Wednesday, June 21st, 2023
Sassicaia 2016 & 2019 Last Call + 2nd & 3rd Labels
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We just acquired 3 bottles of 2016 Sassicaia directly from the winery. This vintage is unquestionably considered one of their greatest of all time, if not THE greatest.
We also have 12 bottles of the 2019 Sassicaia, and we still are the lowest price in California.
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The 2019 is Wine Enthusiast's #2 Cellar Selection of 2022: |
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These are the two most monumental collectibles of the century!
We're down to the last bottles of Le Difese and Guidalberto, too. Baby Sass, Little Sass, Younger Brother, whatever you want to call them—they're superb:
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The 48th and 51st editions of Sassicaia both easily prove how unstoppable this blue-chip is.
While earning more 100-point scores doesn't help its availability and release price—it makes this wine's value skyrocket in your cellar.
We've observed this ever since the 2015 vintage ranked #1 Wine of 2018 by Wine Spectator and then scoring 100 points from Wine Advocate the very next year.
Not surprisingly, these wines get harder and harder to come by, but never fear: our stock is the real deal: straight from the winery to the distributor, NOT via grey market.
More Background:
Considered the seminal "Super Tuscan", Sassicaia is one of Italy's leading Bordeaux-style red wines. The name Sassicaia (Italian sassi meaning stone) indicating a stony field, originated in 1948 when first produced by Incisa della Rocchetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines. For years it was only used for family consumption. At a 1978 Decanter tasting of "great clarets", the 1972 Sassicaia gained victory over a field of 33 wines from 11 countries, and established the wine's international reputation.
The owners of Sassicaia realized that many people were drinking this wine far too young and decided to develop a more accessible, and much less expensive, alternative, as well as experiment with alternate blends.
In 2000, the "Guidalberto" was born as Sassicaia's extremely precocious younger brother, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot...and in 2003, "Le Difese" was added as the baby of the family, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
Both offer beautiful structure and velvety tannins yet are more approachable immediately in both flavor and pricing than big brother Sassicaia.
Ciao,
—James Tran
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2016 Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" Toscana IGT
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
100 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"The 2016 Sassicaia is a wine of soaring achievement. I tasted this wine several times during the course of its creation in both barrel and bottle, and the highly deserved 100-point score you see here was enthusiastically assigned at the conclusion of a mini vertical in which I tasted and compared the 2016 vintage against 2015 (which I scored 97 points). It makes perfect sense to present these two excellent vintages in back-to-back comparison fashion because they are two of the best to emerge from Bolgheri, and indeed Tenuta San Guido, in recent memory. These are very similar vintages with long, hot summer months that fueled a long growing season. There was a bit more rain in 2016, and in analytical terms this vintage has a tad more acidity. However, the results in the glass are extraordinarily different. The 2015 vintage is exuberant, round, succulent and immediate, whereas the 2016 vintage shows pinpoint sharpness and precision (with similar grit and texture at the back). That acidity will carry it long into the future as the wine completes its slow evolutionary course. This wine is chiseled and sharp with blackberry, ripe cherry, grilled herb and barbecue spice. The aromas flow from the glass in a continuous stream and are all marked by radiant intensity. The mouthfeel is long and powerful. The crisp linearity of the wine's tannic backbone is perfectly measured to the volume and depth of the fruit flavors. To my mind, the 2016 Sassicaia stands tall next to the epic 1985 vintage that set the ultimate benchmark for vino italiano. Drink 2021-2050." - Monica Larner (17th Jan 2019)
100 Points - The Wine Independent:
"The 2016 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia is another wine I love. It is an exceptional wine from one of the best vintages in Tuscany in the last decade. 2016 was a cooler and more classic vintage than 2015 and one can almost sense more freshness, comfort and ease for the vine in the natural harmony of this wine. The wine has vibrancy, a mouth-watering freshness and a beautiful natural grace. The nose is bright and clear with very precisely delineated aromas of wild flowers, meadow grass, violet, rose and cassis. The 2016 is looking stunning, with a wonderful texture and flow, yet a twist of nervosity and energy too. Drinking now but it needs maybe 5 years to begin to show its best. 2023-2045." -SH (12/1/22)
100 Points - Decanter
98 Points - Wine Enthusiast
97 Points - James Suckling
97 Points - Wine Spectator
97 Points - Vinous
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2019 Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" Toscana IGT
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
100 Points - Decanter:
"Sassicaia 2019 spent 25 months in oak (one-third new). ‘We are going longer in oak in the past few years,’ said Carlo Paoli, managing director of Tenuta San Guido. Quite pale in the glass, the nose is extremely graceful and intense with a lavender note enhanced by restrained bramble fruits, fermented citrus peel, an intense violet aroma and graphite minerality in depth. The attack is soft and full, the flavor savoury and cedary through to the finish, with integrated velvety tannins and lifted acidity. A perfectly woven structure is bound with signature freshness and fruit vibrancy, making this one for the long haul." -AF (02/2022)
100 Points - Luca Gardini:
"Exceptional vintage for one of the icons of modern Italian enology. Brilliant ruby red, with great depth. Taut nose, with aromas of red currant, wild hints of geranium and laurel, with a citrus-iodine finish. The mouthfeel is vertical, very dense, with compact tannins and great elegance, backed by citrus notes. Deepness and drinkability at his best." (01/2022)
100 Points - International Wine Review:
"The 2019 Sassicaia is a thing of beauty. It showcases everything you would expect from this iconic wine, balance, precision and gorgeous fruit character are all on display. It begins with expressive aromatics of dark cherries and blackberries, which are laced with exotic spices, grilled herbs, florals, wet stones and underbrush nuances that all emerge gracefully from the glass. On the palate this is even more impressive, as it shows a remarkable combination of elegance and finesse, alongside a richly textured mouthfeel that is backed by beautiful ripe fruit. Pure and expressive, this goes on to show a wonderful sense of freshness that builds all the way through the long, persistent finish. This has it all and it is a simply thrilling release which offers plenty of upfront appeal, but will also thrive for decades in the cellar. I love what this vintage has to offer at this early stage and would expect the 2019 to ultimately be mentioned in conversation with some of the greatest vintages of Sassicaia ever." -J. D'Angelo (02/22)
99 Points, #2 Top 100 Cellar Selections '22 - Wine Enthusiast
99 Points - James Suckling
98 Points - Wine Spectator
98 Points - Robert Parker's WA
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- 12 bottles left @ lowest price in CA
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Average Web Price: $
293.00 btl
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2020 Tenuta San Guido "Le Difese" Toscana IGT
55% Sangiovese, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged 8 months in French oak. ABV: 14%
93 Points - James Suckling:
"A juicy and delicious red with aromas of blueberries, sliced mushrooms, currants, blackberry leaves, licorice and bergamot. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a creamy, round and fresh finish. Drink now or hold." (Jun 2022)
90 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Rich, evoking plum and cherry flavors, with earth and tobacco notes. Reveals refined tannins, with good acidity to remain fresh and linger on the finish. Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2023 through 2037. 26,666 cases made, 1,000 cases imported." - BS (Sep 2022)
Vinous:
"The 2020 Le Difese is laced with crushed flowers, sweet red berry fruit, cinnamon and rose petal. This light to medium-bodied, fragrant Maremma red is an ideal choice for drinking over the next few years. Served at cellar temperature, it is also a fine option for the warm summer months." - Antonio Galloni (Jul 2022)
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Lowest CA Price: $38.00 btl
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2020 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana IGT
Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot
96+ Points - Luca Gardini:
"Along with Sassicaia, the celebrated winery of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta has other arrows to its bow, among which is noted this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Brilliant ruby color. The nose is clean and dense, hints of currant and wild blackberry. Notes of eucalyptus with iodine and licorice closure. The palate is enveloping, with tannins well blended with the fruit and a closure mentholated and saline. Great depth." (03/22)
92 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"The 2020 Guidalberto is taut and tight with plenty of tart cherry and wild berry. The wine offers great freshness and tension with bay leaf, spice, wild cherry and pressed lavender buds. There is a hint of black olive too. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot." - Monica Larner (7/29/22)
92 Points - James Suckling:
"Nice freshness on the palate with plums and berries and citrusy acidity. It’s medium-bodied with fine tannins and a powdery texture. Hints of mushrooms. You can enjoy this young, but it will age nicely, too. Drink or hold." - JS (Apr 2022)
92 Points - Vinous:
"The 2020 Guidalberto is a gorgeous, classy wine. Less opulent than it can be, the 2020 impresses with its energy and drive. Sweet red cherry, plum, mint, rose petal, cedar and pipe tobacco all take shape in this super-attractive, mid-weight offering from Tenuta San Guido. There's a bit more Merlot in the 2020, but Guidalberto is increasingly made from lots that don't make it into Sassicaia, which explains the style of recent vintages. This is a terrific showing, especially considering the recent bottling. It's a fine relative value in Bolgheri's high-rent district." - Antonio Galloni (Jul 2022)
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Online Average: $58.00 btl
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Get in touch!
Text us @ 650-880-3553
Call us @ 650-917-8080
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