Winemaker Notes
The palate is lifted and bright, the finish is polished and long, and the wine skips over any heaviness on the mid-palate. The bouquet is especially intriguing with a very lively plummy fruit element that is enhanced by baker's chocolate, pepper spice, iron ore, caramel and pie crust. There is also a green character that adds positively to the bouquet with aniseed, tea leaf, soya, menthol rub and black olive. The fruit maturity is spot-on with no elements that feel over or underripe.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Sassicaia 2019 spent 25 months in oak (one-third new). ‘We are going longer in oak in the past few years,’ said Carlo Paoli, managing director of Tenuta San Guido. Quite pale in the glass, the nose is extremely graceful and intense with a lavender note enhanced by restrained bramble fruits, fermented citrus peel, an intense violet aroma and graphite minerality in depth. The attack is soft and full, the flavor savoury and cedary through to the finish, with integrated velvety tannins and lifted acidity. A perfectly woven structure is bound with signature freshness and fruit vibrancy, making this one for the long haul.
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James Suckling
The purity of cabernet sauvignon fruit is exceptional here, with character and sensibility that’s reminiscent of some of the great Sassicaias from the 1980s, such as 1982 or 1988. But this is much more precise and clean. Aromas and flavors of currants and berries with cedar and earth. Sage and minty character, too. It’s full-bodied yet there’s so much polish and balance, together with structure, elegance, and refinement. Hard not to drink at this stage, yet give it time and respect. This will be a classic Sass and reminds me why I love this wine. Best after 2026.
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Wine Enthusiast
Enticing aromas of blue flower, cassis, camphor and spice are front and center in this stunning red. The lithe, savory palate features black currant, red plum and star anise while tobacco notes linger on the long finish. Elegant, polished tannins and bright acidity keep it beautifully balanced and focused. Best After 2025.
Cellar Selection
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Sassicaia is exquisite and refined, with interwoven layers of cassis, leather, Mediterranean herbs, and dark mineral earth. It is medium to full-bodied, with ripe though present tannins and a long and elegant finish that lifts off the palate and has fantastic energy throughout, with notes of black cherry, tobacco, and a stony texture. There is a classic and tension-filled sensibility that will benefit from several years in cellar to achieve its full expression.
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Wine Spectator
Supple and beautifully defined, with black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit augmented by tobacco, iron and thyme. Firmly structured, tightening up as this lingers with an aftertaste of dark fruit, graphite and spice. Shows a sense of elegance as well as power and intensity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Tenuta San Guido’s 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia remains somewhat reserved or "behind" aromatically, signaling that it still has a long road ahead before reaching its peak drinking window. It shows rich concentration with elegant fruit weight and a pretty mineral backline, supported by natural spiciness, freshness and energy. Phenolically rich and reminiscent of the slower-aging 2009 vintage, the bouquet is distinguished by a black petrol or campfire ash character that gradually gives way to plump, sweet fruit and bright accents of spice. The palate reveals texture through slowly resolving tannins, and while the 2019 can feel a touch more abrupt when tasted alongside the supremely fluid and supple 2023, it promises depth and longevity with further cellaring. Rating: 97+
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.