2019 Sassicaia
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Tasting notes
Tenuta San Guido’s 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia remains somewhat reserved or "behind" aromatically, signaling that it still has a long road ahead before reaching its peak drinking window. It shows rich concentration with elegant fruit weight and a pretty mineral backline, supported by natural spiciness, freshness and energy. Phenolically rich and reminiscent of the slower-aging 2009 vintage, the bouquet is distinguished by a black petrol or campfire ash character that gradually gives way to plump, sweet fruit and bright accents of spice. The palate reveals texture through slowly resolving tannins, and while the 2019 can feel a touch more abrupt when tasted alongside the supremely fluid and supple 2023, it promises depth and longevity with further cellaring. (ML) 97+
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Lustrous mid ruby. More classic, if you like, than the 2022, 2021 or 2020 with brooding, contained richness. Raspberry and hints of cassis with a touch of cigar box and the merest suggestion of eucalyptus, but overall still a little closed. Slow to emerge but layered. Sleek yet concentrated but still quite subdued on the palate. A near-perfect balance between firm, polished tannins clinging to the juicy, elegant fruit and streamlined by energetic acidity. You could decant this and enjoy it but it will take some time to get to its peak. (WS)
Tasted blind – we only know it is from 2019 and could be Ao Yun. Relatively pale colour for a Cabernet. Cassis, leather, liquorice. Well-integrated oak giving light spiciness. Tight structure with particular acidic drive. Malleable tannins. Bone dry, not quite austere, but certainly very savoury – the fruit is ripe but not at all over-cooked. Not hugely pleasurable at this stage, but has the trappings of greatness beneath that young severity. (RH)
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.