2023 Tenuta San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri
There is a reason Sassicaia sits entirely alone at the pinnacle of Italian wine, and the 2023 vintage is exactly
Producer
Tenuta San Guido
I have reviewed three wines from Tenuta San Guido, from the 2022 to 2023 vintages, across Bolgheri Sassicaia and Toscana. All are Cabernet Sauvignon. Scores range from 93 to 98, averaging 96; the highest is the 2022 San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri (98 points). Tenuta San Guido also features in one journal article on this site.
Tenuta San Guido is the genesis of modern Italian wine. When Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the stony soils of Bolgheri in the 1940s, he created Sassicaia and, without meaning to, launched the Super Tuscan revolution. The estate remains the aristocratic centre of the region.
Unusually for Bolgheri, Sassicaia is made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with no Merlot, and it is famous for elegance, restraint and longevity, the most Bordeaux-like of Italian wines. Even in hot, dry 2022 an early harvest preserved its freshness, with cassis, blackberry, cedar, graphite and mint on polished tannins. The 2023 marked a return to the classic, high-tension style: cooling mint, graphite and Bolgheri macchia over a pure core of cassis, with ultra-fine, chalky tannins and a saline finish, built for thirty years.
Guidalberto is often dismissed as a “baby Sassicaia,” but it is a distinct wine with its own identity: in 2023, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon for spine and 40% Merlot for a velvety mid-palate, sleek and energetic, with the estate’s signature balsamic note.
2023 Tenuta San Guido “Guidalberto” Toscana
I have always argued that Guidalberto is the most misunderstood wine in Bolgheri. Too often dismissed as just “Baby Sassicaia,”
Sassicaia 2023 Release analysis
In the pantheon of Italian wine, few names move the market like Sassicaia. The release of the 2023 vintage—awarded a perfect 100 points by The Wine Advocate—is a case study in how critical praise translates directly to financial liquidity.
But beyond the score, where is the value?
2022 San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri
The arrival of a new vintage of Sassicaia is always a defining moment in the wine calendar, but the 2022