Tenuta San Guido is the Bolgheri estate that gave the world Sassicaia, the wine that launched the Super Tuscan movement and made Italy's Tuscan coast a serious address for collectors. Sitting a short drive from the Tyrrhenian Sea, it produces some of the most elegant, age-worthy reds in the country.
The estate that started the Super Tuscan story
The story begins with Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who loved the great wines of Bordeaux and planted Cabernet vines on gravelly ground at Bolgheri in the 1940s. For years the wine was made only for family and friends. The 1968 vintage was the first released commercially, in 1971, and it earned its own appellation in 1994, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, still the only single-estate DOC in Italy. Working with the great oenologist Giacomo Tachis, the estate proved that Cabernet Sauvignon could reach the highest level on the Tuscan coast.
Sassicaia, Guidalberto and Le Difese
Sassicaia is the flagship, a blend of roughly 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, built for the cellar, with blackcurrant, cedar, graphite and a fine saline edge from the sea. Guidalberto, the second wine, adds Merlot alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and drinks beautifully younger. Le Difese, a Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese blend, is the friendliest and most everyday of the three. Together they show why these red wines sit among the finest in Italy.
Tenuta San Guido FAQ
What does Sassicaia taste like?
Expect blackcurrant and dark cherry, cedar, tobacco and graphite, with a savoury, saline freshness. It is powerful but poised, closer to a fine Médoc than a traditional Tuscan red.
Should I cellar Sassicaia or drink it now?
Top vintages can age for twenty years or more, so it rewards patience. Guidalberto and Le Difese are made to enjoy sooner, within the first few years.
What food pairs with these wines?
Roast lamb, beef and game are the classics, along with braised meats and aged cheeses. The bright acidity and firm tannin handle rich, grilled and mushroom-based dishes well.