location for the first vineyards which were close
by. Converted farm buildings, once in the possession of the della Gherardesca
family, served the purpose. With the passage of time, however, the Sassicaia
vineyards became much more expansive and are scattered across the estate, and in
the 1960s a new winery was established near the church of San Guido. This was
equipped with climate control and new temperature-controlled stainless steel
fermentation vats which range in size from 35 to 110 hectolitres, allowing for
separate fermentation of different lots. In addition, new
French oak barriques were introduced. The estate's leading wine, its raison
d'être, is of course Sassicaia, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc,
the proportions matching those found in the vineyard. This will see 24 months in the
aforementioned oak, of
which one-third (a figure which has risen in recent vintages) will be new each
year. The remainder are one and two-year old barrels. The second wine, Guidalberto, which was introduced in
2000, is 45% Cabernet Sauvignon - fruit otherwise destined for Sassicaia - with 45% Merlot and 10% Sangiovese, two
varieties never included in Sassicaia, and this sees just 12 months oak ageing,
in 30% new French and American oak barriques, the rest in used Sassicaia barrels.
This latter cuvée is named for Guidalberto della Gherardesca, an ancestor of the
Incisa family who lived in the early 19th Century and who is regarded as
something of an agricultural and viticultural pioneer in the Bolgheri region.
The wines are fined and then bottled, and then allowed to rest for up to six
months before release onto the market.
Tasting Sassicaia & Guidalberto
My experience of Sassicaia is through attended tastings rather than
consumption at home, as there is only one vintage hiding in my cellar and it is destined
for a tasting many years in the future I think. Published opinions on the estate
and the wines seem to vary somewhat, but naturally this is one of the joys of
wine. One point on which everyone agrees is that the estate was something of a trailblazer in
the Super-Tuscan movement, leading the way for the revitalisation of Italian
wine regulations and for the quality of wine across many DOCs and DOCGs in
Tuscany. In addition, many report that this trailblazing reached a crescendo
with the 1985 vintage, frequently lauded as the estate's greatest ever wine,
and perhaps one of the greatest ever to come from Italy. The quality seen in
that vintage does not seem to have been repeated since, but whether that is an unfair
judgement - forever disparaging a wine through comparison with a one off moment
of pure brilliance - or whether, as some say, there has been a true downturn in
quality is impossible to judge without tasting the wine in question. For me,
this is unlikely to happen; the 1985 retails at a price way beyond my budget,
and I would think it is beyond the budget of the majority of drinkers, even
those who religiously follow the leading estates of Tuscany. Meanwhile, opinions
on recent vintages also vary, some critics highlighting apparent inadequacies in
the wine in what should be successful vintages such as 1999, whereas
other score them highly. The appreciation of wine does indeed reflect a very
personal set of preferences.
In late 2007 I looked at a number of vintages in a tasting led by Sebastiano Rosa, who although now in charge at San Guido had been educated at UC Davis, Lafite-Rothschild and top Brunello estate Argiano; we started with the second wine, Guidalberto, which can clearly offer very good value, showing a similar style and structure to Sassicaia. I enjoy the fact that it contains 10% Sangiovese; admittedly this is a tiny proportion, but it at least tethers the wine to the region of origin, and does not continue with the exclusive use of Bordeaux varieties that is the basis for every vintage of Sassicaia. The period of oak ageing is also admirably shorter than that for Sassicaia, and thus the aromas and palate are less marked by wood. It is of course, with its higher percentage of Sangiovese and Merlot and this shorter duration of time in barrique, destined for earlier drinking, but it is still packed with quality and pleasure. It is also considerably more affordable, usually being released at one-fifth of the price of Sassicaia. Nevertheless, Sassicaia itself is clearly, on tasting, full of character superior to that of Guidalberto. Of those vintages tasted, there was a certain family resemblance which centred around the wines' well knit, polished, elegant style, particularly when looking at the 1999, 2000 and 2001 triumvirate. I found all three of these wines to be of high quality, offering up a very pleasing structure to my palate. More recent vintages did not shine so much, although the 2004 does merit a special mention as there is much potential in the bank here, and I expect it may one day match the quality seen in the three vintages above, if not surpass them entirely. The 2003 vintage was as expected, showing much of the warm and blocky tannins of the vintage, whereas the 2002 might have been made in another country. This latter wine is one that has provoked some controversy and debate; the 2002 season was a very wet one, with more rain in August of this year than there had been in any comparable month since 1945. As a result many seasoned fans of Sassicaia have decried the decision to go ahead with its release, it seems, and tasting the wine their calls may have some merit. It is not what one expects from Sassicaia. Having said that, intrinsically it is a good wine, but one must judge it alone, and not against the expected type, to see this. It has a herbal, slightly vegetal character that, if tasted blind, would not lead me to conclude I was tasted a Tuscan beverage. (5/2/08)
Contact details:
Address: 57020 Bolgheri
Telephone: +39 0565 762003
Fax: +39 0565 762017
Internet: www.sassicaia.com
Tenuta San Guido - Tasting Notes
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Guidalberto 2005: This has a deep, very youthful, crimson red hue. On the
nose it has a very ripe style, showing rich, dark fruits, attractive and quite
intense, although in truth rather simple and not very evocative or wild. A
supple start on the palate, revealing a tannic grip with a powerful bite through
the midpalate. It is very ripe, textured with a chalky edge, and a considerable
layer of structure underneath. Tight and youthful, with good acidity, and a
detached, stony finish, this has very good potential. 16-16.5+/20
Sassicaia 2004: A great depth of colour here, dark and glossy. The nose has
plenty of character, with deep fruit formed in a cherry and cranberry vein,
spiced with a little pepper and chocolate, as well as a trace of toffee,
probably a little residual oak. Full, impressive, creamy and very supple,
stylish, but with lots of structure well covered underneath. There is a lot of
grip and lots of firm acidity but still the wine has balance, and overall this
works well. It is broad, ripe, full of power and potential, and rounds off with
a great finish, touched with an array of fruits led by raspberry now.
