I’m a great fan of the industry magazine, Wine Enthusiast, however I don’t often have the opportunity to read an issue when it first arrives in the post. So on a recent trip, I thumbed through my stack and picked up a couple back issues to take along. I enjoyed the December 2018 write up on the top wines of 2018. Having tasted wines with a critical palate for about 15 years now, its still hard for me to imagine choosing the single best wine in the world. Could you do it?!
This issue notes 100 top wines for the year, and I’m pleased to see that some of my regulars made the list. Topping their list is Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia 2015 Sassicaia. The winery, Tenuta San Guido, was established by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who began experimenting with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the 1940s. Considered the seminal Super Tuscan, which is a wine from Tuscan that is not a traditional grape or blend for the region, the name Sassicaia originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rocchetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines. A story about these vines being sourced from the famed Chateau Lafite-Rothschild was dismissed by Mario’s son, Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, as the vineyard was actually planted from “cuttings from 50-year-old vines from a friend’s estate near Pisa.”
Though for years, Sassicaia remained the family’s personal wine, the son Nicolò and nephew Piero Antinori convinced him to release it commercially, starting with the 1968 vintage, unveiled in 1971. Initially there were only a few thousand bottles available, but those created a demand for more. The wine began winning awards and recognition by 1978. Trying to emulate Bordeaux on his estate near the Tuscan coast, his experimental red quickly became the prototype of the region, establishing itself as one of the great wines of Tuscany and Italy.
In 1994, Sassicaia was granted its own DOC (Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC), the only wine from a single estate in Italy to enjoy this privilege. Before that, and in similarity to other wines made outside the traditional DOC/DOCG regulations, Sassicaia was classified as an Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT).
While the Tenuta San Guido estate grows other crops, such as olives and grains, wine became the main focus in the 1970s and Sassicaia caught the attention of wine lovers worldwide. Tenuta San Guido cultivates fruit from several plots around Bolgheri, extending 190 acres. The annual production is approximately 180,000 bottles. Now managed by Mario’s granddaughter Priscilla, representing the third generation, Sassicaia continues to thrive without ever losing its Old World character or Tuscan roots.
The 2015 Sassicaia is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Grapes are handpicked, destemmed and crushed before fermenting with naturally occurring yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless tanks. The wine is then aged in French oak barriques, then refined in bottle before release. While given 97 points by Wine Enthusiast and Best Wine of 2018, it also received a 100 point rating by Wine Advocate. With just over 17,000 cases, and priced at $245 upon release, this wine is now hard to get my hands on. But I’m still working on it.
The second wine, Guidalberto, was introduced in 2000, and is composed of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 10% Sangiovese, with an annual production of 150,000 bottles. The most recently added wine, Le Difese, is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, with an annual production of 120,000 bottles. I’m currently working with one of our distributors for an allocation of these wines, so ask about Tenuta San Guido the next time you stop into Perspective Cellars.
