Røde frukter, tobakk, solbær. Meget rent og pent. Intens. Elegant frisk og lang! Mange lag, utrolig lett i forhold til hva du forventer fra klima. Svært lang!
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Mmm, this deceptive - grows and expands on the palate. Surprisingly evolved for its relative youth. This presents earthy leather alongside dark fruits - multi layered. Medium weight refined tannins and good acidy provide great balanceand lift. Long and complex. Drinking perfectly now. It will endure but I was surprised at how mature it is.
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Absolutely gorgeous and in great shape, no need to wait further. This has depth and the Sassicaia-edge that I love, a certain aspect that makes this Bolgheri more rustic, more coarse/rough on the palate, with an integrated acidity close to perfection. Such an interesting, generous wine. Loved every sip - was ready from the get go (no decanting).
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I absolutely loved this. PNP Xmas day. Second wine of the day and my favorite. (2016 Nervi Conterno Valferrano & 2000 Montrose) Was convinced to "drink up" bc of the vintage but I don't think this is going anywhere anytime soon, so if you want to hang on for a while, you can. That said, I did find it to drink pretty much perfectly now. Very classic Sassicaia. Not as good as top vintages but a beautiful wine to drink now.
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Splash decantered and had with food (eggplant parmigiana and eye fillet and Gorgonzola sauce). Not fruit driven, but has a sense of place. Clearly Italian cabsav rather than BDX. Nice, perhaps not spectacular. May have peaked, but don’t have much experience here. Something like 92-94
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Sass delivers: cassis, leather, plum, cherry, fig, tobacco, black fruit, cedar, smoke, blackcurrant, medium plus body, smooth long finish. Wining with Bas in Paris
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The wine looks brick colored. It smells like raisin. It tastes like dust, coffee, cedar, blackberry and red currant. Dry to start, blossomed with air and time. In a good drinking window. The body is medium/full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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Vertical Tasting Seven Vintages from 1997 to 2018.
2018. Dark red. Cherry nose and rather closed. Light body, bright to sharp acid. Dark cherry, fine but young tannin. Long finish.
2013 Very dark red. Cherry, cassis, wood but not vanilla, white pepper nose. Terrific intensity on the welcoming palate - dark fruit, cherry, and blackberry. So light on its feet, and really athletic. Acid is obvious, tannin is firm on the finish but that is equalled by the intense fruit. Long finish.
2011 Very dark with a mahogany edge. Green pepper, cherry, and airy. Much larger body than the younger wines; it's mouth-filling. As with the 2013, the acid is obvious but balanced, in context. Leather, cherry, long finish... so impressive. the tannin is obvious on the finish. Later in the evening, the fruit is even more exotic.
2000 Dark red and mahogany edge. Peanut, smoke nose but ripe enough. Palate has cherry, leather, and some spice. Good concentration.
1999 Dark red mahogany cast. Green pepper, cherry nose. Very concentrated in a medium body. Palate has leather and cherry fruit. Balance is excellent, tannin is suave. Not the longest finish.
1998 Very dark with mahogany edge. Nose with green pepper and dark fruit and fruit liqueur. Leather and sweet cherry palate, so complex. Great length to the finish.
1997 Very Dark red and mahogany cast. Green pepper, horse sweat in the intense and mature nose. Green pepper then cherry then leather on the palate with great intensity.
Summary: I pick the 1997 as the best Sassicaia tonight and the 2011 is the wine with the best future.
Mystery wine: Very dark red, white pepper, blackberry nose. Cassi on the light-bodied palate. Tannin is drying and this seems not as ripe as the other wines tonight. I guessed it to be 10 to 15 years old and from California's north coast mountainside.... it is Haut Brion 2002.
Deeply pitched aromas of the blackest of cherry, huckleberry, currant, dried figs and candied pomegranate. Nicely balanced palate of dusty red fruit framed in soft tannins. Drinking beautifully at this transitional phase.
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Decanted 30 minutes. Intense nose full of white pepper, Chinese five-spice & ripe blackcurrants. Delicious. Palate is rich and round with lovely fresh acidity, fine but grippy tannins with tart blackcurrants, pepper and rosemary. Long persistence. An excellent wine very much into its drinking window and developing the glass. Drink now-2030.
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Drinking well now. Not surprisingly this took some time to open up. My preference is to drink wines on the younger side since they still seem to hold their fruit and nose. Same case here. For my tastes, this has about another 5 years left in it at most.
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Tasted next to 2013. From magnum. A little closed still, good acidity, generous, ripe, but very well balanced and harmonious. Nice grip towards the long finish. Drink or keep. 93-95
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Kings of Italy Class at the Texas Wine School. Very pleased to be trying this again after 5 years. Cab Sauv. & Cab. Franc. Decanted for 2 hrs. Med+ ruby. Med+ blackberry, black currant, leather, tobacco black plum, mushroom, forest floor, vanilla, cigar box, w/ seamlessly integrated oak from 20 to 25 mos. in French oak barriques w/ a small part in American oak. Developing. Dry, but w/ lots of fruit left. Med+ acidity, med+, silky tannins & med+ alcohol (13.5). Very well balanced & elegant w/ a long finish. In its optimal drinking window but w/ plenty of upside aging potential.
