2023 Tenuta San Guido - Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC Sassicaia (750ml)

Sassicaia began as a personal indulgence rather than a commercial venture. In the 1940s, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines on his Tenuta San Guido estate along the Tuscan coast, initially just to make wine for his own table. The project matured over decades until its 1968 commercial release stunned critics and helped launch the entire Super Tuscan movement, wines built outside Italy's traditional rules yet judged among the country's finest. Its success eventually earned it a rare honor, a dedicated appellation, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, beginning with the 1994 vintage. The estate remains in family hands today, with Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta overseeing external relations and general manager Carlo Paoli, who joined in 2009, guiding winemaking.

Sassicaia blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, drawn from vineyards on Bolgheri's gravelly, southwest-facing slopes cooled by maritime breezes, including historic parcels planted 40 to 50 years ago. The difficult 2023 growing season brought a cold winter, heavy rain, and a serious outbreak of downy mildew that forced ruthless fruit selection and cut yields by roughly 20 percent. Hand-harvested grapes fermented with natural yeasts saw extended skin contact of up to 25 days, with malolactic fermentation deliberately delayed, before aging around 21 months in French oak barriques.

The wine offers a dark, complex nose of blackberry, wild sage, rosemary, and crushed stone, framed by fine spice. The palate is supple yet structured, with chalky tannins, vibrant acidity, and a long mineral finish built for extended cellaring. It pairs beautifully with braised meats, osso buco, or aged hard cheeses.