Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Don't underestimate the intensity and generosity of the 2016 Bolgheri Superiore (a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc). The wine delivers generous tones of dark fruit, exotic spice and tobacco. On first examination, the palate appears to be more streamlined than it really is. However, it steadily takes on volume and girth as it warms in the glass, adding extra intensity and textural layering. Some 30,000 bottles were made, and this is no doubt the best Bolgheri Superiore I have yet tasted from Castello di Bolgheri.
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James Suckling
A plush Bolgheri that shows lots of dark plums, cherry compote, vanilla and eucalyptus. Despite the initial, blockbuster impression, the palate is very polished, thanks to dialed-in tannins. Long but tangy finish.
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Wine Spectator
This is ripe and full of plum, blackberry, leather and spice aromas and flavors. Picks up a saline element while building to a long, fresh finish. Shows fine energy and length. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2032.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.