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PNP at Splendid Venice We would have preferred something older or time to decant but it was ordered off a restaurant list Initially tight and tannic but with time it fills out to reveal a good balanced super Tuscan. Unfortunately it’s youth hides much of the charm. I would buy and cellar for a decade.
An outstanding wine, with complex aromas of morello cherries, blackcurrant, eucalyptus, rosemary, tobacco and tar. Big and bold, concentrated and focused, with balanced tannins and a very long finish.
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Huge nose of black and blue fruit, cedar wood, tobacco... Very refined tannin, super silky and elegant texture, red and black cherries, very very nice!
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Maybe just not my style, but tasted this blind not knowing what it was, and it just tasted like a typical run of the mill Super Tuscan, rather than the benchmark wine it's supposed to be.
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Well the Sass is very very shy (perhaps a challenging comparison to the sensory joys of the previous flight) - after time comes hints of blue plum, allspice and a sweet vanilla note - lovely but tauntingly shy
The palate is again a little bit backward with blue fruit, good acidity and some structured tannin. There is a sense of good wine making here and brooding potential but this is no way near ready.
I bought a pair of these and the other bottle will wait a long while yet.
90 points for now but see this ramping up
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Just about there but will clearly continue upon its slow journey towards maturity over many years. Despite a slight hint of cork on the nose and palate, this is just lovely. Warm ripe cabernet fruit - like a good left-bank second growth but with some extra Italian sunshine - and the weight, balance and texture are perfect. Sass shows its class again in a so-so year.
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Bloody lovely. leaps out of the glass. super fine tannins, lovely texture. So much berry fruit, medium acid- real attack- great with food. We had ox cheek. 2 bottles left- superb now, but will see how this evolves.
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Nice nose with ripe cherries, blackberries and wet moss. On the palate ripe red cherries, dark berries, soft leather and dried meat notes. Medium bodied with a lively medium acidity. Beautiful velvety tannins which are completely integrated. Great structure and complexity. Very savory mouth feeling. Long lasting finish. In an excellent spot right now. (IG)
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Decanted 2 hours. Intense nose with graphite, blackcurrant, thyme, sweet spice. Very classic Cab Sauv. Palate is big - rich round, ripe - very fine integrated tannins providing some gentle grip & structure but no harshness alongside some moderate fresh acidity - excellent balance. Palate has gentle blackcurrant notes & pepperyness along with dried herbs - rosemary. This wine is drinking wonderfully well at the moment - a longer decant might work well also - but with years left ahead. Long persistence and lovely mouthfeel. Drink now-2028.
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Dried red fruit, prune, plum, black currant, not as smooth as it should be, lacking the creme cassis that Sass is famous for, soft tannins, still very nice, yet not as stunning as it can be. Wining @ Cy
Medium purple,medium(+) rose,redcurrant,red cherry,green bell pepper,fennel,ripe fruit,cedar,leather,earth,dry,high acidity,smooth medium tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,medium(+) finish,very good wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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2. Medium musty ruby color. Lush bright bouquet of ripe red fruits and cedar. Dry; full acidity; grippy tannins; on the palate ripe strawberry, red cherry, touch of vanilla. Medium smooth finish with good balance. 93/GUESS Bolgheri 12/Ranked 5. RESULT Sassicaia 2011/Ranked 4.
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Sassicaia Vertical 2003-2015: All wines tasted blind alongside the matching vintage of Chateau Margaux (see separate tasting story). All Sassicaias show a soft structure and femininity I would rather associate with a right bank Merlot than with a left bank Cab, also the fruit profile was more red fruit driven, than dark fruit. All in all and especially compared to the Margauxs (average score 94.8) drunk alongside, the wines showed good although without exceptionalism (average score Sassicaia 92.1). It has not the stuffing, the complexity to play in the big league and the soft structure alone is not interesting enough. The tasting confirmed the impression I had before (6 vintages tasted before, only once (2001) scored 95 points or higher). Highest score (94 points) for the 2004, 2009 and 2013 with more upside for the 2013 in the future.The much lauded 2015 was rather disappointing (92 points) but probably just would have needed several hours in the decanter.
TN: This was one of the more masculine, more left bank like Sassicaias with a medium- expressive nose displaying dark fruits, some toast, cedar and slightly green hints. Dark fruit driven palate with slightly angular tannins and a good mid-palate weight. This has the structure to develop for many years but from an aroma/complexity perspective there are better vintages out there. One of only two vintages in this tasting where Sassicaia was superior to Margaux (91 vs 90 points).
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Margaux vs Sassicaia double vertical: Sassicaia vs Margaux face-off hosted by a private collector. I was surprised by the unambiguousness of the result in this 13- year (2003-2015) double vertical. Margaux beats Sassicaia 10x with Sassicaia on top only 3x. Of the 26 wines tasted, the top 6 (all scored 95 and higher) were all Margaux with 2009, 2010 and 2015 all somewhere between regal and galactic. In sum, the average score for Margaux was 94.4 (range 92-98) as compared to a Sassicaia average of 93.1 (range 92-94). See tasting story for a few more high level remarks.
