Jacopo Poli & Tenuta San Guido "Grappa Barili di Sassicaia" 375mL
(Veneto, Italy)

Grappa is exclusively the Italian aqua-vitae obtained through distillation of the marc. Grappa is the result of man’s desire to use all the goodness offered by nature. The use of what remains of the grape after the wine-making process is part of life’s natural cycle - birth, growth, consumption and death - where nothing is wasted.

Two demijohns of Sassicaia:
It was an afternoon in the Spring of 1993 when I illustrated to Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta a project that had been in my head for several years. This project regarded making an excellent Grappa from the marc of a great wine, and namely Sassicaia.

We were sitting on a sofa in the hall of the Principe di Savoia in Milan and I think he listened to me more out of politeness than genuine interest. I was a young 'grappaiolo' from the province and without a pedigree, asking for the hand of the most beautiful creature of Tuscan wine-making and a symbol Italian wine worldwide. As a gift I offered a long family tradition and, above all, a passion for Grappa and its profound culture.

I think it was this respect for the values innate in a distillate that convinced the marquis, a man not inclined to make impulsive choices but well-aware of the responsibility involved in the management of a legend to which his family was inseparably linked.

Even today I am still grateful for the trust he showed.

A trust that, every day, I strive to deserve. The first time we sent our Bruno with the truck to get the Sassicaia marc in Bolgheri, we also told him to shave, dress well, greet everyone and be courteous. He had never been sent outside the region to get marc, and therefore realised that this was something special.

Bruno left in the late afternoon and slept in front of the cellar, ready for loading early in the morning.
On arriving home I asked him if everything went well, and he replied yes, but without the usual cheerfulness.

Several hours later the marquis called me on the phone and said: "I hope the driver who came to load the marc is not upset..."                                                                                     
What happened? I asked him, "Well, after finishing loading, he opened the cab of the truck and pulled out two 54-litre demijohns and asked the cellarman if he could fill them with this famous Sassicaia he had heard so much about, so that he could bottle it and taste it... The cellarman replied that we do not sell retail. So I hope he is not offended, and I do apologise...”

Sensitivity of other times.

--Jacopo Poli

Aromas: The nose opens with a lifted aroma set of honeycomb, brown spices, dried stone fruits, forest floor, and crystalized ginger.

Palate: Light and delicate with a swift lift of honey, stone fruits, light barrel spices, and delicate dried white flowers on the exhale.

Grappa di Sassicaia is a distillate of Cabernet Sauvignon and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc pomace from vines within the Tenuta San Guido estate. The fresh marc is soft pressed from the skins immediately following the wine’s maceration phase, and distillation begins immediately.

Using one of the oldest operating stills in Italy today, the marc is distilled with steam over a three-hour period. After the cauldron is emptied and the cycle is reinitiated, the heads and tails are eliminated so that the heart of the grappa preserves the purest spectrum of primary aromas and flavors. The finished spirit spends four years aging in French oak barriques.