Upon release, the ’88 Sassicaia was a big, rock-solid, intense wine; now with almost thirty years of age, this silky, voluptuous wine is showing its promise. Ripe red fruits and juicy black fruits find their complements in savory graphite, warm tobacco wrapper, game notes, cedar wood, and tarry earth in this caressing, medium-weight wine. Firm yet elegant, this wine retains its energy while showing all the beautiful earmarks of a mature Sassicaia; it shows beautiful balance between its sweet and its savory elements, its fine-grained tannins and its minerality, its silky texture and its sweet inner perfume. 1988 is a favorite Sassicaia vintage of its makers, and you need only one glass to understand why. Tenuta San Guido ferments Sassicaia in temperature-controlled stainless steel with only indigenous yeasts; this wine ages in French oak barriques for 22 months followed by a few months in bottle before release.
- Country: Italy
- Region: Toscana
- Sub-Region/Appellation: Bolgheri Sassicaia
Singularly responsible for launching the Super-Tuscan movement, San Guido’s Sassicaia—a masterful cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc—is one of the most sought-after wines in the world. Mario Incisa della Rochetta, along with guidance from Giacomo Tachis (Piero Antinori's winemaker), made enological history and created the Super Tuscan movement when, in 1968, his estate released Sassicaia to great critical acclaim. Believing Toscano was ripe for change, Rochetta in 1944 planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta San Guido, his small vineyard in the Bolgheri hills. The terrain, similar to that of Graves in Bordeaux, at Tenuta San Guido gave Sassicaia its name, which in the Tuscan dialect means “stony ground.” Today Marchese Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta continues the tradition at the Tenuta San Guido estate, where he continues to produce the most elegant Super Tuscan there is!
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