Slightly herbaceous, red type of fruit. Limited complexity here but with a nice, easy drinking palate with inoffensive tannins and pleasant acidity. Didn’t leave me with the impression of much long term potential.
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Decanted 90 minutes. Ripe blackcurrant, bramble nose with violets, vanilla and a light truffle undertone. Palate is ripe with deep black cherries with fresh tannins and good depth of acidity. Good balance and feeling still quite young. Some secondary notes of fresh herbs. Drink 2022-35.
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Quite classy, definitely of Bordeaux. But second thought says is this Italian? Because of the unexpected acidity. Tannic, rough with particles, medium plus bodied, a bit weakened, blackberry, oak. 92+/100 at best.
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Lovely cedar, sweet cigar and rich purple fruit and pie crust and caramel fudge nose. No traces of heat.
Medium to full in body. Very nice - good power, energy and tension on the palate. Rich dark fruits with excellent concentration. Some light grip on the finish which also gives off red licorice vibes. Texture is very plush. Really nicely balanced. Has many years ahead of it.
Re-visiting the palate after a couple hours of air in the decanter and it's really quite beautiful. I would decant if opening this anytime soon.
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Spectacular, this was a treat of a wine. Excellent balance, power and finesse as the same time. Drinking well at this point, and gorgeous performance for an overlooked vintage relative to the more recent releases
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92, with potential upside to 94. Brought to Redd for dinner (375 ml). This was initially quite closed and tight, with the acidity really dominating initially. It slowly opened up over time and was best at the end of dinner. There is fruit here with some power, but this is a wine with balance and some elegance as well. Friendly to a variety of foods. The drinking window here seems about right to me. While I quite liked the wine, I would not say that this particular vintage would be a good value at $150-200 per bottle. I got 375's on a good deal for about $60 each some years ago. There are other wines from the region that would stand toe to toe with this at half the price or maybe even less.
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in Lucerne, CH 195. Pnp, decanted, and drank over two hors: More shmutz than expetted, perfect cork. GREAT floral nose, violets. Blackberry, black raspberry, red raspberry., mineral. a touch of earth early. Considerable tannin, but with the fruit to balance it.
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Aromas are muted with medium intensity. Pyrazins. Stayed 8hrs uncorked., but aromas didn't develop significantly. Maybe little bit of chocolate and coffee beans. However, palate improved dramatically with aeration. Ripe fruits, old sorts of blackberries. Full body and surprisingly fine grained tannins. Long aftertaste as it should be.
☝️Sassicaia is the legendary Super Tuscan. It is the only case in Italy of single estate DOC (Bolgheri Sassicaia).
📖Bordeaux blend dominated with Cabernet Sauvignon which is complemented with Cabernet Franc. Sassicaia literally means 'stony field'. Its gravel soils in Maremma similar to those in Graves inspired Antinori's cousin to create the wine in early 1940s which was initially released as a Vino da Tavola. Later it was classified in newly established IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) together with other Super Tuscans. Until in 1994 when it was honored with its own appellation and broader Bolgheri appellation was set up.
Nose of toast, torrefaction, some dark fruit, earth, oak. Elegant palate, not over-extracted but aromatically relatively foursquare, at least at this age.
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Super elegant wine. Very aromatic on opening with Christmas spice and bright bing cherry. Already some secondary development with leather and cigar notes. There’s an almost Burgundian weightlessness to it but still with enough bright fruit. Some may accuse this of being relatively lean for Sassicaia, but it’s quite classy and one to pull over the next 5-8 years while more heralded vintages rest
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Super tight, tannic, almost tart on opening. Can see the potential after an extended decant (5 hours or so), with an underlying fruit that borders on spectacular, but this probably needs several years before ready for prime time. Next bottle 2025+
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Good wine with lots to offer. The label has done a great job positioning themselves as the premium producer in Bolgheri, but the quality of the wine doesn’t pair up with the ask price. Guado al Tasso at half the price will beat it in a blind test.
3 Decades of Sassicaia Masterclass with Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta (Decanter FWE, The Landmark hotel, London): From Magnum. Definitely has improved a lot since 2015 when we first cross paths with it and was almost disappointing. Dark, inky color. A lot darker than the usual Sassicaia and darker even than 2013 & 15. Very fresh and definitely fresher and less modern than the 2009. Just about entering its drinking window, softer and silkier than expected too. Young but very much approachable and frankly there is a bit of scribble of delicious next to the box where we were taking notes. Very good and a solid 95
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Elegant and balanced but a bit tight. Decant for longer than I did is the recommendation as it got better in the glass. Half bottle save for today - will see how that develops.
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At first, we thought it was closed, with baked plum and the rest of the flavors largely imperceptible - but naw, later it becomes apparent that the aromas are obscured by nascent TCA.
On the palate it comes forward as complex, somewhat inky, with grainy tannin.
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Surprisingly approachable for such a young Sassicaia. Soft, supple with integrated tannins. Not the strongest of vintages, but a respectable bottle. Rating not adjusted for price. Ready to drink.
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Beautiful wine, already quite approachable. Lots of mouthwatering red fruits, nice acidity and a long finish. It even will become better with some more time.
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This is delicious now but has lots of potential. Terrific balance, sophisticated style. Red and black fruits, cedar, leather and earth. Beautiful nose and nice finish which should develop complexity over time.
