2023 Sassicaia: 100 points, robertparker.com

A great vintage for the purebred SuperTuscan

'Truly exceptional,' writes Monica Larner on robertparker.com: 'Like the legendary 1985, 2023 was a difficult and stressful vintage shaped by a cold winter, yet it stands as proof that great pressure can indeed give birth to diamonds.' Sassicaia is one of Italy's greatest wines, the category-defining SuperTuscan with its own personal appellation (Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC). The 1985 vintage of Sassicaia became the first Italian wine ever to score 100 points in Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and from similarly challenging conditions the 2023 vintage has now repeated the 100-point trick.

Before it was famous for wine, the Tenuta San Guido estate was famous for purebred horses. Italian and international champion racehorses hailed from the stud farm that thrives to this day. The first Cabernet vines were planted at Tenuta San Guido in the 1940s, when the Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta spotted the similarities in terroir between Bolgheri and the Graves in Bordeaux. The first commercial release of Sassicaia (in 1968) saw it take the wine world by storm. In 2023, a vintage that looked tricky on paper with frost and spring rains was entirely redeemed by summer and the brilliant work of a top vineyard team. As Monica Larner notes in her report, 2023 Sassicaia is 'a magnificent wine that excels in intensity, focus and balance.' Uncorked applauds the wine's sheer finesse.

We are also delighted to offer the 2024 vintages of the other Tenuta San Guido wines, Guidalberto and Le Difese. Guidalberto is a broadly equal Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, fresh and elegant, with fine, powdery tannins. Le Difese softens the classical elegance of estate Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) with Sangiovese (75%) sourced from Chianti Rufina. All three of the wines in the Tenuta San Guido portfolio stand out as much for their Tuscan charm and identity as their Bordeaux-inspired elegance. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold. Wines available autumn 2026. To place an order, click on the wines below or call 020 7638 5998