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Endless Praise for a Powerhouse Vintage of Sassicaia!
97 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Complex aromas and flavors... Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail."
97 Points - James Suckling:
"A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose... Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete."
97 Points - Vinous:
"The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate... Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugely appealing."
97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"...the 2020 Sassicaia is stunning, with fantastic, elegantly layered aromas... 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."
97 Points - Decanter:
"It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes."
96 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine... This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate..."
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Their 2nd and 3rd Labels are also available! | |
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Dear Artisans,
The 51st edition of Sassicaia and its younger brothers Guidalberto and Le Difese are now available!
Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia continues to earn top accolades, achieving outstanding scores and high praise from wine critics. We've observed this ever since the 2015 vintage ranked #1 Wine of 2018 by Wine Spectator and then scoring 100 points from Wine Advocate the very next year, with the 2019 vintage taking THREE 100 point scores. The newest release, the 2020, is not far behind, with three 97 point scores and equally stellar reviews. We have 36 bottles to offer you today!
We also hav 16 bottles left of the 2021 Guidalberto! 2nd Label, Baby Sass, Little Sass, Younger Brother, whatever you want to call it—it's a great wine and the best it's ever been.
Last but not least, we've got 10 bottles of the youngest child of the San Guido winery, Le Difese—this one is meant to be enjoyed young while you wait patiently for both Sassicaia and Guidalberto to age a bit.
Not surprisingly, these wines are getting harder and harder to come by, but never fear: our stock is the real deal: straight from the winery to the distributor, NOT via the grey market.
More Background:
Considered the seminal "Super Tuscan", Sassicaia is one of Italy's leading Bordeaux-style red wines. The name Sassicaia (Italian sassi meaning stone) indicating a stony field, originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rocchetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines. For years it was only used for family consumption. At a 1978 Decanter tasting of "great clarets", the 1972 Sassicaia gained victory over a field of 33 wines from 11 countries, and established the wine's international reputation.
The owners of Sassicaia realized that many people were drinking this wine far too young and decided to develop a more accessible, and much less expensive, alternative, as well as experiment with alternate blends.
In 2000, the "Guidalberto" was born as Sassicaia's extremely precocious younger brother, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot...and in 2003, "Le Difese" was added as the baby of the family, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
Both offer beautiful structure and velvety tannins yet are more approachable immediately in both flavor and pricing than big brother Sassicaia.
Our price is the lowest in California by a massive margin, so you will need to move fast to secure any!
Ciao,
—James Tran
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2020 Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
97 Points - 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, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045."
97 Points - 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." (Feb 2023)
97 Points - Vinous:
"The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugely appealing." - AG (Feb 2023)
97 Points - 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.
97 Points - Decanter:
"Frosts damaged the the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc in late March, leading to reduced production but superb quality fruit. Spring was mild and summer was generally warm, but a rapid acceleration of maturation in late summer forced the team to begin picking in the first week of September to avoid any overripeness. A traditional 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend, its blackcurranty, dusty, leafy and cedary character is brought into focus by an intense and balsamic palate. It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes. This will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet you'll get plenty of pleasure from it in its youth. 'We advise to keep it at least 10 months in the bottle before opening,' states third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta." - JB (Feb 2023)
96 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"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." - Monica Larner (Jan 2023)
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- Only 36 bottles available
Wally’s: $290.00
Eataly: $289.90
Total Wine: $279.97
Wine.com: $269.99
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2021 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana IGT
Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot
95 Points - Decanter:
"According to Tenuta San Guido’s director of winemaking, Carlo Paoli, the 2021 is the best Guidalberto he has ever made. The percentage of Merlot was reduced back to the typical 40% this year because the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon was so good. The 2021 Guidalberto is very deeply coloured, almost black with a narrow purple rim. It took an hour or so to really open up, but when it did, it had a wonderful range of aromas and flavours. Cassis and blueberry, blue flowers, and violet and iris notes are followed by a palate full of perfectly ripe blackberries and blueberries wrapped in gentle, cream flavours. This is a wine of velvety richness balanced by vivid acidity, with very pure, focused flavours and aromas. Delightful!" - Susan Hulme MW (Mar 2023)
94 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"A classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, the Tenuta San Guido 2021 Guidalberto shows tart cherry fruit with darker tones of blackberry and plum. This vintage delivers especially chiseled and focused fruit characteristics that are elegantly framed by light spice, cola and earth. This vintage shows a heightened sense of intensity and territorial identity that is the hallmark of this storied estate." -ML (5/23)
93 Points - James Suckling:
"Aromas of blackcurrants, dark cherries, chocolate, ground spices and crushed rocks. Medium- to full-bodied with compact but supple and polished tannins. Shows savory notes with hints of dried mushrooms and chocolate. Attractive with a lingering finish. Drink or hold." (May 2023)
93 Points - Vinous:
"The 2021 Guidalberto, San Guido's blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is soft, succulent and alluring right out of the gate. The supple contours of Merlot lend fleshiness to this mid-weight, racy Maremma blend. Ripe red cherry fruit, spice, leather and tobacco are nicely pushed forward. Best of all, the 2021 will drink well right out of the gate." - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2023)
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Eataly: $69.90
Total Wine: $67.99
Wine.com: $59.99
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2021 Tenuta San Guido "Le Difese" Toscana IGT
Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot
91 Points - Vinous:
"The 2021 Le Difese is redolent of crushed red berry fruit, rose petal, lavender, spice and sweet pipe tobacco. Medium in body yet nicely layered, the 2021 is impeccably balanced. It is also a sheer delight to taste at this early stage. In many vintages, Le Difese is a fruity, forward wine, but the 2021 has a nervy feeling of classicism that is hugely appealing. It's one of my favorite recent vintages. As it has been for some time, Le Difese is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate and Sangiovese purchased from several properties in Chianti Classico, with the energy of Sangiovese very much driving the feel in this vintage." - Antonio Galloni (Feb 2023)
91 Points - Decanter:
"Le Difese in 2021 sports a majority of Sangiovese – 55% – in a break from the traditional 70/30 split in favour of Cabernet Sauvignon. Third-generation at Tenuta San Guido, Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, explained that this decision was made to enhance the wine's 'local Tuscan' character, and to improve its drinkability early on as 'a first step into the Tenuta San Guido world.' While the Cabernet is grown on the estate, the Sangiovese is sourced, as always, from long–term partners based in Chianti Rufina. Bright, incredibly vibrant red, black and blue fruits introduce subtle, finely grained tannins with notes of wood and chocolate. It's at once juicy, tangy and crunchy, with good ripeness and great acidity. Matured for eight months in used barriques." - JB (Feb 2023)
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How may we assist you?
Text us @ 650-880-3553
Call us @ 650-917-8080
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