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KOV Silent Auction Big Reds of Italy Class. Decanted several hours. The appearance is quite youthful, with medium (+) ruby with some purple hues. The nose is clean, with black fruit, fresh roasting herbs and forest floor. The palate is dry, consistent with the nose, with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) alcohol (13.5) and medium (+), silky tannins. Very well balanced, with a very elegant and long finish. It is drinking very well now with a decant, but is likely to be even better in several more years. This is a great wine but, because of its pedigree, it unfortunately costs probably 50% more than it should.
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I posted notes on the '12 of this wine a few months back, and this is a very different animal. While the '12 was a beast of wine, hiding massive potential behind a wall of tannin, the '11 is a much smaller scaled, approachable wine. In fact, I think this is ready to drink. A nose of dark cherries and mint gives way to a fairly soft palate that recalls Cabernet, but thanks to the strong acidity, also whispers "Italy." For the price I don't think this bottle in this vintage represents good value, but I really enjoyed it.
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Decanted 2.5+ hours. Still young but suprisingly approachable. This Sassicaia is earlier ready than other vintages. Very good and i guess it will improve with a few years more. 93+ pts. at the moment.
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Dark glossy ruby purple. Very elegant and smooth with cool silky dark fruits and a hint coffee grounds on the finish. This is the antithesis of a super-extracted monster red. Instead it is sleek and precise with sensible alcohol 13.5% and elegant tannins. Enjoyable now but clearly needs another 5+ years to hit its stride.
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Quite a lovely and approachable expression. Silky with big red fruits and a long, smooth finish. Very pleased with the 2011 - Galloni and D'Agata called it well as being a early-drinking Sassicaia.
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I guess the question would be "how can you not like this wine"?). As a first time taster of Sassacaia I was blown away by how evolved it was for only being 5 years old. This blend of 85% Cab. and 15% Cab. Franc was rich, rounded and ready to drink. Italy not being Napa it was less fruit forward by still fruit driven with exception balance with a 45 second finish. Loads of berry, cherry, flowers and spice. Delicious!
Supertuscany 1978-2011: Albeit young, it was very intelligent wine. Very round, polished, wow, gooood! So open and friendly. Was very surprised that at this age it is already that approachable.
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Decanted for an hour. Well balanced already, but the tannins need smoothing out. Delicious but still a baby. 4 bottles left and will leave for 3-4 years minimum.
Earth, cedar and dark fruit aromas. On the palate good concentration with a firm tannic structure, dark berries, mocha and tobacco on the long complex finish. Needs time …
Sassicaia/Guidalberto tasting at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2016: deep red color; only faint fruit aromas and flavors in nose and mouth, appeared very reductive; medium body.
This one is definitely very young. Maybe additional decanting time would have helped but at such a tasting time is tight and you get what is served.
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Still a baby. Restrained nose of dark cherries, capsicum and cedar. Med-full bodied with very firm, almost drying tannins and high acidity. A baby. Almost unapproachable.
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, this deep ruby wine serves up black raspberries, anise, dark chocolate, fig and loamy earth on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, fresh and with big firm tannins, it has impressive mid-palate density and shows no alcoholic heat. The finish is long, but quite astringent as a result of its tannic backbone. Cellar time is very important here. Drink 2021-2035.
Muted on the nose, with green-edged berry/currant fruit, graphite and violets. Fruit driven right now and supple on the front, with chalky/floral flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry and some mint, presented with a plush mouth-feel that has the right amount of balancing acidity.
Tasted along with the Pichon Baron '10, this was quite a differece style, despite the approx same amount of use of Cab.sauv. This super-tuscan offered a more reserved aromas of red fruit and a lighter purple / red colour. Medium/full-bodied wine, with super-fresh and ripe blackberry and Cherry fruit at the palate. More open then the aromas gives. I was really surrprised over the structure and length this wine offer. Great wine!
2015 Aspen Food & Wine Classic Trip; 6/17/2015-6/22/2015 (Aspen, Colorado): This deep ruby wine (a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc) offers aromas and flavors of black raspberries, anise, dark chocolate and fig. Full-bodied, fresh and with big firm tannins, it stays solid in the middle and shows no alcoholic heat. The finish is lengthy, but flaunts the "not ready" astringency of its tannic backbone. Give this gem some time. It may merit an even higher score in the future. Drink 2021-2035.
Decanter's Great Cabernets of the world with Steven Spurrier, Brian Croser and Cecilia Torres (Bluefin Building, London): Tasted blind (from a disclosed list of 10 possible wines though). Definitely we expected this to be better. Light sweet fruit, light nose, light oaky feel. Very young and dare we say hard. A touch of floral side at times gave a bit of joy but at this stage a touch too austere and not giving. Needs 10yrs and hopefully this will be the wine we paid for. NR for now.
United Cellars Bordeaux tasting 2015 (Harbour 220/L15 131 Macquarie Street): funky and farty aromas, savoury black fruits and wet stone. On agitation the fruit gains a little sweetness. On the palate the wine is juicy , savoury with both red and black fruit and then almost devastating tannins that dry the out completely leaving a faint impression of the fruit and a little biscuit note. Come back in a millennia or three.
