In defense of Sassicaia

A seminar organized by Slow Food Italia for the upcoming Salone del Gusto and dedicated to Sassicaia is kicking up a storm within the international organization, one initiated by a certain Mike Tommasi, a former president of Slow Food France. This individual, who knows nothing about the history of the wine in question, has branded it as a “Parkerized Super Tuscan” and said it was totally inopportune for Slow Food to focus on such a wine. Now if there are “Parkerized” wines, then they are many in Bordeaux, like Petrus, Le Pin and Valandraud. And if there are any in Bolgheri, Ornellaia fits the bill more than Sassicaia, which has a history that absolutely sets it apart from international fads and wine styles. Sassicaia’s roots are in a vision of winemaking and agriculture that precedes the approach many producers have since adopted in regard to respecting environmental sustainability.

I do not know whether Mr. Mike Tommasi is capable of comprehending what Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and Giacomo Tachis wrote about Sassicaia given the ease with which he expressed such drastic judgements. I can only hope that you readers can and thus get a clear idea not about Sassicaia but just how ignorant this particular individual really is.