Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia 05 & Guidalberto 06

How difficult it is to be responsible for a living legend. The constant judgement, the celebrity status and the pitfalls of ego must make life interminably hard. However, if there is one man who was born for such a role, it is Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rochetta. A more modest and honest man you will never meet. Not for Nicolò the jet-set lifestyle of the international glitterati. This is a man who is never more content than when on his wonderful estate, overseeing the work on his vines and cellars or watching his racehorses on the gallops. The life of a farmer and a trainer. It is for others to shower Sassicaia with their acclaim. Nicolò, together with winemaker and step son, Sebastiano simply set about ensuring that the acclaim is well earnt.

My admiration for this estate and its custodians grows with every year. This is, without doubt, the only Bordeaux-blend outside of France that compares to the first growths. Legendary vintages such as 1985 and 1997 have proved this with ease but equally it is the second tier vintages, such as the delicious 1999 or 2000 perhaps that define the pedigree. There is nothing that exposes great terroir better than a less naturally benevolent growing season.

In 2005, Bolgheri is a notable success in a more erratic Tuscan vintage but Sassicaia once again shows the way, the combination of terroir and human endeavour the key ingredients. It will never be a wine for those who worship the bold and the brash. Sassicaia is about refinement, elegance, patience and breeding. It drinks well at 5 years but even better with 10 years of age, even in a more naturally forward vintage such as 2005. It reflects very much the wise, noble and modest character of Nicolò. With every new acquaintance, both wine and maker, demand my respect and earn my admiration. John Armit

Very deep colour with a delicate mineral nose. On the palate the wine bursts with ripe blackcurrant fruit and elegant herbaceous notes, wrapped around a super fine, grainy tannic structure. As ever, beautifully dissolved oak and vanilla nuances merge with a haunting mineral quality. The core of acidity is ripe and assertive - lifting the cassis fruit emphasis and giving the wine a racy and elegant feel overall. The wine finishes with a long and energetic finish. A beautiful, expressive and forward Sassicaia, to be drunk from 2013 to 2025.
Nick Adams MW

Sassicaia is also available in large format but in very limited quantity.

Again a very deep and vibrant colour. The nose is pure black fruits with smoky herbal notes. Really lovely flavours of bramble fruits and touches of spice in the mouth. The structure is ripe, with fine grained tannins and a kernel of vital acidity. This is refined, relaxed with cool menthol notes and touches of earth and minerals on the finish. The new blend has transformed this wine even further. Drink from release.
Nick Adams MW

In 2005, Sebastiano Rosa carried out the most rigorous of vineyard selections and this, combined with sensitive winemaking, has made for a beautifully elegant, polished and seductive wine.

After a long warm and dry period between June and August, rain interrupted the Cabernet harvest. The estate took great care to halt all picking until excellent and prevailing conditions returned. There was meticulous parcel by parcel harvesting and this process was completed by the middle of October. It should be remembered that it is has always been more important for the estate to prioritise picking by parcel and plot than by varietal.

Sebastiano felt that the September rains, although heavy for a period at the end of the month, provided a respite for the vines, which were struggling a little with the onset of dehydration by the end of August. Overall, he is thrilled with the quality and “sheer vivacity” of Sassicaia in 2005 - and places it firmly and highly in the category of revered recent vintages. He believes it will require mid-term cellaring and will provide a lively companion for the more reserved and structured 2004 and 2006.

Finally, Sebastiano announced an important development for Guidalberto - the “baby brother” of Sassicaia. With the release of the 2006, this wine will revert to being a pure Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (around 60%) and Merlot (40%) and therefore much more of an echo, stylistically, of Sassicaia. We believe Guidalberto continues to advance year on year and are delighted that prices have been held, against the current trend and the poor exchange rate.

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