Very big in every sense, but not at all jammy. Already very balanced, but will gain complexity with age. A truly big wine, but deserves time to develop into something truly awesome! (94-96)
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Nice nose of ripe green pepers and ripe black fruit, hint of menthol, hint of vanilla... ripe black fruit, sappy tannins, nice acidity, just a hint of wet wood in the finish
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Very elegant and balanced with some resemblance of St Julien. This is pretty much close to perfection. The problem is that this is without character and boring and there are quite a lot of red bordeauxs that are both cheaper and better. Medium bodied+ and with a touch of sour fruit. 91-93 pts.
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Decanted 2 hours. Soft, minearals dominate up front, mid palate has the slightest hint of sour cherry and red berries and then finishes long with a slight menthol linger.
It's young but much more approachable than the 10 was at this time. You definitely can taste the Cab Franc at this point (which I enjoy).
It's surely tasting Bordeaux like, and I've read others say more right bank. Rest assured, that taste is the cab franc, there is nothing that tastes Merlot like in this blend.
Will open my next bottle in 2-3 years...
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Sassicaia vertical: I like the 2011 more than the 2010. This has more of the mineral touch on the palate, well integrated, bright fruit, long finish. Once again amazed how well this already drinks at this young age. Even better than last time, perhaps the longer air time helped.
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Mixed wines with Munskänkarna, including some Super Tuscans (Stockholm): A big, warm nose with dark plums and blackcurrants, spices, rather prominent oak notes with chocolate and coffee. Rather full-bodied palate with tart blackcurrants, some blackberries, liquorice, some pepper, noticeable tannins that however are freshened up by tart berries, and an aftertaste with tart blackcurrants and some tannins. Definitely a polished palate, young, has potential and should be allowed time in the cellar, 93+ p.
The nose shows a clear Bordeaux blend character, but rather than a "Cabernet nose" it’s a bit more right bank-style, i.e. indicates Merlot (which is not part of the Sassicaia blend). On the palate, the Cabernet dominance is more obvious.
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This is drinking surprisingly well given how young this wine is. Poured into decanter and drank over a business lunch. While dominated by dark fruit, the wine is light footed and does not suffer from excessive oak one almost always encounters at such young age. Very fine tannins. Medium to long finish. Would love to try in a couple years.
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Sassicaia vertical tasting 11, 10, 09, 07, 06, 05, 04, 01. Primary, blueberries, clay, vanilla and toasting from new french oak. Classic with great balance. Needs time but a great promise for the future. Comparable to the 04 in a few years down the road.
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2014 Italian Wine Tasting Event (Allesia's Ristorante Italiano - Mesa, AZ): One of my absolute favorite wines of the world. Another rating option for "I like it - a lot" needs to be added to Cellar Tracker. This vintage does not disappoint again. A young wine, but this vintage is a touch more accessible than others in the past. I must extol its virtues now... again. Beautiful nose of fruit and spice. The palate is fruit-forward but the fruit is not over-whelming. The perfect balance of acidity, tannins, alcohol and texture. A food wine AND excellent on its own. Just a classically elegant wine that can be drunk now, or bottle-aged to add nuance and approachability. Is your mouth watering? Mine is. The retail is listed at $200/btl at the local shop... is the QPR right? What can you compare this to? I am not a fan of spending $200 on a bottle of wine. Although in this case, how do you even put that question in context?
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Quite delicate aromas with a little touch of black fruits and spice. Full of black fruits, layered with tar and cedar. Lovely balance of dense dark fruits with the zippy acidity and youthful but fine grippy tannins. It has a youthful elegance and intensity and at times feels like you could drink this right now. Very very good.
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Color: deep garnet Nose: cherry, plum, earth, leather Taste: plum, earth, tart cherry, herbs, licorice This is a very young wine with lots of promise. A full mouth full with strong yet round tannins, energetic. On second pour a subtle salty sea taste. This will be a very fine wine in 6+ years. NB: Sassicaia means place of stones
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Carpe Vino!; 11/9/2014-11/15/2014 (Tuscany (Florence, Montalcino, Siena)): 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. One can debate between the Ornellaia and Sassicaia and our group did and I think we split about evenly down the middle. The Sassicaia is I think a bit more approachable than the Ornellaia young although here too the wine would benefit from more (at least 10) years. Very crisp and clear wine to me. Get the seabreeze and a strong mineral flavor. With some time I also sense a spice cabinet (more like sage) and an herbal quality to the wine. Some slate, perhaps a touch of sour cherry. It's a lovely wine - would love to see what it can be with more time.
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Zachys Mixed Tating 10/18/14: Young and tannic, the wine is supple and extremely well made. The finish lingers on, revealing layers of flowery blueberries, red fruit, sage. Mineral and balanced, the wine impresses with its quiet sophistication. Only 13.5%, almost an old school bordeaux.
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Slightly closed on the nose, not expressive but showed some serious intensity. Restrained aromas of ripe dark berries, dried plum, lead pencil shavings, herbal notes and ink. Lush and full across the palate, carrying some serious weight, well balanced and not as tightly wound as anticipated but still well structured. Still needs some time to really find itself, pick it up in 6 years.
