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 | 2018 Sassicaia - Tenuta San Guido | € 240,00 (€ 290,40) |
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Sassisaia is “stenen” in Toscaans dialect. Het is één van de beste Italiaanse terroirs en een “monopole” in Bourgondische zin met DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia als appellatie. Kwaliteit piekt in koelere, klassiekere jaren als 2018: op een koude winter met langdurige regen en sneeuw eind februari volgde een koele lente (met regen in mei) die de waterspiegel op peil bracht. Zomerse nachten waren koel en hittegolven bleven uit. Een verlengde vegatieve cyclus beloofde geleidelijke fenolische rijping, complexe aroma’s en frisse zuren. De oogst, tussen 6 september en 4 oktober, kwam een week later “dan normaal”. En zie: het resultaat is een prachtige, klassieke Sassicaia 2018. Toeval? Wijnjaren eindigend op een 8 zijn altijd speciaal voor Sassicaia. 1968 was het eerste dat verkocht werd. 1988 evenaarde de perfecte 1985. Onderstaande recensies zijn duidelijk… IN DE PERS 97+ Monica Larner – robertparker.com (januari 2021) This is a classic vintage of an Italian icon now celebrating its 50th vintage. The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia lays out a familiar blueprint that borrows from the proven track record of this landmark estate that extends into the hills just beyond the Tyrrhenian shores of Tuscany. This vintage is crystalline and pure in its delivery, and if you are familiar with previous editions, it is impossible to mistake this wine for anything but Sassicaia. The growing season started off cool and wet but turned to warm and dry conditions comfortably before the harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in a supporting role deliver a graceful mid-weight texture that holds back style-wise in terms of phenolic density. The wine's careful balance is achieved thanks to the nuanced character of the fruit, the present acidity, the well-managed structure and the contained alcohol. The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe. Overall, the 2018 Sassicaia weighs in with a svelte frame and long persistence. Moreover, it is distinguished by the archetypal elegance and pedigree of the classic vintages of the past. This new release gives you much pleasure to await. Drink 2024-2045. Tuscany’s Viale dei Cipressi (the road of the cypresses) is easily overlooked in a region packed with monuments of cultural importance and sites of natural wonder. Yet, a drive down the five-kilometer road flanked by 2,400 tightly lined cypress trees, so tall and abundant thanks to their considerable age, is always a stirring experience. The road, officially classified as strada provinciale 16d SP 39-Bolgheri, is ribboned with undulating waves and dips in the pavement that you feel at the bottom of your stomach if traveling at the right speed. Flashes of sunlight peek through the wispy tips of the cypresses, and quick snapshots of the beautiful countryside appear between some of the larger gaps between the trees. The road links the Bolgheri castle and sleepy town center to the tiny Oratorio di San Guido chapel that is also walled in with cypresses along its octagonal perimeter. This is where the strada provincial intersects, with precise perpendicularity, the Via Aurelia, or the Roman Aurelian Way that has served as an artery of commerce and communication between Rome and France since antiquity. The Viale dei Cipressi is one of those quintessential experiences in which the journey, even if only briefly, outweighs the destination. And, in these times of magical thinking in which so much strife and suffering surrounds us, there is comfort to be found in metaphors. The passageway, such as this magnificent road surrounded by its majestic trees, takes on special significance in these trying times. A passage is a symbol of life and the many milestones accrued along the way. It feels especially fitting to consider the Viale dei Cipressi on this year as Tenuta San Guido, the celebrated wine estate named after the Oratorio di San Guido with its winery located at the western end of the cypress-lined road, celebrates the 50th vintage of its legendary wine Sassicaia. Seen with a wider lens, the Viale dei Cipressi could represent the long road traveled by modern Italian wine and the forward trajectory of an enological identity that starts here, with a world-celebrated bottle made under the shadows of those proud trees. As I am often reminded: Sassicaia is the father of all vino italiano. The first commercial vintage of Sassicaia was 1968, and the current release (reviewed here) is 2018. