SASSICAIA BOLGHERI DOC | Tenuta San Guido | 2001 & 2002 | Two perfect out-of-stock bottles
SASSICAIA BOLGHERI DOC | Tenuta San Guido
Two perfect bottles
2001 & 2002
750ml (2x)
SASSICAIA
Sassicaia is an Italian legend, one of the first "supertuscans" and one of the best Cabernet-based wines in the world. Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta was already enthusiastic about the wines from Bordeaux in the 1920s. He recognized the similarity between the Tuscan Galestro and the pebbly soils of the Médoc and decided to plant Cabernet. However, due to Italian wine laws, all vintages were served privately on the estate until 1967; the 1968 was the one that was sold regularly. A sensation that broke with the Nebiolo and Sangiovese tradition of the best Italian wines and was to establish a new genre. Since then, the "supertuscans" from Bolgheri have been among the top Italian wines - and Sassicaia is the "primus inter pares".
Wine legends - The "Sassicaia" from San Guido
Sassicaia was officially born in 1968 and since then this wine from Tenuta San Guido has become a legend. There are bound to be a few bottles of the 1968 vintage left in some cellar. Each of them is likely to be worth a five-figure sum. Legends don't come cheap. And this first vintage of Sassicaia was the foundation stone for a series of other super wines from Tuscany, the father, so to speak, of the so-called Super Tuscans, which also include the Tignanello from Marchese Piero Antinori.
But first things first. In the early 1940s, Bordeaux lover Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and his wife Clarice settled in their Tuscan estate near Bolgheri on the Mediterranean coast. There he first uprooted the Sangiovese vines typical of the region and began experimenting with various French grape varieties until he decided on Cabernet Sauvignon and some Cabernet Franc.
His neighbors found this less than amusing, but were not bothered by it, as the France fan pressed his wines exclusively for private consumption. It was only after much persuasion from his son Nicolò and his nephew Marchese Piero Antinori that Mario Incisa della Rocchetta released 3,500 bottles of the 1968 vintage in the early 1970s.
The initial response was extremely mixed. Italian critics in particular claimed that it was undrinkable, which led the Marchese to say that they all had no idea. Italy's answer to Bordeaux, said other experts and gave the wine top marks.
How Sassicaia came about
What began in the mid-1940s as the family's house wine developed over the decades into one of Italy's greatest wines. There are understandable reasons why the Italians in particular initially gave Sassicaia the cold shoulder.
Nobody had ever thought about planting a Bordeaux grape variety in Tuscany before, especially in the area around Bolgheri, which did not exactly enjoy the reputation of a red wine stronghold at the time.
At the time, the wine needed a few years of ageing before it was really ready to drink, in contrast to the light regional wines that had been produced up to then. However, the positive critics soon prevailed and Sassicaia was celebrated as the best Cabernet in Italy.
However, this did not prevent the authorities from allowing this super wine to be sold only as Vino da Tavola, i.e. table wine, as the composition of the vines for Sassicaia did not officially meet any quality wine standard at the time.
However, the rather derogatory designation did not really bother buyers from all over the world and Vino da Tavola even became a synonym for other Super Tuscans for years. The wine has only been allowed to bear the name Sassicaia Bolgheri DOC since 1994.
While the composition of the Sassicaia remained almost unchanged - the recipe for success is 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 15 percent Cabernet Franc - the ageing style changed shortly afterwards. Mash fermentation no longer took place in wood but in stainless steel and the Marchese bought barriques from France to allow the wine to mature even more ideally.
The grapes are now delivered from various vineyards above the village of Bolgheri and sorted according to quality. Gentle crushing is followed by around 15 days of maceration in stainless steel tanks. After 24 months of ageing in barriques, the wine matures in the bottle for between six and twelve months.
Even though the Marchese has now been dead for more than 30 years, he still experienced one of his greatest triumphs. In 1978, five years before his death, the 1972 Sassicaia was declared the best Cabernet Sauvignon from a field of 33 other top-class wines from 11 countries by a high-caliber group led by Hugh Johnson and Serena Sutcliffe.
Today, Mario's son Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta runs the family estate. And the reputation of the legend continues.
How Sassicaia got its name
The word is derived from Sassi, Italian for stones, as the vineyards in Bolgheri, which are located directly on the Mediterranean, are very stony. It can be that easy to find a name for a legend.
Bottle 1
SASSICAIA BOLGHERI DOC | Tenuta San Guido | 2001
Vintage: 2001
Description: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
Grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon 85%, cabernet franc 15%
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Filling quantity: 0.75l
Recommended drinking temperature: 18/20 °C
The ideal moment to enjoy: Special occasion
Product type: Red
The perfect accompaniment to: Main courses with red meat | Pasta
Condition (label): No recognizable defects
Condition (capsule): No recognizable defects
Condition (cork): No recognizable defects
FLAVOR NOTES
One of the best vintages of this legend. It has a dense, almost impenetrable ruby-violet color. On the nose, the wine impresses with an impressive mix of cassis, cherries and plums, notes of toasted wood and hints of smoke and eucalyptus. On the palate, it shines with present fruit, especially blackcurrants and cranberries, fine spicy notes, dense tannins, great concentration and elegance with a very long-lasting fruity, delicately spicy finish. In short: great potential. Best to buy now and drink later.
Or in the words of Robert Parker, probably the most influential wine critic in the world: “Medium-deep color. Lovely, expressive, modern nose is somewhat exotic, with scents that recall dark berry fruits, smoke, dried herbs, earth, coffee beans, and toasty oak. Youthful, well-extracted, and penetrating on the palate. It’s a powerful style, even more so than the 2000, that is more fruit-driven than soil driven. There’s a perfect balance of the wine’s components. We like the texture and purity of the 2001. This wine has everything in place to evolve into a real stunner.” Robert Parker, Wineadvocate
Bottle 2
SASSICAIA BOLGHERI DOC | Tenuta San Guido | 2002
Vintage: 2002
Description: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
Grape varieties: cabernet sauvignon 85%, cabernet franc 15%
Alcohol content: 13.5%
Filling quantity: 0.75l
Recommended drinking temperature: 18/20 °C
The ideal moment to enjoy: Special occasion
Product type: Red
The perfect accompaniment to: Main courses with red meat | Pasta
Condition (label): No recognizable defects
Condition (capsule): No recognizable defects
Condition (cork): No recognizable defects
FLAVOR NOTES
Ruby red, lively and concentrated. The nose is a triumph of intensity and complexity thanks to notes ranging from plum and blueberry to licorice, from mint to vanilla, from licorice to leather, giving a profile of rare substance. In the mouth, it is incredibly responsive and velvety at the same time, enveloping and elegant like no other, very fine. An infinite taste for persistence and memory, poignant.
Provenance | Winery Italy, Michelin Star Restaurant Switzerland, Private Collection Denmark
* These bottles come from a journey of winery, restaurant & finally out of a private collection. Both bottles were checked by a professional team before being sold. However, we cannot guarantee that the wine is still in perfect condition after so many years. We guarantee that the condition of the bottle corresponds exactly to the description on this page. The sale of this bottles therefore complies with the "bought as seen" clause. These bottles cannot be returned under any circumstances.
Differential taxation according to § 25a UStG. No taxes included. | Differenzbesteuerung nach § 25a UStG. Kunstgegenstände und Sammlungsstücke, Sonderregelung.