Sassicaia is the wine that put Bolgheri on the map and started the Super Tuscan story: a Cabernet blend from Tenuta San Guido on the Tuscan coast, made to age for decades. Here you will find the grand vin itself, across several vintages and in bottle, magnum and double magnum.
Sassicaia: the original Super Tuscan from Bolgheri
The story starts with Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, a lover of Bordeaux who planted Cabernet vines at his San Guido estate in the 1940s. The first vines went onto a hillside called Castiglioncello; a later plot on stony, gravelly ground gave the wine its name, from the Tuscan word for a field full of stones. The often-told story is that the cuttings came from Château Lafite. The family has said otherwise and points to a friend's estate near Pisa.
For more than twenty years Sassicaia was a private wine, drunk at home. The 1968 vintage was the first sold commercially, released in 1971, and the arrival of oenologist Giacomo Tachis sharpened its style. In 1994 it received its own appellation, DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, the first in Italy granted to a single estate.
How Sassicaia tastes and what goes into the bottle
The blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with a smaller share of Cabernet Franc, typically around 85 to 15, aged for about two years in French barriques before further time in bottle. In the glass it is less about power than precision: blackcurrant and cassis, cedar, graphite, dried herbs and a cool, almost saline freshness that people put down to the sea breeze. Young Sassicaia is tight and fine-grained. With ten years or more it opens into tobacco, leather and forest floor, while keeping its line.
Think of it as a coastal Tuscan answer to the Médoc rather than a Sangiovese wine, made outside the rules of its day and now one of Italy's most collected reds.
Sassicaia vintages: 2016 to 2023, plus large formats
The current selection runs from the classic 2016, one of the most celebrated recent years, through 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 to the young 2022 and 2023. There is also a mature 2011 in magnum, along with magnums of 2019, 2021 and 2023 and a 2023 double magnum. Large formats age more slowly and evenly, ideal for laying down for a distant anniversary.
As a rule of thumb, the cooler, more classical years such as 2016 reward the longest wait, while warmer years such as 2017 give a little more fruit early on.
Sassicaia, Tenuta San Guido and Bolgheri: which page is which
This page is for Sassicaia alone. The estate also makes Guidalberto, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend that drinks well young, and Le Difese, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese red for everyday drinking. You will find all three on our Tenuta San Guido page. To explore the neighbours, from Ornellaia and Masseto to Guado al Tasso and Grattamacco, browse Bolgheri wine or go straight to Tenuta dell'Ornellaia.
Sassicaia FAQ
What is Sassicaia wine?
Sassicaia is the flagship red of Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri, Tuscany, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It is widely seen as the first Super Tuscan and has its own DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia.
Why does the price of Sassicaia vary so much?
Vintage reputation, age and format drive it. Highly rated years such as 2016 and older, mature bottles are in shorter supply, and magnums and double magnums are made in small numbers. The grid above shows the current price of every bottle.
When should I drink Sassicaia?
Most vintages start to show their best at around ten years and keep for twenty or more. If you open a young one, decant it for an hour or two.
What food goes with Sassicaia?
Roast lamb, Florentine steak, game birds and wild boar are classic matches, as are mushroom dishes and aged Pecorino or Parmigiano.
Is Guidalberto a second wine of Sassicaia?
It is often called that, but it is a separate wine with its own blend, including Merlot, made to drink sooner. It is on the Tenuta San Guido page rather than here.