Close
Search
Filters
Critics scores
90 Robert Parker
Boasting a ripe and fruit-forward stye, the 2005 Guidalberto mirrors the warm vintage. Vines experienced vigorous growth in 2005 thanks to ample springtime rains and heated summer temperatures. Ripening was not even across the Bolgheri area and vintners had to time their harvests carefully. This wine shows an evident level of inner sweetness with bold tones of Morello cherry, mature blackberry, moist pipe tobacco and Spanish cedar. The mouthfeel is round and rich with sweet tannins at the back. It is holding well today, ten years from the harvest. I suggest drinking this wine over the next two or three years.  When Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made a state visit to Washington, D.C. this past April, he packed a few bottles for the trip. He selected four wines to share with President Barack Obama. According to media reports they were Sassicaia (the 2011 vintage), Ornellaia, Tignanello and a Brunello di Montalcino by Mastrojanni. The statesmen sampled the wines together and President Obama joked that it would be “insulting” not to taste them. During a press conference, he turned to Renzi and smiled: “I will give you, Matteo, a report on whether it is up to the quality we expect.”  Born in Florence, Prime Minister Renzi made a sound selection of wines from his native Tuscany to share with the American president. Of these wines, none is more iconic than Sassicaia. Roughly one month prior to the White House wine summit, I was in Bolgheri at Tenuta San Guido to taste a few older vintages of Sassicaia including the 1982 and 1998. I was also able to taste preview samples of the excellent 2013 vintage and the challenging 2014 vintage. June 2015
90 Wine Spectator
Wonderful aromas of crushed blackberry and cherry follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long finish. Needs time to develop in the bottle, but hard not to drink now. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Best after 2009. 11,500 cases made. –JS
Producer
Tenuta San Guido
Italy’s most iconic wine estate, Tenuta San Guido, has grown even more into their reputation following a recent string of great vintages of the country’s most celebrated wine, Sassicaia. Established in the 1940s, the winery did not present its first commercial release until 1968. By 1985, Robert Parker reaffirmed their reputation, giving the 1985 Sassicaia a perfect score and ultimately putting the estate on the worldwide wine map. The single estate in 1994 became the first ever to receive their own DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia. Distinction holds true in their production, from their second label, Guidalberto, to their third wine, Le Difese, each wine is unique and impressive in its own way.