Tenuta San Guido
Tuscany · Italy
About the Winery
Tenuta San Guido is the estate that rewrote the history of Italian wine, set on the gravelly, sea facing hills of Bolgheri in Tuscany. The story begins in the 1940s, when Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, captivated by the great reds of Bordeaux, planted Cabernet Sauvignon, a heretical choice in the Italy of the day, in a stony seaside vineyard named Sassicaia (Tuscan dialect for "a place full of stones").
At first it was a private wine made only for family and friends, but the remarkable quality it revealed with age built its reputation, and it made its commercial debut with the 1968 vintage. In 1978 it came first among the world's Cabernets at a blind tasting by Britain's Decanter magazine, and its name spread across the world overnight.
Under the wine law of the time, a Cabernet based red from Bolgheri could only call itself the lowest grade, "table wine". That contradiction eventually moved the system, and in 1994 Sassicaia earned "Bolgheri Sassicaia", the only DOC in Italy granted to a single estate. A single wine that changed a nation's law, a rare case anywhere in the world.
Cooled at night by the Tyrrhenian breeze, the Mediterranean facing vineyards ripen their grapes slowly and completely. Under winemaker Carlo Paoli, the estate pursues elegance, saline minerality and the poise of Mediterranean herbs over sheer power. Half a century on, Sassicaia remains an "Italian first growth" sought by collectors around the world.
In 1978, at a blind tasting by Britain's Decanter magazine, it was chosen the finest of the world's Cabernet Sauvignon based red wines.Decanter (UK)
Interview
What kind of wine is Sassicaia?
A red from Bolgheri in Tuscany, made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc. Since its first release in 1968 it has been acclaimed worldwide as one of Italy's defining full bodied dry reds.
What is a Super Tuscan?
A term for high quality reds that broke beyond Tuscany's traditional appellation rules by using international varieties such as Cabernet. Sassicaia was the pioneer.
How is it best enjoyed?
Serve at 16 to 18C, and decant while young. It pairs beautifully with grilled beef, roast beef, game and aged cheese. It also ages superbly, so there is pleasure in cellaring a vintage from a meaningful year.
