2021 Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido

Here it is: A quintessential Sassicaia that represents the excellence of the vintage and also respects the unique taste profile of this distinguished Tuscan blend of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The Tenuta San Guido 2021 Bolgheri Sassicaia offers impeccable balance, excellent freshness and absolutely no signs of over-ripeness. The fruit balance is ideal with a hint of crunch and lasting tension from pulp and skins. The tannins are deftly managed with firm grip and enough velvetiness to add volume and length. There is no greenness on the bouquet that instead offers mulled herbs and spice, with cinnamon and clove, layered delicately between mostly red and some purple berry fruits. Redcurrant, blueberry, sweet pomegranate and Rainier cherry run strong in this vintage. A fragrant hint of heritage rose emerges with time. The oak tones are geared toward gingerbread, hazelnut, cigar, sandalwood and something like a grilled sweet red pepper. To the palate, it offers nice weight with no heavy glycerin, and a rinse of acidity that adds to the wine’s natural energy, brightness and viscosity. That marked freshness opens the wine up to long aging potential, but you still need to give it more time in bottle.

San Guido rarely if ever makes a bad wine: in those years where the weather really doesn’t cooperate much, a lighter, more politely-styled wine might be made (see the delicious 2020 Sassicaia) but one that is still heads and shoulders above in quality compared to most other red wines made in Bolgheri and the rest of Italy. Then in vintages were all the wine stars align, such as for example the 1985, 1988, and 2016, the outcome is truly magical, and this is precisely the case of the 2021 Sassicaia. To be clear, the 2021 Sassicaia is one of the best young wines at a similar stage of development the estate has made in years. It is a paragon of balance and freshness. What it lacks in the brute power of the memorable 2016, it makes up for with a ballerina-like gracefulness and a balance that is enchanting. Clearly all those weaned on behemoths will be less impressed by this wine compared to many liquid sledgehammers, but the point is that refinement and balance do not have to take a back seat to more obvious, even somewhat vulgar, attributes. About the only bad news with this wine is the small volumes produced, given the very large crop reduction (the result of early season weather adversity: frost hit on March 18 when the buds were already out in full force) and barrels having to be eliminated because of traces of gaminess in a few of them. But hunt it down and cellar it away for a good twelve years before even thinking of opening a bottle, then get ready to enjoy one of the more graceful, elegant Sassicaia wines in year (and that’s saying quite something, given that this wine essentially has defined elegance in Italian wine circles for the past forty years). Bright, medium deep red-ruby. Fresh aromas of balsamic oils, then more minty eucalyptus, lavender and juniper complicate the lively, perfumed blackcurrant and mineral aromas on the enticing nose. Then extremely vibrant and lively, but boasting remarkable balance with a near-perfect fruit/tannin/acidity ratio and an inviting saline note that rises like the froth of waves smashing against the docks on a cold winter seaside morning. Very precise, penetrating flavours of red and dark berries, honey, coffee, toast and bergamot linger nicely on the extremely long, refreshing finish. This famous Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc wine blend is undoubtedly rich and dense but has a vitality and a lift that is truly uncommon for the best red wines made with these two grape varieties. Deceptively easy to drink already now, this will age far better than most people I know.

In 2021, ‘we had a nicely paced harvest... surely a very fortunate vintage for us, for Bolgheri,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta at the launch in London of the 2021 vintage of Sassicaia. Welcome rain in mid-August came at just the right time to save the harvest, and production ended up being slightly higher than in 2020. Around eight to 10 separate vinifications were made, fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and spontaneous malo. The wines were racked to second- and third-use barriques in December 2021, then racked into a mixture of new and used barriques in March 2022. The last step was to make the final blend in stainless tanks, where the wine underwent micro-oxygenation before bottling and further maturation in bottle. Rich dark fruit and herb aromatics are pockmarked by blueberry and petrichor, leading into an intense and vertical palate that's super-fresh with a delightful breezy, saline character. Textured, integrated tannins emphasise the refinement of Sassicaia, showing just a touch of youthful dustiness. Tangy, bright black, blue and red berry fruits overlay underlying hints of dark chocolate and forest undergrowth in a remarkably precise fashion, with pomegranate and a stony minerality surfacing on the mid-palate. 2021 demonstrates lovely sapidity of fruit along with that characteristic freshness and lightness of step, finishing long and poised. Superb. 99-100.

The gorgeous 2021 Sassicaia stuns with its class, extreme elegance, energy and depth. It’s remarkably fragrant, featuring enticing aromas of cassis, cedar blue flower, exotic spice and a whiff of sea breeze. The delicious palate is focused and loaded with finesse, delivering ripe raspberry, black currant, blood orange, star anise a hint of coffee bean accompanied by taut, fine-grained tannins. Bright acidity gives it racy tension and provides impeccable balance and serious aging potential.

Very classy and typical of Sassicaia with currant, tobacco, chocolate, sage and lavender on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied with very integrated and refined tannins that are caressing and pretty with a lovely length and beauty. Such finesse and structure at the same time. Best in 2028 and beyond but already joy to taste.

98P+: The 2021 Sassicaia is one of the best young Sassicaias I can remember tasting, certainly on par with anything in recent memory. The preference here is picking on the earlier side relative to many neighboring properties, which is one of the reasons Sassicaia is always a wine of refinement more than opulence. At the same time, Sassicaia can be light. Not in 2021. All the elements came together during a long growing season to produce a rich, deep wine that marries textural intensity with classicism. Dark cherry/plum fruit, spice, new leather, menthol, licorice and spice all race across the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine's textural intensity and sheer power. The 2021 is one of the most concentrated Sassicaias on record. That allowed for long macerations, as long as 20 days for some Cabernets. Aging was 25 months in French oak barrels (95% French, 5% a mix of Hungarian and Slavonian wood), 40% new, 40% once-used barrels and 20% in twice-used barrels. One of the recent developments here is some bâtonnage in aging, which is used to build texture. That approach worked well in 2021. In a word: magnificent.

Dynamic and slender in the sensory profile showing notes of lavender, plums, hyacinth, magnolia, sandalwood, camphor and lemon and bergamot peel. Agapanthus flowers, wisteria and gardenias describe the secondary profile softening and diluting the matrix. There’s complexity and composed richness that in the game between oxidation and reduction confirms its solid beauty. The body of the wine is perfectly balanced in the sip, showing a full, enveloping profile, there’s a subtle balsamic presence and it’s animated by soft, creamy tannins giving a linear, essential finale. A version of Sassicaia that’s extremely enjoyable from the start, immediately persuasive and convincing. Notwithstanding the great changes and difficulties this wine will continue to be written and spoken about as a milestone in Bolgheri excellence.

Rich yet elegant, laced with black cherry, blackberry, cedar, mineral and oak spice aromas and flavors, this resonant red builds to the long, detailed aftertaste. Shows great balance, with vibrant acidity and refined tannins, yet this will benefit from a few more years of aging. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The 2021 Sassicaia is remarkable for being simultaneously complex yet transparent. In the glass, it displays a bright jeweled ruby red hue. On my second tasting of this wine, the nose was much more expressive than in my initial tasting the previous day, offering pure aromas of raspberry, pretty lifted spices and lavender, dusty earth, and fresh Mediterranean herbs, and as it opens, it develops notes of rhubarb, incense, and sandalwood. The palate is pure and expressive, with well-defined, ripe tannins, seamless acidity, and refreshing saltiness, but its shining pure fruit is what stands out and will shine for decades to come.