Tenuta San Guido is owned by the Incisa della Rocchetta family and located in Bolgheri. The estate is home to the world-class wine that started the Super Tuscan movement - Sassicaia. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the land below the castle at Castilioncello in 1940, initially a personal affair the wine was consumed by the family, but the vineyard was expanded in 1965 and the first Sassacaia was released in 1968 to international acclaim. Today the estate has around 75 hectares of vines scattered around Bolgheri and their flagship wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc continues to impressive critics and wine-lovers. A second wine, Guidalberto, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, was released in 2000.

The 2019 Sassicaia is restrained and also a bit reticent in it first impression. Rose petal, dried herbs, blood orange, mint, sweet pipe tobacco and cinnamon give the 2019 striking aromatic presence. The 2019 is a midweight, very classic feeling Sassicaia that is going to need a number of years to open. There’s good fruit depth, but the tannins are not as polished as they usually are. That could be a result of lingering stress from frost that year or recent bottling. The 2019 saw 18-20 days on the skins with natural ferments. Malos followed in tank. Aging was 25 months in barrel (1/3rd new), a longer elevage than normal. The 2019 shows beautifully with a few hours of aeration, so I am optimistic for the future. Let’s see what happens. Date: Feb 2022; Drink: 2027–2049; Rating: 94+ Points; Vinous: Antonio Galloni

Supple and beautifully defined, with black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit augmented by tobacco, iron and thyme. Firmly structured, tightening up as this lingers with an aftertaste of dark fruit, graphite and spice. Shows a sense of elegance as well as power and intensity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Drink: 2025–2045; Rating: 98 Points; Bruce Sanderson; Wine Spectator

The latest release from Tenuta San Guido is the 2019 Bolgheri Sassicaia. The bouquet is up front and very expressive from the get-go. It offers a generous display of crunchy, dark cherry that hints at the extra concentration and fruit weight obtained in the 2019 growing season. This vintage will be remembered for the crisp richness of the fruit and its important textural imprint. It also shows fine elegance, bordering on the ethereal, with berry aromas, tarry earth and brushes of balsam herb or grilled rosemary. Sassicaia always shows an almost-glossy finely knit quality to the polished mouthfeel, and I find it again here next to fresh acidity and firm tannins. Mouthfeel in 2019 is the wine's strongest suit. The 2019 is one of the prettiest and most balanced editions of Sassicaia we've seen this past decade, along with the back-to-back duo of 2016 and 2015. The 2019 marries the precision of the 2016 with the rich fruit weight of the 2015. Drink: 2025-2055; Rating: 98 Points; Monica Larner; Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate

The purity of cabernet sauvignon fruit is exceptional here, with character and sensibility that’s reminiscent of some of the great Sassicaias from the 1980s, such as 1982 or 1988. But this is much more precise and clean. Aromas and flavors of currants and berries with cedar and earth. Sage and minty character, too. It’s fullbodied yet there’s so much polish and balance, together with structure, elegance, and refinement. Hard not to drink at this stage, yet give it time and respect. This will be a classic Sass and reminds me why I love this wine. Try after 2026. Rating: 99 Points; James Suckling