TENUTA SAN GUIDO 'Sassicaia' - Bolgheri, Tuscany 2009 Bottle

Description

The 2009 Sassicaia is a delightful vintage, showcasing vibrant aromas of blackcurrants, plums, and hints of violets and spice. Its elegant tannins and bright acidity create a lively, balanced structure, complemented by notes of cedar and dark chocolate that add layers of complexity. James Suckling awarded it 98 points for its rich and ripe profile, noting full-bodied, round, and velvety tannins. Decanter also scored it 97 points, highlighting its exciting flavours, including exotic fig and fresh mint on the finish. Vinous gave it 97+ points for its purity and balance, while The Wine Advocate rated it 96+ points, describing it as powerful with enormous concentration. Wine Enthusiast also scored it 96 points, praising its intensity and rich mouthfeel.

*****

JAMES SUCKLING 98 points
An extremely rich and ripe wine with currant, cherry and balsamic aromas. Hints of leather. Follows through on the finish. Full body, round and velvety tannins that are reserved and beautiful. Sweet and sour. Savory, too. Drink or hold. This has a long life ahead of it.

DECANTER 97 points
Some torrefied, caramel notes on the nose, this is a wine that vibrates with a beautifully held together crimson red colour. On the palate, there are signs of a hot vintage, with hints of exotic fig, yet it’s shot through with fresh crushed violet notes. Can feel some sun bleaching, although again a heady sweet spice fragrance takes over. This is grilled charcoal over a roasted blackcurrant Cabernet core. And then, just as you are wondering about the exoticism of the fruit, the sweet relief of fresh mint comes slipping in on the finish. What a beautiful wine. Elegant, but packs quite a punch.

VINOUS 97+ points
(80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc): Bright full ruby. Pure, perfumed aromas of blackberry, cassis, lead pencil, violet and minerals, complicated by a superripe note of crushed raspberry. Extremely primary and pure, offering sharply defined cassis, violet and mineral flavors of great class. The perfectly integrated acidity and a vibrant floral character from the cabernet franc give the middle palate terrific lift. Though very ripe in its flavor profile, this wine conveys a rare lightness of touch that is typical of Sassicaia but rare for this vintage on the Tuscan Coast. Finishes with noble tannins and outstanding palate-staining length. For all its creamy power and charm, I really like this wine's balance and the subtle delivery of its complex flavors. I have tasted every vintage of Sassicaia on countless occasions and, other than the legendary 1985, I have no doubt that this is one of the two or three best Sassicaias at a similar stage of development. Though the 2009 won't surpass the once-in-a-lifetime 1985, it is starting out its life in bottle with almost the same perfectly balanced, opulent creamy texture and depth of that incredible wine, which I remembertasting both in Rome and in Tuscanyimmediately upon release. In fact, that wine was so good that even thoughI was still auniversity student (and thus on a studentbudget), it was the firsttime in my lifeI ever bought a full case. If I were a university student today, I'd do the same with the 2009, even though the price of Sassicaia is far higher today. There's profound potential here, but younger wine writers and consumers who weren't seriously involved in tasting back in the '80s may well be surprised by this wine's voluptuous, atypically opulent texture and thus miss its sheer greatness.

WINE ADVOCATE 96+ points
Drink Date: 2018 - 2040
"The 2009 Bolgheri Sassicaia is the richest and darkest edition in recent memory. This super-charged Sassicaia boasts enormous power and concentration thanks to its impressive phenolic foundation. Black currant and blackberry confit are followed by spice, leather, tar, road paving and black truffle. It shows preliminary tertiary signs with licorice and crushed mineral. The wine wraps thickly over the palate delivering tight textural firmness and integrated structure. You taste the sweetness of the fruit and the depth of the oak tannins. No matter how you approach it, this wine scores very high on the intensity meter....."

WINE ENTHUSIAST 96 points
Sassicaia has been showing amazing results in recent years, and the 2009 vintage opens with all the intensity and beauty you should expect of Italy's flagship super Tuscan. Notes of blackberry, soft spice, chocolate, espresso and a touch of rosemary oil make for a beautiful bouquet. The mouthfeel is long, supple and rich. Drink after 2020.

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
Deep brick-garnet. Cigar box and dried thyme scents lift from the glass, with dried cassis too. Touches of black tea and five-spice oak give subtle complexity. Just a touch of volatility. Relatively full-bodied, with a rich and velvety texture. Notably grainier, firmer tannins than the 2016 – a bigger and more robust wine – without quite the elegance of the 2016. Quite a different character. (TJ)