Ratings & Tasting Notes:

94 points — Decanter (Jane Anson), October 2016
A very different expression to other Sassicaia vintages, which all stand as testament to their year and location and give a specific impression of passing time. The tannins are still biting, almost baring their teeth this many years on, and the grip is incredible. Anson used it to make a point about age: young wines can show clever winemaking, but only older vintages reveal the effect of terroir and the confidence it lends a wine as it matures. Signatures of a leather saddle alongside a floral-edged bowl of autumnal fruits, holding supreme elegance and real structure. “This will proceed at its own pace, and you are welcome to come along for the ride.”

91 points — Wine Advocate (Monica Larner), April 2017
The 1995 still holds court. Larner likened it to a grande dame — a woman of influence and sophistication who lights up the room through expertly delivered, if antiquated, charm. Its aged evolution shows in a bouquet of dried fruit, old spice, saffron and cola. She noted the aromas don’t reach perfect equilibrium, with a muddled fruit note subtracting from purity, but found the mouthfeel svelte and lean with finely polished, silky tannins, real precision and elegance in texture, and pretty menthol notes on the long finish.

91 points — Neal Martin, Wine Journal, February 2010
An expressive, more loose-knit nose than the 1998, defined by red fruit rather than black: raspberry leaf, leather, a little soy and attractive citrus, usurped with aeration by a scent of sloes. Very harmonious and nicely balanced on the palate with tangible minerality, leading to a quasi-Pomerol finish carrying game, mulberry and espresso. “Drinking perfectly now.”

90 points — Wine Spectator (James Suckling), December 1998
The best Sassicaia since the 1990. Rich in currant, blackberry, dried herbs and tanned leather on both nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied, with very soft yet fine tannins and a long, caressing finish.

18/20 — Jancis Robinson, June 2002
Very healthy glowing crimson. A scented, lively nose — lilies, perhaps. Lots of oomph and brash rumbustiousness, with still quite a kick of tannin. Power and youth, quite opulent and almost Merlot-like in character.

Cult Wines International Notes:

Sassicaia is the wine that changed Italy. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Bolgheri in the mid-1940s, on stony coastal ground nobody thought fit for fine wine, wanting a claret of his own. For a quarter of a century the wine was drunk only by family and friends. The first commercial release, the 1968, appeared in 1971 under oenologist Giacomo Tachis and the counsel of his cousin Piero Antinori, and it arrived as a scandal: a Tuscan coastal Cabernet sold as humble Vino da Tavola. At a Decanter tasting in London in 1978 the 1972 beat all thirty-three other Cabernets from France and California. In 1994 the estate was granted DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, the only appellation in Italy belonging to a single property.

1995 was the vintage that restored the wine’s momentum after several quieter years. Spring came cold and damp until mid-June, but the season turned, and Wine Spectator called the result the best Sassicaia since the 1990. Three decades on, critics describe a wine of unusual grip for its age, the tannins still baring their teeth, framed by supreme elegance rather than weight. Expect currant, blackberry and dried fruit alongside old spice, saffron, cola and tanned leather, with a leather-saddle savouriness and a bowl of autumnal fruit behind it. The texture is svelte, lean and finely polished, with menthol lifting a long finish. This one will proceed at its own pace, and it is a pleasure to follow.

Bottle Size:

750 mL

Storage History:

Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.

Condition:

Outstanding condition.

Please note: The condition of the bottle you will receive is accurately reflected by the one shown in the images.