Winemaker Notes
This wine is the expression of the vineyard and has the characteristics of their terroir for a red wine with great character and pleasure.
Blend: 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 30% Sangiovese, 10% Syrah, 10% Teroldego
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Intense, vinous nose with a touch of clove to the cassis and red cherries. Lush, supple fruit with velvety tannins and full body. Crisp acidity and a polished finish full of fruits and spices. Just a bit austere. Drinkable now, but not without potential for 4-5 years of aging.
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Wine Spectator
A suave customer, this red exudes cherry, black currant, raspberry, mineral and spice aromas and flavors. Silky and harmonious, with the right amount of structure and drive on the long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Merlot, Syrah and Teroldego. Drink now through 2032. 7,500 cases made, 2,100 cases imported.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 Michele Satta Bolgheri Rosso offers excellent elegance from start to finish. This wine brings aromas and flavors of bright red cherries, ripe black fruits, and fragrant spices. It would be perfect with an oven-roasted Porchetta. (Tasted: January 3, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Now showing the name Toscana on the front label (signaling updates to appellation law), the Michele Satta 2022 Bolgheri Rosso is an updated blend of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot and 10% Syrah (aged in concrete and barrique for 12 months). This is fresh and fruit-forward red with an easy-drinking style. Cherry flavors are especially prominent in this hot-vintage wine, and its elegant high notes remain intact.
In 1982 Michele started his own winery, one of the first in Bolgheri, withnewly acquired vines from his previous employer. In this famous region ofTuscany, Michele rapidly earned respect and became known quickly as a vigneron. Michele even worked as a consultant for other properties in the early 1990s, including Ornellaia at which time Michele planted many of their vineyards. Michele has always been the local expert on the great terroir of Bolgheri and this is why his wines have been so well regarded in Italy.
Michele is a father of six (an example of his traditional roots), a farmer and a winemaker. He is an uncomplicated, sincere and humble man with very clear priorities; family and vines. While he is a traditionalist, he is also a non-conformist. This deferential character, when combined with a deep dedication to perfection, balance in the vineyards and great attention to detail in the cellar, produces Bolgheri wines that communicate the amazing uniqueness of this man and his terroir. Walking with giants is no easy feat, unless you are Michele Satta.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
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.