2021 Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia

Decanter.com – 99 pts – JB: *In 2021, we had a nicely paced harvest... surely a very fortunate vintage for us, for Bolgheri,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta at the launch in London of the 2021 vintage of Sassicaia. Welcome rain in mid-August came at just the right time to save the harvest, and production ended up being slightly higher than in 2020. Around eight to 10 separate vinifications were made, fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and spontaneous malo. The wines were racked to second- and third-use barriques in December 2021, then racked into a mixture of new and used barriques in March 2022. The last step was to make the final blend in stainless tanks, where the wine underwent micro-oxygenation before bottling and further maturation in bottle. Rich dark fruit and herb aromatics are pockmarked by blueberry and petrichor, leading into an intense and vertical palate that's super-fresh with a delightful breezy, saline character. Textured, integrated tannins emphasise the refinement of Sassicaia, showing just a touch of youthful dustiness. Tangy, bright black, blue and red berry fruits overlay underlying hints of dark chocolate and forest undergrowth in a remarkably precise fashion, with pomegranate and a stony minerality surfacing on the mid-palate. 2021 demonstrates lovely sapidity of fruit along with that characteristic freshness and lightness of step, finishing long and poised. Superb. 99-100.* - 02/2024

WeinWisser – 19,5/20 pts - GL: *Komplexes Bouquet mit satter Cassis- und Waldbeerfrucht, erdig-tabakigen und lakritzigen Noten, auch herrliche Trüffel- und Tabakanklänge schwingen mit. Am Gaumen sehr dicht, aber auch engmaschig, man spürt zwar die Reife des Jahrgangs, der Wein bleibt aber durchweg engmaschig und elegant, geradezu virtuos mit delikaten Anklängen, das nahezu perfekte Tannin ist griffig und seidig. Das wird ein Langstrecken läufer. Ein spannender Sassicaia, der mit Reife sogar noch an die Traumnote kommen könnte.* - 02/2024

JancisRobinson.com – 18+/20pts – JR: *85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged for 25 months in 225-litre barriques. Mid to dark crimson but no attempt to break any records for colour intensity. Much subtler nose than most – no obvious sweetness and certainly no oak. Savoury and saline and introvert. All tucked in for a long life. Bone-dry finish. So different from Ornellaia! Neat, confident and non showy. But so well balanced and appetising that I swallowed it!* - 02/2024

Vinous.com – 98+ pts – AG: *The 2021 Sassicaia is one of the best young Sassicaias I can remember tasting, certainly on par with anything in recent memory. The preference here is picking on the earlier side relative to many neighboring properties, which is one of the reasons Sassicaia is always a wine of refinement more than opulence. At the same time, Sassicaia can be light. Not in 2021. All the elements came together during a long growing season to produce a rich, deep wine that marries textural intensity with classicism. Dark cherry/plum fruit, spice, new leather, menthol, licorice and spice all race across the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine's textural intensity and sheer power. The 2021 is one of the most concentrated Sassicaias on record. That allowed for long macerations, as long as 20 days for some Cabernets. Aging was 25 months in French oak barrels (95% French, 5% a mix of Hungarian and Slavonian wood), 40% new, 40% once-used barrels and 20% in twice-used barrels. One of the recent developments here is some bâtonnage in aging, which is used to build texture. That approach worked well in 2021. In a word: magnificent.* - 02/2024