Plus Last Bottles and Lowest Prices in the Country on Sassicaia's Best Vintage to Date of Guildaberto & Le Difese | | |
Dear Artisans,
Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia continues to earn top accolades, achieving outstanding scores and high praise from wine critics. 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, with the 2019 vintage taking THREE 100 point scores. Today we have the 2020, is not far behind, with FIVE 97 point scores and equally stellar reviews.
We also have a small quantity left of each the newest 2022 Guidalberto and Le Difese as well as a handful of bottles of 2020 Barrua, from their Sardinian project, Agricola Punica. Founded in 2002 as a joint venture between the Sardinian winery Cantina di Santadi and Tenuta San Guido Group with the legendary Tuscan winemaker, Giacomo Tachis. It was the latter who thought of Sardinia and convinced everyone that they could produce a fantastic wine from grapes grown in Sulcis. Folks in the know call Barrua a "Super-Sardinian" as it follows the format of blending a classic local grape with Cab and Merlot.
Not surprisingly, these wines are getting harder and harder to come by, but never fear: our stock is the real deal: straight from the winery to the distributor, NOT via the 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.
Our pricing is the lowest in the country by a massive margin, so you will need to move fast to secure any!
Ciao,
—James Tran
| | |
2020 Agricola Punica "Barrua" Isola dei Nuraghi
85% Carignano, ~10% Cabernet Sauvignon, ~5% Merlot
94+ Points - Vinous:
"Dark as night, the 2020 Isola dei Nuraghi Barrua smolders with a beguiling bouquet of sweet spice and pipe tobacco that gives way to plum sauce, grilled herbs and gravel dust. This is pure elegance. It's velvety in feel with ripe red and black fruit tones that smooth over the palate as tension builds. Hints of blood orange and dark chocolate amass toward the close. Notes of fresh coffee grinds mingle with stony mineral tones and fine-grained tannins as the 2020 tapers off long, potent and structured. While more approachable than the typical Barrua at this age, the 2020 still possesses exceptional balance and complexity. Give it another year or two to blossom. (Drink between 2026-2032)" - Eric Guido (Apr 2025)
93 Points - James Suckling:
"Ripe dark berries, dried flowers and spices on the nose. Rich and concentrated, with a full body and creamy, supple tannins. Broad and mouth-filling with a succulent finish. Drink or hold." (May 2024)
93 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A fragrant version, with hints of bay leaf, ground coffee, vanilla and woodsy spices, this fresh red offers a pure, dark core of black currant and black raspberry fruit. Shows minerally accents of iron and smoke. Structured but well-knit and not overly weighty, with a touch of chewy tannins firming the lasting finish. Carignano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2034. 1,000 cases imported." - Alison Napjus (Dec 2024)
| | |
Elsewhere: $70.00
Web Average: $51.00
| | | |
2022 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana IGT
Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot
94 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"Made with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tenuta San Guido 2022 Guidalberto gives you a good taste of the same DNA that brings us one of Italy's greatest wines, Sassicaia, but it's offered in a more immediate style here (thanks to the addition of the Merlot). This warm vintage opens to medium-dark concentration and very plump aromas that take you immediately to blackberry and blackcurrant sitting out in the sun at your local farmers market. The wine shows a soft and gentle side with a pretty level of elegance transmitted through the fruit freshness and the light oak spice that is discernible here but delivered with grace." -ML
94 Points - James Suckling:
"Lots of mint with sage and fresh rosemary to the currant and orange character on the nose, as well as some ripe raspberries. The palate is very refined with creamy and crunchy tannins that run the length of the wine. It shows a crunchy and energetic personality. Give it a year or two to come together, but it’s showing brightness for the vintage. Drink after 2027." (Feb 2024)
94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"This red is elegant, despite its firm structure and dense tannins. Black cherry, black currant, plum, tobacco, iron and rosemary flavors hold court, while all the components show balance. The finish is long, with a salty taste. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2038." - Bruce Sanderson (Jun 2024)
93 Points - Decanter:
"...the quality has also improved dramatically in recent vintages as Tenuta San Guido seeks to remove the idea of Guidalberto as a ‘second wine’ by building a dedicated winemaking facility and adjusting the blend. The 2022 is loaded with herbal and sea breeze scents among bright, tangy berries. In the mouth it is saline and precise, with a succulence to the concentrated plum and black berry core, and a gracefulness to the tannic and acid structures which weave through it. Sapid and incredibly moreish, with a beautifully ripe red berry finish, this really does stand up on its own two feet."