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Double decanted. Drank up over 3h, cause too good. Typical Raisin/red fruit/violet/shell smell. Some well integrated oak. I like 09,10 and 11, but 11 is light on its feet, has the most pronounced freshness and great harmony on the palate. Since it is so young its hard to believe it will get better, but it will. From the 3 vintages mentioned it has got (one of the)the best flow. Rather the Haut Brion(or mission) than the Lafite of Tuscany, beside elegance there is good fruit and enough complexity in this wine.
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spicy nose, lots of oak, some cabernet coming through as well. Dense dark fruit and some pencil shavings lots of fragrance, really not that tannic but still a little dumb Some discrete oak. Long finish. Feels very concentrated and embryonic Wait
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Pretty dark purple color. Beautiful and pretty open nose of dark berries (cassis/black currant, blackberries, dark cherries), some dark chocolate, sweet spices and some menthol/eucalyptus and some smoke. Similar flavor profile on the palate. Full-bodied and pretty dense, with medium acidity and medium-high tannin that is pretty silky. Good length. A very beautiful Sassicaia from this warmer vintage. Personally, I would prefer a touch more freshness. I was surprised about how accessible it is (maybe still...). Somehow I think that this vintage is more for medium-term consumption (10 -15 yrs) and will be pretty accessible early on.
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5/4/2024 - "Rhône Rider" wrote: 95 Points
Røde frukter, tobakk, solbær. Meget rent og pent. Intens. Elegant frisk og lang! Mange lag, utrolig lett i forhold til hva du forventer fra klima. Svært lang!
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3/28/2024 - Scott Burg wrote:
Amazing. Leader of the night. So happy I have more of this.
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2/7/2024 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Mmm, this deceptive - grows and expands on the palate. Surprisingly evolved for its relative youth. This presents earthy leather alongside dark fruits - multi layered. Medium weight refined tannins and good acidy provide great balanceand lift. Long and complex. Drinking perfectly now. It will endure but I was surprised at how mature it is.
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1/1/2024 - CompleterZRH Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely gorgeous and in great shape, no need to wait further. This has depth and the Sassicaia-edge that I love, a certain aspect that makes this Bolgheri more rustic, more coarse/rough on the palate, with an integrated acidity close to perfection. Such an interesting, generous wine. Loved every sip - was ready from the get go (no decanting).
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12/25/2023 - tropa56 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I absolutely loved this. PNP Xmas day. Second wine of the day and my favorite. (2016 Nervi Conterno Valferrano & 2000 Montrose) Was convinced to "drink up" bc of the vintage but I don't think this is going anywhere anytime soon, so if you want to hang on for a while, you can. That said, I did find it to drink pretty much perfectly now. Very classic Sassicaia. Not as good as top vintages but a beautiful wine to drink now.
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10/1/2023 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Nice nose of dark black fruit... Very classic Cabernet, polished tannin, integrated, good length, will need 2-5 years to be at peak
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7/4/2023 - Gdubya Likes this wine: 93 Points
Splash decantered and had with food (eggplant parmigiana and eye fillet and Gorgonzola sauce). Not fruit driven, but has a sense of place. Clearly Italian cabsav rather than BDX. Nice, perhaps not spectacular. May have peaked, but don’t have much experience here. Something like 92-94
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6/9/2023 - steinersing wrote: 95 Points
showing well with air and time
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5/29/2023 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sass delivers: cassis, leather, plum, cherry, fig, tobacco, black fruit, cedar, smoke, blackcurrant, medium plus body, smooth long finish. Wining with Bas in Paris
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4/30/2023 - Inforred Likes this wine: 92 Points
The wine looks brick colored. It smells like raisin. It tastes like dust, coffee, cedar, blackberry and red currant. Dry to start, blossomed with air and time. In a good drinking window.
The body is medium/full. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity.
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4/30/2023 - KVM wrote:
Vertical Tasting Seven Vintages from 1997 to 2018.
2018. Dark red. Cherry nose and rather closed. Light body, bright to sharp acid. Dark cherry, fine but young tannin. Long finish.
2013 Very dark red. Cherry, cassis, wood but not vanilla, white pepper nose. Terrific intensity on the welcoming palate - dark fruit, cherry, and blackberry. So light on its feet, and really athletic. Acid is obvious, tannin is firm on the finish but that is equalled by the intense fruit. Long finish.
2011 Very dark with a mahogany edge. Green pepper, cherry, and airy. Much larger body than the younger wines; it's mouth-filling. As with the 2013, the acid is obvious but balanced, in context. Leather, cherry, long finish... so impressive. the tannin is obvious on the finish. Later in the evening, the fruit is even more exotic.
2000 Dark red and mahogany edge. Peanut, smoke nose but ripe enough. Palate has cherry, leather, and some spice. Good concentration.
1999 Dark red mahogany cast. Green pepper, cherry nose. Very concentrated in a medium body. Palate has leather and cherry fruit. Balance is excellent, tannin is suave. Not the longest finish.
1998 Very dark with mahogany edge. Nose with green pepper and dark fruit and fruit liqueur. Leather and sweet cherry palate, so complex. Great length to the finish.
1997 Very Dark red and mahogany cast. Green pepper, horse sweat in the intense and mature nose. Green pepper then cherry then leather on the palate with great intensity.
Summary: I pick the 1997 as the best Sassicaia tonight and the 2011 is the wine with the best future.
Mystery wine: Very dark red, white pepper, blackberry nose. Cassi on the light-bodied palate. Tannin is drying and this seems not as ripe as the other wines tonight. I guessed it to be 10 to 15 years old and from California's north coast mountainside.... it is Haut Brion 2002.
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2/24/2023 - LTTC wrote:
(SW) PNP
Ripe blackberries, spices, a hint of tea and lactic note on the nose. Quite smooth and concentrated
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2/12/2023 - travelculture Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely, elegant wine. Tart berry notes out of the bottle, begins to round out nicely in glass or with 30 minute decant. Drink now.
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1/27/2023 - Musinus wrote: 94 Points
Deeply pitched aromas of the blackest of cherry, huckleberry, currant, dried figs and candied pomegranate. Nicely balanced palate of dusty red fruit framed in soft tannins. Drinking beautifully at this transitional phase.
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12/10/2022 - GNBB wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 30 minutes. Intense nose full of white pepper, Chinese five-spice & ripe blackcurrants. Delicious. Palate is rich and round with lovely fresh acidity, fine but grippy tannins with tart blackcurrants, pepper and rosemary. Long persistence. An excellent wine very much into its drinking window and developing the glass. Drink now-2030.
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11/17/2022 - SteveN100 wrote: 94 Points
Drinking well now. Not surprisingly this took some time to open up. My preference is to drink wines on the younger side since they still seem to hold their fruit and nose. Same case here. For my tastes, this has about another 5 years left in it at most.
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11/5/2022 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Tasted next to 2013. From magnum. A little closed still, good acidity, generous, ripe, but very well balanced and harmonious. Nice grip towards the long finish. Drink or keep. 93-95
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10/6/2022 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 96 Points
Kings of Italy Class at the Texas Wine School. Very pleased to be trying this again after 5 years. Cab Sauv. & Cab. Franc. Decanted for 2 hrs. Med+ ruby. Med+ blackberry, black currant, leather, tobacco black plum, mushroom, forest floor, vanilla, cigar box, w/ seamlessly integrated oak from 20 to 25 mos. in French oak barriques w/ a small part in American oak. Developing. Dry, but w/ lots of fruit left. Med+ acidity, med+, silky tannins & med+ alcohol (13.5). Very well balanced & elegant w/ a long finish. In its optimal drinking window but w/ plenty of upside aging potential.
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9/29/2022 - Kevnzworld wrote: 94 Points
PNP at Splendid Venice
We would have preferred something older or time to decant but it was ordered off a restaurant list
Initially tight and tannic but with time it fills out to reveal a good balanced super Tuscan.
Unfortunately it’s youth hides much of the charm.
I would buy and cellar for a decade.
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7/10/2022 - norway08 wrote: 94 Points
An outstanding wine, with complex aromas of morello cherries, blackcurrant, eucalyptus, rosemary, tobacco and tar. Big and bold, concentrated and focused, with balanced tannins and a very long finish.
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1/2/2022 - Philippe_C wrote: 96 Points
Huge nose of black and blue fruit, cedar wood, tobacco... Very refined tannin, super silky and elegant texture, red and black cherries, very very nice!
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11/21/2021 - Ccuff Likes this wine: 94 Points
great wine
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7/7/2021 - glassofhans wrote: 91 Points
Maybe just not my style, but tasted this blind not knowing what it was, and it just tasted like a typical run of the mill Super Tuscan, rather than the benchmark wine it's supposed to be.
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6/10/2021 - Radders12345 wrote: 90 Points
Wine Pages Dinner at 67 Pall Mall (67 Pall Mall): Flight of Tuscan cabernet blends - Sassicaia 2011 vs Isole e Olena Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata 2008
Well the Sass is very very shy (perhaps a challenging comparison to the sensory joys of the previous flight) - after time comes hints of blue plum, allspice and a sweet vanilla note - lovely but tauntingly shy
The palate is again a little bit backward with blue fruit, good acidity and some structured tannin. There is a sense of good wine making here and brooding potential but this is no way near ready.
I bought a pair of these and the other bottle will wait a long while yet.
90 points for now but see this ramping up
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5/25/2021 - lafish Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really good, but young. It’s a bit bright cherry on the palette and can use some more cellar time... but overall a fantastic bolgheri.
Will revisit again in a year.
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5/22/2021 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Just entering drinking window. Great showing
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5/16/2021 - Sookin1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Can still age a few years. Very fruity and lots of alcohol.
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5/14/2021 - Rbtrage wrote: 92 Points
A bit acidic but a solid wine.
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5/13/2021 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 93 Points
Just about there but will clearly continue upon its slow journey towards maturity over many years. Despite a slight hint of cork on the nose and palate, this is just lovely. Warm ripe cabernet fruit - like a good left-bank second growth but with some extra Italian sunshine - and the weight, balance and texture are perfect. Sass shows its class again in a so-so year.
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4/10/2021 - P257pax wrote: 92 Points
Cherry on the nose, cherry and dark berries on the palate. In a very nice place right now.
