Winemaker Notes
Intense ruby red in color, the nose opens with nuances of cherry and plum and deep notes of black berries, followed by aromatic herbs and a pleasant spiciness. It is elegant and seductive on the palate, revealing considerable body, great structure and balance, and silky tannins.
Pairs well with grilled and barbequed meats – Chianina beef in particular – roasted veal, spare ribs, ossobuco, and lamb or pork shanks. Excellent with smoked ricotta cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano and medium-matured pecorino.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Sondraia comes from one of the best plots of the appellation, close to the border with Bibbona, where a lot of the area's top producers have vines, and it's one of best buys from Bolgheri. Here, the reddish soil is iron-rich, mostly clay and sand with good drainage. Powerful in 2015, the 2016 vintage is youthful and still with assertive clove notes from the fine-grained new French oak. It's a bit warming yet velvety, a full-bodied wine with an amazing mid-palate weight and a great refreshing finish full of cedar notes.
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James Suckling
This is a beauty with notes of dried meat, dried plums, vanilla and eucalyptus. Full-bodied and very structured on the palate, thanks to muscular tannins. But it’s the acidity that really drives this and keeps you coming back for more and more. A long yet polished finish. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Drink from 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The winemaking team at Poggio al Tesoro has created a beautiful 2016 Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia, fully aware of the potential and profound elegance of this classic vintage. They have been able to harness that quality and express it in terms of the broad and far-reaching intensity of the bouquet. The wine peels back to reveal layer after layer of dark fruit, oak spice, chocolate and sweet tobacco. The wine shows a big personality today, but it is only a teenager. It should be fascinating to watch its future evolution over the next ten years.
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Wine Spectator
Black currant, black cherry, raspberry, iron and toasty vanilla aromas and flavors mark this elegant, firmly structured red. Balanced and long, with ripe fruit offsetting the dense tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2020 through 2032.
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Wine Enthusiast
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this leads with aromas of black-skinned berry, bell pepper and Mediterranean brush. The dense palate delivers prune, cassis, licorice and tobacco alongside big, chewy tannins.
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.