Potentially excellent. 17.5-18+/20
Guidalberto 2004: Less youthful than the 2005 Guidalberto in appearance,
although still with a very dense pink rim. An interesting complexity here,
stylish, showing a dense, slightly earthy, cherry fruit. A lovely impact on the
palate, ripe, supple and elegant, with good fruit to the fore, and midpalate
tannins evident. Firm acidity. Good texture, balanced, grippy at the finish, and
a good freshness throughout. This is still very tight but it has good potential,
and I admire the freshness and balance of this wine over the subsequent vintage,
I think. 16.5+/20
Sassicaia 2003: Again a deeply coloured and intense looking wine here. The
nose is very open and forward, showing a very brawny style of fruit, a touch
feral and savage, with a little toffee left over from the oak. Even Sassicaia
shows the heat of the 2003 vintage, it seems. Nevertheless it has a lovely
creaminess, almost silkiness on entry, then it shows a broader, more meaty and
brawny character through the midpalate, which is marked by a huge wall of
tannins. It has lots of good flavour and potential, with notes of ripe
raspberry, cherry and white chocolate, but surprisingly it also has some good
acidity and although rich it does maintain a sense of balance. Nevertheless I
worry about those tannins outlasting everything else as the wines of this
vintage age. For that reason a conservative score. 16-16.5+/20
Sassicaia 2002: A markedly different colour to those other vintages of
Sassicaia tasted in this line up; it has a less vibrant hue, with more advanced
tones and a less intense rim. The nose is certainly interesting, and in an open
and very accessible fashion it releases scents of gravel mixed with fresh
fruits, with a perfumed style. I find this admirable, although stylistically it
is a long way from the usual Sassicaia as judged by other vintages tasted here. It has a nice weight on entry, full and
rounded. Notably, the tannins have a very different quality, as they are dry and
rather hard. There is a good texture to compensate though, and an elegant structure
and great acidity, leading up to a lovely, sappy sourness on the finish. Notes
of redcurrant and cherry abound. Overall, different, but in the context of the
vintage I like it. I can see why hardened Sassicaia fans, however, would not.
16.5-17/20
Sassicaia 2001: A gently darker and gently more mature appearance here.
Intense fruit on the nose, dark and complex, showing ripe and macerated dark
fruits and liquorice, perhaps with a brawny, youthful character. It opens up to
reveal these aromas in the glass, in an evocative and individual fashion. The
palate carries ripe fruit, showing an elegant composition, but in combination
with tannins and very firm acidity. Delicious texture and structure. Here is a
wine with superb potential that requires years in the cellar, and in fact the tightly
wound and aggressive tannins demand that this be done. Good length at the end.
Overall, excellent, with more to come. 18+/20
Sassicaia 2000: The first bottle was corked, and replaced at my
request, to the delight of the gentleman sitting alongside me who had not
spotted the fault. The second bottle was immensely superior. It is very dark on inspection, with a deeply
pigmented central core running right out to a very thin rim. The nose is very
intense; there is a great purity of fruit, with a slightly meaty-cherry
character, and a toffee edge. It possesses a lovely, pure, cool style which it
shows willingly on the palate, polished, direct and bright, with a wonderful
composition. There is a fine tannic grip beneath, delicious acidity, with sappy
and savoury fruit. A fine weight. Here is a wine with definition and grace but
also power and potential, the latter two expressed in a very refined manner, as
if encased in a velvet glove. A great finish and quite some length to it. This is
really very fine indeed. 19+/20
Sassicaia 1999: A dark hue although it is gently fading. The nose here shows
a lovely perfume, stony and fresh, showing delicious fruit laced with gravel.
It all suggests elegance and finesse, and this shows through on the palate which
is very stylish with lots of red fruit and pepper. It still caries a vein of
tannins but overall the wine is very nicely knitted together and composed. Broad,
with a silky texture, this is simply delicious. Approachable now, although I
suspect it will be years before this wine is really at peak. Wines such as this, and the 2000, reveal why Sassicaia holds the attention of so many, and its
position within the upper echelons of Tuscan wines is rightly deserved I think. 18.5-19+/20
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