Over the past decade, the Sassicaia Bolgheri estate has done a sterling job cementing its status as a “must buy” fine wine on release. One thing you can be assured of if you pay the opening release price for this wine is that you’ll never find the same vintage on the market, 3 to 6 months later, for cheaper. 

But how is this achieved year after year? Well, for starters, the wine is always offered at a very reasonable opening release price, or in the case of 2014, at £545 per 6 Under Bond (US$675). Admirably, despite demand growing yearly,  this release price has remained nearly unchanged for 2 to 3 years. This modesty and “un-greedy” positioning has found great resonance with fine wine consumers and earned the estate a solid amount of continued loyalty.

After the spectacular 2013 release, the 2014 was always going to have a tough act to follow and was characterised by a late growing cycle with Sassicaia’s last grapes only being harvested on the 31st of October, and was generally considered to be a difficult vintage, along side the likes of 2005, 2004, 1999, 1998 and 1988…(challenging years which all scored 93/100 points or below).

Recent tastings of some of the above vintages reveals some of Sassicaia’s prettiest wines with 1988 often touted by the Marchesi as possibly a finer vintage than even the mythical 100 point 1985. And what not to love about the dense, powerful 2004 or the elegant, finesse laden 2005. This all bodes very well for the 2014. 

Tasting Note: Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2014 Bolgheri ~ The 2014 has a dark ruby plum colour and the most charming lifted aromatics of dark black plum, bramble berries, and spicy peppery graphite notes. Also plenty of sweet broody raisined black cherry, dried herbs, tobacco leaf and dried mint. The palate is bold and plump with a sweet fruited entry showing exotic hints of tart Victoria plums, dried peaches, and red apple Bon Bons. Plenty of fleshy, suave textural puppy fat on this young wine but also a core of subtle tension lurking below the overt fruit layers. This is one of the most forward and accessible Sassicaia wines in many years, and a genuine extrovert offering wonderful overt generosity. This beautiful wine is going to make a lot of friends. (Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)