TENUTA SAN GUIDO 'Sassicaia' - Bolgheri, Tuscany 2017 Bottle

Description

The 2017 Sassicaia is an exceptional vintage renowned for its elegance and complexity. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 97 points, highlighting aromas of exotic spice, baked plum, and blue flowers, complemented by juicy Marasca cherry and spiced blueberry flavours. Decanter also rated it 97 points, noting its intensity with a restrained nose and velvety tannins, culminating in a savoury finish of cedar and tobacco. James Suckling scored it 96 points, praising its balance and beauty with ripe currants and polished tannins. The Wine Advocate gave it 94 points, appreciating its successful expression despite the challenging vintage conditions. Vinous rated it 94 points, emphasizing its richness and immediate appeal. Jancis Robinson awarded it 17.5 points for its polished fruit and fine tannins, suggesting it is ready now but will age beautifully.

*****

WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 points
Aromas of exotic spice, baked plum and French oak mingle with camphor and blue flower on the nose. This boasts extraordinary elegance and freshness despite the hot vintage, delivering flavors of juicy Marasca cherry, spiced blueberry, tobacco and licorice. Velvety, fine-grained tannins provide support while coffee and crushed mint linger on the finish. Drink 2022–2032. — Kerin O’Keefe

DECANTER 97 points
Tasted by: Aldo Fiordelli
(at Consorzio Bolgheri DOC tasting, San Guido (Castagneto Carducci), 26 Jun 2020)
Part of Sassicaia masterclass at Decanter's London Fine Wine Encounter 2022
Drinking Window: 2020 - 2040
The 2017 vintage for Sassicaia was described by winemaking consultant Graziana Grassini as 'contracted and difficult, but it evolved impressively well with great strides during the oak ageing'. The wine shows a great intensity and elegance on the super-restrained nose of bramble fruit, layered with cedar, kiwi peel and a touch of oak. Surprisingly velvety, silky tannins and brilliant acidity are supported by creamy mid-palate weight with an amazingly savoury finish of cedar and tobacco.

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points
The balance and beauty to this is impressive, offering sweet, ripe currants and flowers with some crushed-stone and dry-earth undertones. Full-bodied with soft, polished tannins and a long, creamy-textured finish. It’s polished, yet concentrated. Better after 2022, but already very seductive.

THE WINE ADVOCATE 94 points
Drink Date: 2021 - 2040
Thanks to the significant know-how and foresight of its creators, the 2017 Sassicaia achieves all of its basic promises with success. However, 2017 will always be the vintage that comes after 2015 and 2016. Some 207,000 bottles of the 2016 Sassicaia were made. In 2017, production volume was reduced by about 15%. This was due to strict fruit selection following a very hot and dry growing season....."

VINOUS 94 points
Drinking Window 2022 - 2037
From: New Releases from the Tuscan Coast (Jan 2021)
The 2017 Sassicaia shows the natural richness and intensity of the year while retaining its mid-weight sense of balance and overall poise. A burst of super-ripe red cherry/plum fruit makes a strong opening statement. Mocha, cinnamon, leather and dried herbs appear later, adding aromatic lift. The 2017 is a fairly immediate Sassicaia. Even so, it has enough energy to drink well for a number of years. Production is down 35%, a combination of naturally low yields, dehydration on the vine and then selection in the cellar. Most of the fruit comes from the estate’ hillside vineyards, older parcels that resisted the conditions better. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2020

JANCIS ROBINSON 17.5 points
Lustrous deep ruby and just beginning to show some orange tinges. Just a touch of undergrowth and cherry with just a hint of cassis mingling with savoury cigar-box notes and salty, minerally notes. Succulent and polished fruit with beautiful finely ground tannins coating the fruit. Ends really fresh and with a grip of fine tannins on the finish. Ready now but will hold for a decade and probably more. Beautiful suave tannins clinging to the finish. (WS)