Stella Sassicaia (4): the trailblazing years

by Daniele Cernilli 05/27/16
1205 |
|
Sassicaia (4), le annate pioneristiche

Our excursion through the history of Sassicaia ends today and begins with the 1985 vintage, one that is considered to be its annus mitabilis, the one that induced several wine critics to defined Sassicaia as one of the greatest wines ever tasted anywhere in the world and gave it a three-digit rating. From this year we will work our way down to the first ‘official’ vintage, 1968, which was actually a blend of several vintages.

Related Products

  Product Producer Date of publication Author Read
Sassicaia 1985
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 04/27/17 Vinogodi It is amazing to see how lively and intact the red color still is. In the bouquet a light scent of incense gives way to a flood of notes of blackberry and blueberry that are well intermingled with...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1984
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli This year was a disaster in the rest of Tuscany but here it produced a wine of rare nobility. Its ruby color is of medium intensity and there are ample, intense and persistent fruit aromas of ripe...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1983
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli A valid version but less so than one would have expected considering the favorable growing season. The color is an intense ruby with reflections that lean towards garnet and has an average...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1982
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli A certainly interesting wine but with characteristics that are showing their age a little too prematurely. The garnet color has red-brick tones and the aroma is intense, wrapping, and evolved with...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1981
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli An interesting vintage, the product of a cool and rainy growing season. The garnet/amaranth color has a distinct red-brick edge and the complex bouquet has very particular and quite pleasing vegetal...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1980
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli This is similar to the 1979 but with the structure of the 1974. It has a garnet color with orange reflections and the evolved aromas are have a medium complexity. The flavor is not perfectly...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1979
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli This is one of the less convincing vintages. The wine has a garnet color with orange reflections and bottle-aged, evolved aromas of jam and fruit preserved in spirits that have a nice concentration...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1978
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/04/17 Vinogodi A distinct red color with bold garnet nuances and an extraordinary nose for both its variability and complexity with notes of dark chocolate, cloves, vintage leather and juniper. The mouthfeel is...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1977
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli Another surprise, the product of a year that elsewhere in Tuscany was truly disappointing. This Sassicaia has a concentrated, ruby-garnet color with a brick-red edge and is still bright. The aromas...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1976
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli The weather this year, if possible, was even worse than the ’72 due to a very wet summer that compromised the grapes even if they did ripen sufficiently. Maceration was brief because the...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1975
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli An excellent vintage for Sassicaia that recalls the ‘82 but is better. The color by now is distinctly garnet with brick-red reflections and the concentration is good. The bouquet is evolved...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1974
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli The growing season was unfavorable due to excessive rain and inconsistent temperatures. Nevertheless, once again Sassicaia defended itself in a dignified way and today the aromas are still broad,...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1972
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli This was one of the worst years for wine in the past 50 years and yet it miraculously produced an excellent Sassicaia. The wine has a garnet color with brick-red reflections and good concentration....
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1971
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli A favorable summer for Cabernet Sauvignon with little rain and balanced and average temperatures. The wine was made in open, 20hl Slavonian vats and maceration lasted seven days with frequent...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1970
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli This was the first Sassicaia to be produced on a large scale (69,000 bottles) and due to problems in the winery it would be another ten years before such quality was achieved. The growing season was...
Leggi tutto
Sassicaia 1968
Bolgheri Sassicaia
Tenuta San Guido 05/27/16 Daniele Cernilli The year is only indicative given that this was a blend of wines from 1967, ’68 – which represented the lion’s share – and ’69 with a small addition from ’65....
Leggi tutto

Related Articles

  Product Date of publication Author Category Read
Stella Sassicaia (3): After the watershed year 26/05/2016 Daniele Cernilli Vertical tastings
Sassicaia (2): The new millennium 25/05/2016 Daniele Cernilli Vertical tastings
The star Sassicaia (1) 24/05/2016 Daniele Cernilli Vertical tastings




Editorial of the week

Events

March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
·
·
·
·
·
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
·
·
·
·
·
·

Newsletter

Subscribe to the "DoctorWine" newsletter to receive updates and being kept informed.
Update Privacy Permissions (GDPR)

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL