Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Orange blossom and other flowers with currants and raspberries with some black cherries on the nose. Medium to full body, fine and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Extremely lively.
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Jeb Dunnuck
An inky and luxurious wine, the 2018 Sondraia is produced from 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and the remainder Cabernet Franc and reveals dark layers of sweet black currant, polished leather, toasted cedar, and fresh tobacco. It is still ripe with baby fat and is full without being heavy, with a supple and rounded mid-palate followed by a long, warming, and relaxed finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this wine sees a combination of steel and wood. The vintage after this ferments and ages in wood only. The 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Sondraia is already quite toasty with vanilla and dark spice behind black cherry and plum. There is a lot of revved up energy in this vintage, and its tannic structure is important. So is the alcohol content that clocks in at 15%. Fruit comes from a 15-hectare site located just above sea level at about 25 meters in elevation. The soils are deep and well-draining with clay and loose sand.
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Wine Spectator
This red is very expressive, featuring juicy black currant, blackberry, licorice, iron and tobacco flavors, with a hint of coconut from the deft oak treatment. Harmonious and long, ending with refined tannins and spice elements. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2029.
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.