Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia VdT 2020

WEINWISSER: "Der 2020er Sassicaia ist eine echte Schönheit und zeigt eine große Purity, Eleganz und Seidigkeit. Im Duft ein ganz typischer, nobler Sassicaia mit der typischen Liaison aus Cabernet und mediterraner Würze, die an den angrenzenden Macchiawald erinnern lässt. Da finden sich Lavendelnoten, aber auch mediterrane Kräuter wie Salbei, Myrrhe und Rosmarin, verfeinert mit dunklen Kirschen, Cassis, Waldbeeren, Graphit, Tabak und Erde. Auch im Mund mit nobler Zurückhaltung, die feine Fruchtpräsenz wird majestätisch untermalt von erdigen und kräuterwürzigen Noten, auch ein Touch Oliventapenade schwingt mit. Trotz der präsenten Frucht wirkt er dank seiner durchdringenden Säure frisch, mit seidiger Textur und einer elegant-griffigen Tanninstruktur. Es ist eine verführerische Versuchung, ihn jung zu trinken, aber er wird von ein paar Jahren Lagerung profitieren. So wird Geduld mit mehr Komplexität belohnt."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Pure red with a garnet hue, the 2020 Sassicaia is stunning, with fantastic, elegantly layered aromas of black raspberry liqueur, macchia, fresh leather, and fresh lavender. Full-bodied with clean lift, it reveals a more luxurious and polished texture with a velvety feel, a long finish, and a touch of warming richness. As it opens, it reveals notes of mocha and Amarena cherry and becomes distilled and pure with wonderful sweetness of fruit, although it’s fully dry. It has a great finish and is very appealing throughout. Drink 2025-2055."

FALSTAFF: "Funkelndes Rubin mit leicht aufhellendem Rand. Präzise und einladende Nase mit Noten nach Cassis und Brombeere, dahinter viel Tabak, etwas Rauch und Zedernholz. Saftige, viel frische Frucht am Gaumen, schönes Spiel von dunklen Kirschen und Johannisbeeren, feinmaschiges Tannin mit festem Grip, im Finale satter Druck, könnte sich als Langläufer entpuppen."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony and freshness prevail, ending with a long aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 23,300 cases made, 5,300 cases imported."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term."

DECANTER: "Even in a round vintage like the 2020, Sassicaia, upon release, appears taut and subtle. Its austere elegance makes it seem as if it's from farther north. Its typical leafy restraint emerges on the nose, with kiwi peel, fresh cassis, violet, cedar wood, and citrus in depth. The body is tight-knit, more elegant than powerful, with great integration and natural freshness, vibrancy and a lively character; almost zesty in profile. Sassicaia typically ages in French oak barrels (45% new) for 25 months."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid crimson; easy to see the bottom of the glass. Intense nose with a hint of iodine. Great tanginess that seems more Tuscan than bordelais. Long and really builds towards its ample finish. Bone dry. Embryonic but convincing that a fine future lies ahead. Subtle rather than flashy. I wouldn't guess it was as much as 14%. I aerated it and gave it an hour in a young-wine decanter, and it was already a delight to drink. With more immediate appeal than many earlier vintages."