Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2016
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pair with rich flavors like braised meats, osso bucco and aged, hard cheeses.
Blend: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Sassicaia is a wine of soaring achievement. I tasted this wine several times during the course of its creation in both barrel and bottle, and the highly deserved 100-point score you see here was enthusiastically assigned at the conclusion of a mini vertical in which I tasted and compared the 2016 vintage against 2015 (which I scored 97 points). It makes perfect sense to present these two excellent vintages in back-to-back comparison fashion because they are two of the best to emerge from Bolgheri, and indeed Tenuta San Guido, in recent memory. These are very similar vintages with long, hot summer months that fueled a long growing season. There was a bit more rain in 2016, and in analytical terms this vintage has a tad more acidity. However, the results in the glass are extraordinarily different. The 2015 vintage is exuberant, round, succulent and immediate, whereas the 2016 vintage shows pinpoint sharpness and precision (with similar grit and texture at the back). That acidity will carry it long into the future as the wine completes its slow evolutionary course. This wine is chiseled and sharp with blackberry, ripe cherry, grilled herb and barbecue spice. The aromas flow from the glass in a continuous stream and are all marked by radiant intensity. The mouthfeel is long and powerful. The crisp linearity of the wine's tannic backbone is perfectly measured to the volume and depth of the fruit flavors. To my mind, the 2016 Sassicaia stands tall next to the epic 1985 vintage that set the ultimate benchmark for vino italiano.
-
Decanter
One of the secret of Bolgheri’s mediterranean and windy climate is to turn pyrazines from the Cabernets into extra-dimensional scents of citron and leafy aromas. Sassicaia has been producing Cabernet-based wines here since 1968, which are typically marked by this fresh character on the nose. There's a note of kiwi peel that's particularly intense in this 2016, along with some cedar. In this vintage, its character is - if possible - more restrained than usual and definitely more so than the exceptional 2015. Small dark fruits lurk in the depth of the super-youthful nose, while on the palate the wine is not completely ready to drink - despite the good integration of oak, the tannins are still crunchy, perfectly ripe yet chewy, pushed by a lively acidity. An extremely elegant Sassicaia with a refined finish, this is built for the long haul and is possibly the best of this decade.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of cedar, tobacco, blue flower and spiced plum fuse together in this elegantly structured, stunning red. One of Italy’s most iconic wines, the smooth, compelling palate delivers flavors of black cherry, cassis, licorice and a hint of wild herb. Taut, polished tannins provide seamless support while fresh acidity lends impeccable balance. A savory saline note lingers on the finish.
-
Wine Spectator
A rich, black cherry– and black currant–flavored red, accented by cedar, wild herb and spice notes, this is supple and vibrant, with a lingering aftertaste of fruit and an emerging mineral element. Firms up nicely on the finish. Hard to keep from enjoying this now, but it will develop nicely with age. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2021 through 2043.
-
James Suckling
Subtle and complex aromas of blackcurrants, fresh herbs, lavender, rosemary and oyster shell. Some moss, too. Very perfumed. Full-bodied yet integrated with refined tannins that melt into the palate. Extremely classy and polished. Hard not to drink now. Try after 2021, when the tannins will have integrated even better in the wine.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Coming from a long, hot, even growing season, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2016 Sassicaia sports a deep purple color as well as a beautiful bouquet of black and blue fruits, tobacco lead, lead pencil, and plenty of minerality. This carries to a medium to full-bodied wine that has good concentration, nicely integrated acidity, a notable sense of purity and elegance, and plenty of grainy tannins. This elegant, focused Sassicaia will benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and drink nicely over the following two decades or more.
Other Vintages
2020-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine - Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
- Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Spectator
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Spirits
Wine & - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
The Tenuta San Guido is a 7,500-acre estate located in the province of Livorno on the western coastal outskirts of Tuscany near the village of Bolgheri. Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta acquired it through his marriage to Clarice della Gherardesca in 1940.
The legacy of Sassicaia began in 1944, when Mario Incisa acquired a number of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc vine cuttings and planted them on a sloping hillside of the San Guido estate, called Castiglioncello after the 11th-century castle at the vineyard's upper edge. This tiny, 3.75-acre vineyard stood alone until 1965, when a second Cabernet vineyard was planted with cuttings from the Castiglioncello parcel; the gravelly, 30-acre plot would give the wine its name: Sassicaia, "the place of many stones".
With the radical changes in the D.O.C. system of regulations as of the 1994 vintage, Sassicaia's extraordinary reputation was acknowledged through the Italian government's granting the wine its own appellation.
Sassicaia is today considered to be the new plus ultra of Italy's great red wines for its consistent excellence and its intuitive spirit. Acclaimed by the wine world's most respected voices, Sassicaia remains the legacy of its creator, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, and his son, Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta.
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.