Sassicaia wine (Tenuta San Guido): about the producer, history and characteristics
Tenuta San Guido - is a well-known Italian winery located in the Tuscan subregion of Bolgheri, which has the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC category.
Produces three dry red wines from its own vineyards: Sassicaia Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC; Guidalberto IGT and Le Difese Toscana IGT.
The farm also produces traditional extra virgin olive oil Tenuta San Guido Extra Vergine di Oliva and, since 1994, grappa Grappa di Sassicaia in cooperation with the famous Italian producer from the Venice region Jacopo Poli.
History of Sassicaia
1921 - 1925: Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta (Mario Incisa) was inspired by the idea of creating a "purebred" wine, and for him, as for the entire aristocracy of that time, the ideal was Bordeaux.
1940: After settling with his wife Clarice on Tenuta San Guido on the Tyrrhenian coast, Mario experimented with several French grape varieties (cuttings of which he found on the estate of the Dukes of Salviati in Migliarino), where he concluded that Sauvignon Cabernet was exactly what he was looking for...
The innovative decision to plant this particular variety in Tenuta San Guido was partly due to the similarity of the landscape to that of Tuscany and the Graves region of Bordeaux.
1948 - 1967: The first Marchese vintages received poor reviews from critics. The problem was that tasters in the region were used to light, local wines. Because of this, Sassicaia remained a purely local drink for some time, only for consumption in Tenuta San Guido.
Later, the Marquises realized that due to aging, the wine improved significantly.
Friends and relatives now convinced Mario Inchiza to continue experimenting with his project and improve his revolutionary style of winemaking.
1968: Sassicaia is put on sale for the first time. The wine received the Bordeaux Premier Cru classification.
Over the next few years, the cellar was transferred to a temperature-controlled room, steel fermentation vats were replaced with wooden ones, and French barriques were introduced into the aging process.
2019 - today: The company continues its successful business and pleases the world with new vintages, the current one can be find here.
Characteristics of Sassicaia
Drinks of this category belong to the category of the most legendary wines of Italy.
Flavor
The deep aroma reveals tones of black currant, blueberry, hints of spices, lavender and mulberry.
Taste
It has a perfect balance, juicy and powerful tannins, lots of fruits and spices create a real extravaganza.
Aftertaste
Fruity and long-lasting.
The grape harvest begins with Cabernet Franc in mid-September and ends with Cabernet Sauvignon at the end of the month.
Alcoholic fermentation takes place in steel vats at a controlled temperature.
Maceration lasts from 12 to 15 days for Cabernet Franc and 10 to 13 days for Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation, also in steel vats.
After fermentation, the wine is poured into French oak barrels, where it spends up to 24 months.
Update: 25.07.2019
Category: Wine and Vermouth