San Guido - Sassicaia 2017 *

Sassicaia: Der italienische Wein, der während des Zweiten Weltkriegs aus dem Mangel an französischen Weinen entstanden ist, hat mittlerweile weltweite Bekanntheit erlangt. Im Jahr 1944 beschloss der Visionär Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, auf einem steinigen Hang seiner Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri, etwa zehn Kilometer von der Küste entfernt, Weinreben der französischen Sorten Cabernet Sauvignon und Cabernet Franc anzupflanzen. Der Wein erhielt seinen Namen von der Lage, die aufgrund des steinigen Bodens den Namen "Sassicaia" erhielt.Anfangs wurde der Sassicaia nur von Familienmitgliedern und Freunden verkostet. Erst auf Drängen seines Sohnes Nicolò und seines Neffen Marchese Piero Antinori entschloss sich Incisa della Rocchetta, den Wein zu vermarkten. So kamen in den frühen 1970er Jahren die ersten 4000 Flaschen des Jahrgangs 1968 auf den Markt.Der Sassicaia - für Italien untypische, dichte bis massive Rotwein - begann langsam seinen Siegeszug. Für lange Zeit wurde er nur als Vino da Tavola (Tafelwein) eingestuft, da französische Rebsorten in Italien bei Qualitätsweinen (DOC) nicht erlaubt waren. Das Jahrzehnt des Durchbruchs war für Sassicaia das der 1980er Jahre. Der Sassicaia 1985 erhielt als erster italienischer Wein überhaupt von Robert Parker 100 Punkte. Anschliessend konnten weitere großartige Jahrgänge gekeltert werden, zum Beispiel 1988 und 1990. Der Erfolg und Ruhm des Sassicaia war so groß, dass die Behörden beschlossen, 1994 eine eigene DOC (Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC) zu schaffen. Der Sassicaia ist damit der einzige Wein Italiens mit einer eigenen DOC. Mit der Festlegung der DOC sind die Anbaugrenzen beispielsweise ein Mindestanteil von 80% für den Cabernet Sauvignon vorgeschrieben. Bis heute enthält der Sassicaia keinen Merlot, sondern nur etwa 15% Cabernet Franc. Da die Anbaufläche nicht erweitert werden kann. ist die Weinmenge auf etwas mehr als 200.000 Flaschen begrenzt. Man könnte meinen, dass dies ausreicht. Jedoch reicht dies nicht aus, um die enorme weltweite Nachfrage zu befriedigen.

The 2017 Sassicaia shows the natural richness and intensity of the year while retaining its mid-weight sense of balance and overall poise. A burst of super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit makes a strong opening statement. Mocha, cinnamon, leather and dried herbs appear later, adding aromatic lift. The 2017 is a fairly immediate Sassicaia. Even so, it has enough energy to drink well for a number of years. Production is down 35%, a combination of naturally low yields, dehydration on the vine and then selection in the cellar. Most of the fruit comes from the estate’ hillside vineyards, older parcels that resisted the conditions better. 94/100 (12.2020)

The 2017 Bolgheri Sassicaia is a fascinating wine that symbolizes a never-ending tug-of-war between vintner and vintage. The question is who comes out on top? In this case, my money is on the vintner. The 2017 vintage, characterized by scorching heat and drought across much of Italy, was not an easy one. However, vintners had ample time to prepare because those climatic challenges had already played out midway through the summer season. Vintners with experience such as that amassed at Tenuta San Guido (now on the eve of Sassicaia's 50th birthday celebration) knew exactly how to handle the tricky 2017 growing season. Fruit was harvested early to avoid any jammy sensations, and a strict selection process was employed in order to preserve the best clusters. This Sassicaia represents 83% Cabernet Sauvignon and 17% Cabernet Franc, with most of the fruit coming from the Tenuta's historic vineyards Castiglioncello, Quercione and Doccino. These plots are all located on the back hill of Bolgheri at slightly higher elevations where they enjoy cooler nighttime temperatures. Old vines also have a deeper root system that is key to braving dry and hot summers. You can absolutely taste those choices here thanks to the wine's aromatic profile that offers more variety-driven green highlights of wild berry, forest floor and bramble than I would have expected. With time, as the wine takes on more air in the glass, you get a hint of summer plum or cherry cough drop, and this, to my surprise, is the only subtle reminder of the hot vintage encountered. I found the aromas here to be authentically "Tuscan" in character, more so than other vintages, with balsamic and Mediterranean elements that borrow directly from the Sangiovese playbook. I left the wine in my glass over the course of a day, checking back periodically, to find a growing mineral profile of rust or metal that recalls the high concentration of iron and manganese found in these Bolgheri soils. Another vintage-specific adjustment made in 2017 was shorter overall maceration times in steel tanks (from 10 to 12 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon and eight to 10 days for the Cabernet Franc). However, pump-overs and délestages were almost doubled in order to introduce more oxygen to the yeasts during fermentations at lower temperatures. Based on my understanding of fermentation kinetics, this means the 2017 Sassicaia would have achieved the same amount of extraction in about half the time. This process champions the cool-temperature fermentations that are a hallmark of Tenuta San Guido, despite the heat of the vintage. This puts more emphasis on aromatic elegance and minerality, rather than mouthfeel texture or creaminess per se. In fact, the 2017 Sassicaia is much shorter in the mid-palate compared to 2015 or 2016. In terms of oak, Tenuta San Guido takes advantage of the softer tannins found in Allier and Tronçais oak. The 2017 vintage saw a greater percentage (from 20% to 30%) of third and fourth passage barrique during the first 10 months of aging. The decision to use more neutral oak favors the reduction of oxygen and softens the tannic profile. Although the wine does end with a hint of bitterness, it took on noticeably more volume and soft richness the longer I kept my sample in the glass. 94/100 (01.2020)