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (usually played out in an 85/15 ratio) is named after the stones, or “sassi” in Italian, found in the historic vineyards located at the eastern end of the Viale dei Cipressi. Indeed, the entire production of Sassicaia from grape to bottle is mapped out along Bolgheri’s five kilometers of asphalt, from one end to the other. “The 2018 vintage confirms how the number eight brings good luck to Tenuta San Guido,” says General Manager Carlo Paoli. “The 2018 vintage shows a consistent link to 2008, 1998, 1988 and, of course, the 1968 vintage that marks Sassicaia’s debut on the market.” He adds that “the seasonal trend of 2018 was truly perfect and paid the best homage to Mario and Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta on such an important anniversary as this 50-year celebration.” The Tenuta San Guido 2018 Bolgheri Sassicaia is an exciting and reassuring wine that brought a very happy smile to my face. I found the bouquet and the mouthfeel to be something of a homecoming or a return to the classic philosophy of the estate. In many ways, 2018 represents a stylistic intersection or convergence of the two previous vintages. The wine offers the precision and elegance of 2016 (which I scored 100 points) and the more cautious or tapered 2017 vintage (which I scored 94 points). I awarded the 2018 vintage a score of 97+, with an emphasis on the plus sign to underline the future aging potential of this bottle. The Tenuta San Guido estate covers 2,500 acres of land with vineyards, equestrian paddocks and forests teaming with wild boar and other wildlife alongside brambly Mediterranean shrub oaks. The historic Sassicaia vineyard (originally measuring just two hectares) was planted in 1942, but the estate holdings grew in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, there are 97 hectares of vines, and most of the fruit is sourced from the Castiglioncello, Quercione and Doccino parcels. The Bolgheri appellation is celebrated for its rich soil diversity, and Sassicaia is drawn from sites with silt, clay, sand, gravel and alluvial deposits. A high presence of iron and manganese is reflected in the slightly mineral character of the bouquet. The original blueprint for Sassicaia was created by Mario Incisa della Rochetta and Giacomo Tachis, and not much has changed over these 50 years. Fermentations are not especially long in stainless steel with frequent délestages and pump-overs. It ages for two years in Allier and Tronçais oak with medium toast and long seasoning. About a third of the barrique are third or fourth passage, adding to the careful integration of the tannins. The 2018 growing season saw abundant rains between spring and summer, making for a challenging start. Those frequent rains and humidity alternated with sunny days and warm temperatures created the perfect conditions for fungal diseases. Many vintners in the Bolgheri appellation dedicated extra labor hours to managing this situation by tending to the canopy and eliminating weeds. Vineyard sites with looser soils and more stones proved well-draining and gave some of the best results. The season proved considerably warmer and drier in the final weeks before harvest, and this accelerated the ripening. However, the harvest came a bit later in 2018 as a result of the delays earlier in the year. At Tenuta San Guido, grapes were harvested two weeks later than average, and the excellent quality of the fruit was never compromised. To summarize, 2018 started off as a cool vintage but ended as a warm one. “The Cabernet Sauvignon, and especially the grapes from the older vines on the highest hills in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri, reached a perfect balance in terms of ripeness,” says Carlo Paoli. Thanks to these conditions, Sassicaia celebrates its 50th vintage with the classic 2018 vintage. This is textbook Sassicaia, a wine with an infinitely complex bouquet, elegant phenolic weight, balanced acidity, moderate alcohol content (with a real value of 13.35% and 13.5% recorded on the label) and a great deal of potential for cellar aging. Happy Birthday Sassicaia! 