Tenuta San Guido - Sassicaia 2021 (750ml)
Wine Advocate: 100 Points
Here it is: A quintessential Sassicaia that represents the excellence of the vintage and also respects the unique taste profile of this distinguished Tuscan blend of Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc. The Tenuta San Guido 2021 Bolgheri Sassicaia offers impeccable balance excellent freshness and absolutely no signs of over-ripeness. The fruit balance is ideal with a hint of crunch and lasting tension from pulp and skins. The tannins are deftly managed with firm grip and enough velvetiness to add volume and length. There is no greenness on the bouquet that instead offers mulled herbs and spice with cinnamon and clove layered delicately between mostly red and some purple berry fruits. Redcurrant blueberry sweet pomegranate and Rainier cherry run strong in this vintage. A fragrant hint of heritage rose emerges with time. The oak tones are geared toward gingerbread hazelnut cigar sandalwood and something like a grilled sweet red pepper. To the palate it offers nice weight with no heavy glycerin and a rinse of acidity that adds to the wine?s natural energy brightness and viscosity. That marked freshness opens the wine up to long aging potential but you still need to give it more time in bottle. Published: Jan 04 2024
Kerin O'Keefe: 99 Points
The gorgeous 2021 Sassicaia stuns with its class extreme elegance energy and depth. It?s remarkably fragrant featuring enticing aromas of cassis cedar blue flower exotic spice and a whiff of sea breeze. The delicious palate is focused and loaded with finesse delivering ripe raspberry black currant blood orange star anis
Decanter: 99 Points
In 2021, ‘we had a nicely paced harvest... surely a very fortunate vintage for us, for Bolgheri,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta at the launch in London of the 2021 vintage of Sassicaia. Welcome rain in mid-August came at just the right time to save the harvest, and production ended up being slightly higher than in 2020. Around eight to 10 separate vinifications were made, fermented in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and spontaneous malo. The wines were racked to second- and third-use barriques in December 2021, then racked into a mixture of new and used barriques in March 2022. The last step was to make the final blend in stainless tanks, where the wine underwent micro-oxygenation before bottling and further maturation in bottle. Rich dark fruit and herb aromatics are pockmarked by blueberry and petrichor, leading into an intense and vertical palate that's super-fresh with a delightful breezy, saline character. Textured, integrated tannins emphasise the refinement of Sassicaia, showing just a touch of youthful dustiness. Tangy, bright black, blue and red berry fruits overlay underlying hints of dark chocolate and forest undergrowth in a remarkably precise fashion, with pomegranate and a stony minerality surfacing on the mid-palate. 2021 demonstrates lovely sapidity of fruit along with that characteristic freshness and lightness of step, finishing long and poised. Superb. 99-100. (Drink between 2026-2064)
Wine Spectator: 98 Points
Rich yet elegant, laced with black cherry, blackberry, cedar, mineral and oak spice aromas and flavors, this resonant red builds to the long, detailed aftertaste. Shows great balance, with vibrant acidity and refined tannins, yet this will benefit from a few more years of aging. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045.
James Suckling: 98 Points
Very classy and typical of Sassicaia with currant, tobacco, chocolate, sage and lavender on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied with very integrated and refined tannins that are caressing and pretty with a lovely length and beauty. Such finesse and structure at the same time. Best in 2028 and beyond but already joy to taste.
Vinous: 98+ Points
The 2021 Sassicaia is one of the best young Sassicaias I can remember tasting certainly on par with anything in recent memory. The preference here is picking on the earlier side relative to many neighboring properties which is one of the reasons Sassicaia is always a wine of refinement more than opulence. At the same time Sassicaia can be light. Not in 2021. All the elements came together during a long growing season to produce a rich deep wine that marries textural intensity with classicism. Dark cherry/plum fruit spice new leather menthol licorice and spice all race across the palate. Time in the glass brings out the wine's textural intensity and sheer power. The 2021 is one of the most concentrated Sassicaias on record. That allowed for long macerations as long as 20 days for some Cabernets. Aging was 25 months in French oak barrels (95% French 5% a mix of Hungarian and Slavonian wood) 40% new 40% once-used barrels and 20% in twice-used barrels. One of the recent developments here is some bâtonnage in aging which is used to build texture. That approach worked well in 2021. In a word: magnificent. - By Antonio Galloni on February 2024
Wine Enthusiast: 98 Points
Comforting and luxurious, if restrained at first, on the nose, like hot coffee with a slice of warm berry tart, then suddenly more serious, with aromas of leather-bound books and crisp fall air. The palate is utterly laden with berries but also vibrating with acid, and tannins feel like a silk textile, strong and supple, tightly stitched and flowing through an endless finish. — Danielle Callegari
