2022 Sassicaia San Guido

Sassicaia is one of the most popular wines in the world.

According to Wine-Searcher.com search frequency data, Sassicaia is the world’s sixth most popular wine. The top 10 include many of the French producers that first inspired della Rocchetta, including Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Mouton Rothschild. It is the only Italian wine to hold a spot in the top 25.

Sassicaia 2022 — Tenuta San Guido

This is a seriously impressive Sassicaia. The 2022 came from a hot, dry year in Bolgheri, yet the wine has retained remarkable freshness, precision and relatively restrained 13.5% ABV. Critics generally describe it as more structured and tightly wound than immediately seductive — one to cellar. 

Blend: approximately 88% Cabernet Sauvignon / 12% Cabernet Franc.
Appellation: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, Tuscany.
Maturation: about 23 months in French oak barriques.
Maceration: 13–18 days.
Harvest: hand-picked through September, finishing with the higher hillside vineyards above 300m. 

What does it taste like?

The nose is initially quite restrained but gradually opens into blackberry, black cherry and redcurrant, with beautiful violet and lavender florals. Then you get the classic savoury Sassicaia elements: cedar, graphite, crushed stone, rosemary, thyme, mint and Mediterranean herbs. 

On the palate it’s concentrated but not heavy. There’s ripe blackberry and cherry fruit surrounded by very fine but substantial tannins. Fresh acidity runs straight through it, with a slightly saline/mineral quality and a long, chalky finish. That’s important because 2022 could easily have produced an overly rich wine; instead Sassicaia has maintained its elegance.

Decanter described the wine as tightly coiled and concentrated, highlighting the combination of fresh acidity, dense fine tannins and savoury character. They awarded it 97 points. 

Why 2022 is interesting

2022 was hot, but Tenuta San Guido has several natural advantages. The vineyards sit roughly 100–400m above sea level, close to the Mediterranean and protected by woodland. A significant rainfall in mid-August also cooled conditions and helped the Cabernet complete its ripening. 

The winemaking team deliberately adapted to the vintage: shorter macerations and around 23 months in wood rather than the more typical 24–25 months helped preserve freshness. Cabernet Sauvignon handled the heat better than Cabernet Franc, hence the slightly Cabernet-heavy blend. 

Scores

It’s received some huge reviews: 98 James Suckling, 98 Wine Enthusiast, 97 Decanter and 96+ Wine Advocate. 

The important thing is that the critics aren’t describing a big, jammy 2022. The recurring themes are freshness, restraint, floral aromatics, fine tannins and considerable ageing potential.

Drinking it now

I’d treat this as a cellar wine rather than a drink-now Sassicaia. Decanter’s James Button suggested ideally leaving it for around 12 years, although even another couple of years should make it considerably more expressive. 

If you are opening one now, I’d give it 2–3 hours in a decanter, use a large Bordeaux glass and serve around 16–18°C. One tasting of the wine after a two-hour decant found vibrant plum, red cherry and blackberry alongside excellent freshness and firm but polished tannins. 

Wine at a glance