About the Wine

Tenuta San Guido is better known for this world-renowned, famous wine “Sassicaia,” one of the original Super Tuscan Wines. This outstanding wine needs no introduction. This is one of the most collectible Tuscan wines, and one of the most controversial, exceptional wines the world has ever seen. 

Mario Incisa della Rocchetta started a home wine project in 1948. The Western coast of Tuscany is known for its beauty, and in the Sassicaia, pristine vineyards roll downhill toward the sea, interrupted by horses and Italy’s top bird preserve. Even in the 1930s, the Rocchetta family knew this was a special place, and it wasn’t long before Sassicaia changed the game by planting Cabernet Sauvignon where Sangiovese once stood. The rest is just history. In 2013, Sassicaia was awarded the only Italian DOC controlled by a single estate, and the wines are second to none.

In the 1970's Marios son, Nicolo, and his nephew, Piero Antinori, started to commercialize the wine. In 1978, Decanter held a wine competition of great clarets of the world, and Sassicaia took first place. A star was born and the image of Bolgheri as an important producer of Bordeaux varietals in western Tuscany was confirmed. The name Sassicaia comes from "Sasso" which means "rocky field". 

Aging: 25 months in French oak barrels (one-third new.)

Tasting Notes: 85 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 15 % Cabernet Franc. 
See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Reviews

Very elegant on the nose, it shows energy and character of a decidedly noble and intriguing spicy nature. The notes of wild violet blend well with wild myrtle, juniper berries and coriander. The center of the wine is rich with nuances of black plums, black tea leaves and cloves. Full body, soft and enveloping in the sip, it shows perfectly ripe, noble tannins, slightly stiff at the moment and a truly exciting finish that ignites from the center of the palate onwards, showing a progressive ascending parable of a select few. A vintage that puts the winemakers in the area to the test but which shows truly important complexity. Shorter macerations than usual on some vineyards and a higher percentage of new wood are the interpretation of the 2020 vintage at San Guido. "A divine sign to the sacrifice and effort of the entire team." Splendid straight away but better from 2026. ~98 WinesCritic.com

Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony and freshness prevail, ending with a long aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 23,300 cases made, 5,300 cases imported. ~97 Wine Spectator

The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugely appealing. ~97 Vinous Media

Frosts damaged the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc in late March, leading to reduced production but superb quality fruit. Spring was mild and summer was generally warm, but a rapid acceleration of maturation in late summer forced the team to begin picking in the first week of September to avoid any overripeness. A traditional 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend, its blackcurranty, dusty, leafy and cedary character is brought into focus by an intense and balsamic palate. It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes. This will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet you'll get plenty of pleasure from it in its youth. 'We advise to keep it at least 10 months in the bottle before opening,' states third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. ~97 Decanter

Estate Manager Carlo Paoli describes 2020 as a year with a long, rainy winter and a cold spring. "Temperatures warmed up in the middle of June," he explained. "July was very hot, but heat moderated in August. Even so, it was a year in which ripeness moved quickly, as opposed to 2021 when ripeness was more gradual. We picked the entire estate in 22 days instead of the 29-30 that is more typical." The 2020 spent 15-18 days on the skins, followed by 25 months in French oak, 50% new. Production is down about 30% because of selection in the vineyard. ~97 Vinous Media

A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027. ~97 James Suckling

The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent, and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term. ~96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 

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