2010 Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido Imperial

The 2010 Sassicaia is just beginning to show the first signs of aromatic development. Sweet tobacco, mint, pine, dried cherries and licorice open up in the glass, but only with great reluctance. The 2010 remains a wine of striking precision and nuance, but it also has an element of classical austerity that is especially apparent today. Readers should be in no rush to drink the 2010.

Silky rich in colour, these wines speak of careful extraction, nothing impulsive or overdone. At six years it is just tipping over from its tight expression of youth to more open aromatics. This has a hauntingly exotic but restrained feel, with beautiful notes of leather, woodsmoke, undergrowth, still full of heady autumnal fruit. I am crunching through October leaves, with the promise of spring and of rising sage and rosemary. The lightness that comes in on the finish is striking, and yet with a persistency that hints at hidden power. Still many years ahead of it.

The 2010 Sassicaia is a wine of sheer elegance and finesse, impressive for its purity and impeccable balance. It brings gorgeous aromas of freshly crushed blackberries, beautiful floral, mineral, spices and even subtle hints of pain grille begin to emerge with extended air contact. There is a beautiful inner-sweetness to the fruit, which is wrapped in ultra- silky tannins that glide effortlessly into the finish where it lingers on and on. The blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc spent 24 months French oak barrels and then held for a further 6 months in the bottle before being released, however this still needs some serious time in the cellar before it will be at its best. (Best 2017-2030).

The 2010 Sassicaia was just released and it's an outstanding bottle. I think that people are going to love this newest Sass. The red is very aromatic with currant, dried berry, cocoa bean, and hints of wood. It's full- bodied, with intense yet very polished tannins and a long finish. It's very refined and beautiful with a tangy finish. The Cabernet Franc comes through here at the finish. Lively. Hard not to drink now.

Dark crimson. Round and gorgeous. Very silky. Savoury and well balanced.

The 2010 Sassicaia Bolgheri Sassicaia brings back some of the brambly rosemary and wild Mediterranean brush that was missing in 2009. This will greatly appeal to enthusiasts of Sassicaia's trademark elegance. The wine shows extreme purity that brings its many beautiful aromas into startling focus and clarity. Lingering tones of black fruit and Oriental spice add subtle shades at the back. The wine mostly certainly shows its pedigree in the exciting and beautifully balance manner it evolves in the glass: It tells a new story each time you return to observe the bouquet. This is the harbinger of cellar longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040. - Monica Larner.

This supremely elegant and age-worthy Sassicaia opens with an intense bouquet of black cherry, Mediterranean herbs, blue flower, cedar and leather aromas. Powerful but graceful, the palate delivers a vibrant core of black cherry accented with white pepper, mineral and balsamic notes alongside youthful but polished tannins and vibrant acidity. It's not as exuberant as some of its counterparts, but it may outlive all the other Bolgheri 2010s.

Cedar, sandalwood and spice notes lead off, with cherry, currant and rhubarb flavors underneath. Linear in profile, with a firm base of tight-grained tannins, this lingers beautifully on the finish. Persistent from beginning to end, this just needs time to expand. Best from 2016 through 2027. 36,600 cases made.-B.S.