SASSICAIA
Sassicaia in its present blend consists of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15%
Cabernet Franc. The average age of the vines is about 30 years. Approximately
15,000 cases are produced annually.
The 5,000 acre Tenuta San Guido estate faces the Mediterranean Sea on Tuscany’s
southwestern coast. Approximately 80% of the vineyards, on 100 acres, are
located at the foot of the hills that surround the estate, some five miles from
the coast, at an altitude ranging from 250 to 300 feet. The remaining 20%, on 30
acres, are two miles further inland, on hills between 500 and 600 feet above sea
level. Currently, 100% of these 130 vineyard-covered acres are in production.
History
As a student in Pisa during the 1920's, the Marquis Mario Incisa della
Rocchetta dreamed of creating a 'noble' wine. Like most of Italian aristocracy
at the time, his taste in wine ran strongly to fine Bordeaux.
After settling
with his wife, Clarice, into their Tuscan estate at Tenuta San Guido on the
Mediterranean Coast, he experimented with several French grape varieties and
concluded, 'the bouquet I was looking for' was found in the Cabernet.
A wine
that had Cabernet Sauvignon as its primary component represented a radical shift
from the traditional Tuscan and Piedmontese varietals of Sangiovese and
Nebbiolo. No one had ever considered making a wine crafted along Bordeaux lines
on Italian soil, much less in a region not yet established viticulturally.
In
addition to the Cabernet’s satisfactory bouquet, the Marquis’ decision to plant
this grape variety at Tenuta San Guido was influenced by the Tuscan location’s
similarity to Graves in Bordeaux. 'Graves' means 'gravel' in French, and
similarly, the earth at Tenuta San Guido gave Sassicaia its name, which in the
Tuscan dialect means 'stony ground'.
However, accustomed to the light, local
wines, consumers did not respond well to the first vintages of Sassicaia. Wines
made from the more complex Cabernet Sauvignon grapes take more time to mature
and develop. Subsequently, from 1948 to 1960, Sassicaia was consumed only at the
estate.
Each year, a small number of cases were laid down in the cellars of
Castiglioncello. The Marquis discovered that as the years went by, however, the
wine greatly improved. As is often the case with wines of great pedigree, those
things originally considered defects turned into virtues over time. Soon,
friends and relatives were urging him to pursue his passion and to perfect his
revolutionary style of winemaking.
In 1965, he planted two more vineyards
comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc; the new 'Sassicaia' vineyard
was situated approximately 800 feet lower than the original Cabernet vineyard
near Castiglioncello, and 'Aianova' was slightly more elevated and thus exposed
to the weather. Eventually, all of the wine produced on the estate came to be
known by the name of Sassicaia.
The 1968 vintage of Sassicaia was the first to
be offered on the open market, and it was as well received as the Premier Crus
from Bordeaux. In subsequent years the cellars were moved to
temperature-controlled quarters, wood fermentation vats were replaced with
stainless steel ones, and French oak barriques were used for the ageing process.
The Marquis’ use of Cabernet grapes and his implementation of the barriques
aging process soon spread throughout Italy. Sassicaia was the first Italian wine
to successfully establish itself abroad, and is almost universally recognized as
the father of the new Italian wine family or simply the Super Tuscan Pioneer.
Mario Incisa della Rocchetta’s planting is now considered the birthplace of
Italian Cabernet.
The new plantings and improved methods of vinification
produced stunning results, and experts worldwide took notice.
Top Sassicaia Vintages produced
1985, 1990, 1995