1997 Sassicaia
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Tasting notes
Magnum served with roast duck, delica pumpkin and radicchio tardivo. From a warn, initially lauded vintage. Intense, still going strong, a bit inky but also still with some freshness – but it clearly tastes as though it was made in a different era. Less sophisticated than the younger vintages shown at this dinner at Oswald’s. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1997 vintage was universally hailed as a true breakout year for icon wines from Tuscany. In fact, it spurred a quality revolution for Italian wine in general. Sadly, the 1997 Bolgheri Sassicaia does not live up to the hype. This is an offbeat effort with an intense sense of dryness and dustiness that ultimately diminishes the wine's pleasure factor. What little fiber there is to grab onto comes as quickly as it leaves. The effect is short and sudden. In all, this wine exhibits an advanced state of evolution. The fruit that may have still existed ten years ago is now replaced by a hollow dry oak tannin instead.
Sweet. pointed. Round and mellow and quite evolved. Very charming but more relaxed, loose and French than the California style and sweetness of the Ornellaia. Very appetising. Light and very Cabernet. (JR)
About the producer
Tentuta San Guido produces Sassicaia – Italy’s most famous wine. An icon from the Bolgheri coastline of Tuscany, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, its rise to prominence in the late 1970s sparked the Super Tuscan revolution.