Tenuta San Guido

When Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta married Countess Clarice della Gherardesca in 1930, her dowry brought the sprawling Tenuta San Guido estate into the family. Mario recognised a striking similarity between the gravelly, clay-mixed Bolgheri soils and the Graves region of Bordeaux, and began his wine project in 1942. In 1944 he planted just over one hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon at roughly 400 metres above sea level in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri, marking the true dawn of Sassicaia. The wine stayed strictly within the family from 1945 until 1967, when Mario's son Nicolò and nephew Piero Antinori convinced him to take it to market. The 1968 vintage was the first commercial release, unveiled in 1971, distributed with Antinori's help and refined by consulting oenologist Giacomo Tachis.

• The name Sassicaia derives from the Italian 'sasso' (stone), referencing a stony strip of land within the estate; the word reflects the gravelly, mineral-rich terroir Mario recognised as ideal for great red wine.
• Clarice della Gherardesca came from one of the oldest families in Tuscany, descendants of Count Ugolino mentioned by Dante, and Tenuta San Guido had belonged to the Della Gherardesca family for over 1,200 years.
• Sassicaia was initially classified as Vino da Tavola because it used non-indigenous Bordeaux varieties outside the existing DOC framework, a designation that became a badge of honour during the Super Tuscan revolution.

Sassicaia's international breakthrough came in 1978 at a Decanter-organised blind tasting in London, where the 1972 vintage beat 33 wines from 11 countries, judged by a panel that included Hugh Johnson, Serena Sutcliffe, and Clive Coates. In 1992, Robert Parker awarded the 1985 Sassicaia 100 points, the first perfect score ever given to an Italian wine, cementing its global standing alongside the finest Bordeaux. The 2015 vintage was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 2018, and the 2016 received a second 100-point score from Wine Advocate's Monica Larner. Tenuta San Guido's success transformed Bolgheri from an obscure coastal zone into one of Italy's most prestigious appellations, inspiring a generation of producers and definitively proving that Cabernet Sauvignon could express great terroir on the Tuscan coast.

• Mario Incisa hired consulting oenologist Giacomo Tachis, whose introduction of modern cellar techniques and French barrique ageing was central to refining Sassicaia's style and increasing production for commercial release.
• Sassicaia's 1970s international success directly catalysed the broader Super Tuscan movement, encouraging other Tuscan producers to plant Bordeaux varieties and challenge rigid Italian wine classifications.
• The estate is a member of Primum Familiae Vini, the association of twelve family-owned fine wine estates recognised as the world's top privately held wine families.

Sassicaia is a study in restrained power: concentrated without heaviness, structured without rigidity, and distinctly Tuscan in its mineral precision. Wine Spectator described the 2015 as offering rich black currant, blackberry, violet, mineral, and spice flavours allied to a dense structure with vibrant acidity driving a long finish. In youth, expect firm tannins, graphite, bay leaf, dried herbs, and subtle oak integration. With age of a decade or more, secondary flavours of leather, tobacco, cedar, and earth emerge, while the characteristic acidity and salinity on the finish remain hallmarks. Wine Spectator noted that Sassicaia's character is 'notably austere' compared to other Bolgheri Bordeaux blends, yet it ages magnificently.

• Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats; the wine is then aged for a minimum of 24 months in French oak barriques, with a proportion of new oak, before bottle ageing prior to release.
• The DOC regulations for Bolgheri Sassicaia require a minimum of 26 months total ageing, of which at least 18 months must be in small oak barrels of under 225 litres capacity.
• Grapes come from multiple plots across the estate at altitudes of 100 to 400 metres, on varied soils featuring calcareous areas rich in marl, pebbles, and partial clay, giving the wines their characteristic mineral backbone.

The 1985 Sassicaia is the benchmark vintage: Robert Parker awarded it 100 points in 1992, the first perfect score ever given to an Italian wine, noting he often mistook it for the 1986 Mouton Rothschild. The 2016 vintage became only the second Sassicaia to achieve 100 points, this time from Wine Advocate critic Monica Larner, who compared it to the epic 1985. The 2015 vintage, rated 97 points by both Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator, was named Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year in 2018, 50 years after the wine's first commercial vintage. Other consistently celebrated vintages include 1978, 1988, 1998, 2004, 2010, and 2013.

• Robert Parker awarded the 1985 Sassicaia 100 points in 1992, confirming it as the first Italian wine ever to receive a perfect score from the Wine Advocate.
• The 2016 vintage received 100 points from Wine Advocate's Monica Larner in early 2019, the first 100-point score for Sassicaia since the 1985; it was released in the UK at £1,270 per case.
• Wine Spectator scored the 2015 vintage 97 points and named it Wine of the Year for 2018, calling it 'as blue-chip as first-growth Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundy or Napa Valley cult Cabernet'.

Tenuta San Guido covers 2,500 hectares in total, with approximately 75 to 100 hectares under vine across multiple plots in Bolgheri. Sassicaia is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then aged a minimum of 24 months in French oak barriques before bottle refinement. The winemaking team is led by Carlo Paoli, who took over production responsibilities in 2009, alongside Alessio Bartolomei and Matilde Gentili. The estate emphasises indigenous yeasts, strict yield control, and meticulous manual grape selection. The maritime climate is moderated by protective hills shielding the vineyards from northeast winds, with cooling breezes from the Cecina River valley preserving acidity and aromatic complexity.

• The blend is consistently 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc; annual production of Sassicaia is approximately 180,000 bottles per vintage.
• Vineyard soils are varied and complex, featuring calcareous zones rich in marl, pebbles, and stones at altitudes between 100 and 400 metres with a west to southwest exposure.
• Carlo Paoli has led the winemaking team since 2009, carrying forward the stylistic imprint established by Giacomo Tachis and the Incisa della Rocchetta family.

Sassicaia is one of the world's most consistently traded fine wines, with strong secondary market demand driven by limited supply, a proven ageing track record, and a string of high-profile critical scores. The 2016 vintage, released in the UK at £1,270 per case on the strength of its 100-point Wine Advocate score, quickly appreciated to a market price of £2,160. The 1985 vintage, the original 100-point benchmark, commands around £29,000 per case on the secondary market. The Sassicaia index, which tracks the price performance of the last 10 available vintages, has outperformed other leading Super Tuscans including Masseto, Ornellaia, Solaia, and Tignanello. Provenance is critical given the wine's collectability and documented history of counterfeiting.

• The 2016 Sassicaia achieved 100 points from Wine Advocate's Monica Larner and is only the second vintage to do so after the legendary 1985; its release price appreciated significantly in the secondary market.
• The 2009 vintage (rated 96 points by Wine Advocate) reached a market price of £1,730 per case, up 16% in one year; the 2010 similarly saw a 21% price increase at its peak.
• With approximately 180,000 bottles produced per vintage of Sassicaia and sustained global demand, the wine's scarcity relative to its reputation underpins consistent long-term value appreciation.