97 Antonio Galloni – vinous.com (Februari 2021) The 2018 Sassicaia is fabulous. Bright and beautifully poised, the 2018 opens with brilliant aromatics that make a strong first impression. Delicate and light on its feet, the 2018 is a regal wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Sassicaia is the most finessed of Bolgheri’s top wines. That is very much the case in 2018 as well. I loved it. A cold winter led to a late spring and delayed start to the year. May and June saw some heat, but only moderate temperatures. Only July was truly warm, with minimal diurnal shifts. Cool winds arrived again in August, and temperatures dropped quickly, especially at night. Mid-August saw some rain. Harvest started on September 7 with the Franc and wrapped up on the 29th with the last of Cabernet Sauvignon. The year favored the estate’s oldest vineyards, those on hillside sites. The 2018 spent 19 months in oak, two-thirds new, a bit more new oak than the norm. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Franc, a bit less Franc than is often the case, as Franc suffered more under the conditions of the season. Drink 2026-2043 97- Greg Sherwood MW – gregsherwoodmw.com One of the true signs of a wine’s greatness is its ability to capture the very essence of every changing vintage through its liquid terroir representation. This long cool vintage is captured beautifully in this latest Sassicaia release that is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. While showing plenty of taut, wound spring tension and aromatic restraint, the finery of this vintage slowly but surely reveals itself in slow, subtle, delicate perfumed waves of violets, cherry blossom and lavender hints all supported by intense mouth-watering notes of small black cherries, cranberries, earthy blueberries, cola and stony dark notes of blood and graphite. The oak use is almost imperceptible, melting into the fruit concentration like cherry cordial into water. On the palate, the mouthfeel shows incredible purity, density, intensity and focus with impressively creamy, compact, velvety ripe tannins that buttress the red and black berry fruits and the vibrant energetic acidity. But if there is one true stand out feature of this wine in its youth, it’s the wine’s incredible harmony and seamless balance in the mouth that points to perfect phenolic ripeness, expertly managed tannin extraction and the true benefits of longer, stress-free hang times of the grapes. Despite the abundant finesse and accessibility, this wine possesses restrained power, classical tension, liquid minerality and a fabulously long, persistent finish that is reminiscent of Grand Cru Burgundy in the finest years. A deeply seductive Sassicaia shaped by its classicism, linearity and balance. How can you not enjoy a few bottles of this classy wine in its youth? Drink from 2022 to 2045+. 97 James Suckling – jamessuckling.com (februari 2021) Beautiful, serene aromas of sweet berries and wild flowers with light lavender and fresh sage. Really aromatic. A firm, silky red with medium to full body and ultra fine tannins that are polished and beautiful. Lots of blue fruit and blackberries follow through to a beautiful finish. Really tight and polished. Bright acidity. Will be lovely to drink in a few years. The 2017 and 2016 were about power, but the 2018 is about finesse and subtlety. Try after 2024. Tenuta San GuidoTenuta San Guido brengt Sassicaia, één van de beste rode wijnen van Italië en de wereld. De wijnen worden gevierd om hun tijdloze elegantie, evenwicht en bewaarpotentieel. Het "Franse" assemblage van Cabernet Sauvignon en Cabernet Franc wordt verzorgd op een prachtig en uitgestrekt domein in Bolgheri, langs de kust van Toscane. Het volledige proces in wijngaard en kelder is in de vaardige handen van de intelligente medewerkers van Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta. In de jaren 1920 droomde de tegendraadse student in Pisa ervan om een grote wijn te creëren. Zijn naam was Markies Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. Als liefhebber van Bordeauxwijnen koos hij hier voor Cabernet Sauvignon. Op Tenuta San Guido werd "Sassicaia" geboren, wat zoveel betekent als "met stenen bezaaide grond", naar analogie met de Graves. In 1968 werd Sassicaia de eerste “Super Tuscan”. De wijn leidde tot ware “renaissance” van Italiaanse kwaliteitswijn. Markies Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta zette het werk van zijn vader voort: in 1987 werd de 1982 Sassicaia "Wijn van het Jaar" in The Wine Spectator en enkele jaren geleden verkreeg het wijngoed zelfs een eigen DOC-status. Assemblage: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon en 15% Cabernet Franc. De jongere, meer toegankelijke IGT "Guidalberto" steunt op Merlot en Cabernet Sauvignon met een snuifje Sangiovese, en werd genoemd naar Guidalberto della Gherardesca, een voorvader van Markies Incisa della Rocchetta. |