Winemaker Notes
A natural match with char-grilled meats, particularly beef, Sondraia is also recommended with kebabs, roasted veal, pork, lamb shank, ribs or "ossobuco". It is enhanced when paired with smoked ricotta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano and medium-matured sheep’s milk cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of sweet tobacco, blackberries and blackcurrants. Full body, round and juicy tannins and a fruity and flavorful finish. Lots going on.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia shows lots of tangy herbal character (the Cabernet elements really come through) with generous ripe cherry fruit and oak spice at the back to balance it out. Sondraia's first year as a Bolgheri Superiore is 2009. The finish is very soft and luscious and the tannins are integrated. The blend used here is Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc with a quarter part Merlot.
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Wine Spectator
This offers a mix of black currant, violet, thyme, wild rosemary and juniper flavors, backed by firm, mouth.
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.