Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri "Sassicaia" IGT 2020
(Tuscany, Italy) - [DM 97] [WS 97] [JS 97] [VM 97] [JD 97] [WA 96]

About the Winery:
Sassicaia means "the place of many stones" and refers to the region's gravely soil. All the vineyards located in different altitudes and exposures benefit from extensive sun and maritime breezes. The soils are entirely located in the territorial delimitation of the D.O.C. Sassicaia. They havedifferent and composite morphological characteristics, characterized by a strong presence of calcareous areas rich in galestro, as well as pebbles and stones (“Sassicaia” in local dialect means soil with many stones) and also partially clay. The vineyards are located at an altitude between 328 and 1312 feet above sea level, facing West/South-West.

Technical Data

Appellation: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
pH: 3.47
Acidity: 6.05 g/l
ABV: 14%
Ageing: Aged in barriques using 35% new wood, 45% first passage, and 20% second passage. Barriques are fine-grained, medium-toasted French oak (Troncais, Allier and Jupilles in particular) in order not to exceed the transfer of tannins. Sassicaia 2020, after more than 25 months of aging in wood, was decanted into steel tanks and further selected before final blending and then bottling. Subsequent refinement in the bottle.

Points of Distinction:

• So successful it was granted its own appellation Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC in 1994
• A dense, complex wine of legendary longevity
• The first Super Tuscan, debuted in 1968

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Frosts damaged the the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc in late March, leading to reduced production but superb quality fruit. Spring was mild and summer was generally warm, but a rapid acceleration of maturation in late summer forced the team to begin picking in the first week of September to avoid any overripeness. A traditional 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend, its blackcurranty, dusty, leafy and cedary character is brought into focus by an intense and balsamic palate. It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes. This will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet you'll get plenty of pleasure from it in its youth. 'We advise to keep it at least 10 months in the bottle before opening,' states third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta." - JB (Feb 2023)

97 Points - James Suckling:
"A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027." (Feb 2023)

97 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045."

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugely appealing." - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2023)

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
Pure red with a garnet hue, the 2020 Sassicaia is stunning, with fantastic, elegantly layered aromas of black raspberry liqueur, macchia, fresh leather, and fresh lavender. Full-bodied with clean lift, it reveals a more luxurious and polished texture with a velvety feel, a long finish, and a touch of warming richness. As it opens, it reveals notes of mocha and Amarena cherry and becomes distilled and pure with wonderful sweetness of fruit, although it’s fully dry.


96 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term." - Monica Larner (Jan 2023)