Total Wine: $84.99
Web Average: $83.00
Bounty Hunter: $74.99
Ours: $59.97
| |  | |
2022 Tenuta San Guido "Le Difese" Toscana IGT
Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot
92 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2022 Le Difese is plump, juicy and expressive, all of which make it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Crushed flowers, succulent red cherry fruit, mint, spice and blood orange all race across the palate. This exuberant yet mid-weight coastal Tuscan red is a total pleasure bomb. The 2022 is an especially fine edition. It benefits from a warm year - which can be a positive for entry-level wines - earlier bottling and selection. Le Difese is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (both estate and non-estate sites) and Sangiovese, all purchased." - AG (Feb 2024)
92 Points - Decanter:
"Le Difese 2022 is a blend of 55% Sangiovese and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, the former brought in from long-standing partners based in Chianti and Chianti Rufina – ‘In Bolgheri it's not easy to find Sangiovese,’ third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta explained. 2022 saw slightly lower production than 2021 due to a warm spring and a rainy autumn. Macerations were shorter than previous years, and the wine retains the same blend as last year as part of the estate's continuing plans to make Le Difese approachable almost immediately and give it its own Tuscan identity. Bright red and purple scents with a creamy backdrop and herbal touches lead to a soft and textured palate full of fresh, tangy cherry and dark hedgerow berries. Ripe, precise and sapid with a long, breezy, balsamic finish, Le Difese should be enjoyed over the next decade." - JB (Feb 2024)
91+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2022 Le Difese is made with 60% Sangiovese and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and includes some grapes purchased from the Chianti in Ruffina to enhance the wine’s aromatic profile and freshness. The grapes see maceration on the skins for 15 days, then are aged in used barrels for eight months. Deep ruby with a tinge of light purple, this 2022 is aromatic of anise, fresh leather, and spiced cherries. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe tannins, with a clean mineral touch. It’s approachable and offers a supple texture with an open drinking window over the coming 6-8 years. Drink 2024-2030." (Jan 2024)
Bounty Hunter: $44.99
Web Average: $43.00
Ours: $36.97
| | |
2020 Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
97 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045."
97 Points - James Suckling:
"A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027." (Feb 2023)
97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugely appealing." - AG (Feb 2023)
97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
Pure red with a garnet hue, the 2020 Sassicaia is stunning, with fantastic, elegantly layered aromas of black raspberry liqueur, macchia, fresh leather, and fresh lavender. Full-bodied with clean lift, it reveals a more luxurious and polished texture with a velvety feel, a long finish, and a touch of warming richness. As it opens, it reveals notes of mocha and Amarena cherry and becomes distilled and pure with wonderful sweetness of fruit, although it’s fully dry.
97 Points - Decanter:
"Frosts damaged the the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc in late March, leading to reduced production but superb quality fruit. Spring was mild and summer was generally warm, but a rapid acceleration of maturation in late summer forced the team to begin picking in the first week of September to avoid any overripeness. A traditional 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend, its blackcurranty, dusty, leafy and cedary character is brought into focus by an intense and balsamic palate. It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes. This will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet you'll get plenty of pleasure from it in its youth. 'We advise to keep it at least 10 months in the bottle before opening,' states third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta." - JB (Feb 2023)
96 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term." - Monica Larner (Jan 2023)
| | |
Wally’s: $290.00
Eataly: $289.90
Total Wine: $279.97
Wine.com: $269.99
| | |
How may we assist you?
Text us @ 650-880-3553
Call us @ 650-917-8080
| | | | |