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1/29/2021 - ruth3 Likes this wine:
Bloody lovely. leaps out of the glass. super fine tannins, lovely texture. So much berry fruit, medium acid- real attack- great with food. We had ox cheek. 2 bottles left- superb now, but will see how this evolves.
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1/28/2021 - DrZett wrote: 95 Points
Nice nose with ripe cherries, blackberries and wet moss. On the palate ripe red cherries, dark berries, soft leather and dried meat notes. Medium bodied with a lively medium acidity. Beautiful velvety tannins which are completely integrated. Great structure and complexity. Very savory mouth feeling. Long lasting finish. In an excellent spot right now. (IG)
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1/13/2021 - Dave D Likes this wine: 93 Points
drank within 1/2 hour after opening with other Italian wines. Very competitive and good. Probably a 4 hour decant would be great. Has many years left.
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12/31/2020 - GNBB wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Intense nose with graphite, blackcurrant, thyme, sweet spice. Very classic Cab Sauv. Palate is big - rich round, ripe - very fine integrated tannins providing some gentle grip & structure but no harshness alongside some moderate fresh acidity - excellent balance. Palate has gentle blackcurrant notes & pepperyness along with dried herbs - rosemary. This wine is drinking wonderfully well at the moment - a longer decant might work well also - but with years left ahead. Long persistence and lovely mouthfeel. Drink now-2028.
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12/21/2020 - Mark van Delft wrote: 91 Points
Dried red fruit, prune, plum, black currant, not as smooth as it should be, lacking the creme cassis that Sass is famous for, soft tannins, still very nice, yet not as stunning as it can be. Wining @ Cy
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12/13/2020 - LEEJV123 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Full, lots of minerals, balanced, elegant, long.
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11/12/2020 - MarshallLi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium purple,medium(+) rose,redcurrant,red cherry,green bell pepper,fennel,ripe fruit,cedar,leather,earth,dry,high acidity,smooth medium tannin,medium alcohol,medium(+) body,medium(+) finish,very good wine,suitable for bottle ageing
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10/30/2020 - Costes76 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2. Medium musty ruby color. Lush bright bouquet of ripe red fruits and cedar. Dry; full acidity; grippy tannins; on the palate ripe strawberry, red cherry, touch of vanilla. Medium smooth finish with good balance. 93/GUESS Bolgheri 12/Ranked 5. RESULT Sassicaia 2011/Ranked 4.
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5/18/2020 - PeterjW Likes this wine: 95 Points
incredible balance fruit power and elegance
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4/8/2020 - Cailles wrote: 91 Points
Sassicaia Vertical 2003-2015: All wines tasted blind alongside the matching vintage of Chateau Margaux (see separate tasting story). All Sassicaias show a soft structure and femininity I would rather associate with a right bank Merlot than with a left bank Cab, also the fruit profile was more red fruit driven, than dark fruit. All in all and especially compared to the Margauxs (average score 94.8) drunk alongside, the wines showed good although without exceptionalism (average score Sassicaia 92.1). It has not the stuffing, the complexity to play in the big league and the soft structure alone is not interesting enough. The tasting confirmed the impression I had before (6 vintages tasted before, only once (2001) scored 95 points or higher). Highest score (94 points) for the 2004, 2009 and 2013 with more upside for the 2013 in the future.The much lauded 2015 was rather disappointing (92 points) but probably just would have needed several hours in the decanter.
TN: This was one of the more masculine, more left bank like Sassicaias with a medium- expressive nose displaying dark fruits, some toast, cedar and slightly green hints. Dark fruit driven palate with slightly angular tannins and a good mid-palate weight. This has the structure to develop for many years but from an aroma/complexity perspective there are better vintages out there. One of only two vintages in this tasting where Sassicaia was superior to Margaux (91 vs 90 points).
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3/2/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 92 Points
Margaux vs Sassicaia double vertical: Sassicaia vs Margaux face-off hosted by a private collector. I was surprised by the unambiguousness of the result in this 13- year (2003-2015) double vertical. Margaux beats Sassicaia 10x with Sassicaia on top only 3x. Of the 26 wines tasted, the top 6 (all scored 95 and higher) were all Margaux with 2009, 2010 and 2015 all somewhere between regal and galactic. In sum, the average score for Margaux was 94.4 (range 92-98) as compared to a Sassicaia average of 93.1 (range 92-94). See tasting story for a few more high level remarks.
Slightly herbaceous, red type of fruit. Limited complexity here but with a nice, easy drinking palate with inoffensive tannins and pleasant acidity. Didn’t leave me with the impression of much long term potential.
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2/20/2020 - GNBB wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 90 minutes. Ripe blackcurrant, bramble nose with violets, vanilla and a light truffle undertone. Palate is ripe with deep black cherries with fresh tannins and good depth of acidity. Good balance and feeling still quite young. Some secondary notes of fresh herbs. Drink 2022-35.
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1/2/2020 - Sean M Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking well now.
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1/1/2020 - fotomill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite classy, definitely of Bordeaux. But second thought says is this Italian? Because of the unexpected acidity. Tannic, rough with particles, medium plus bodied, a bit weakened, blackberry, oak. 92+/100 at best.
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12/31/2019 - 87tellub Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Medium purple with a ruby rim.
Lovely cedar, sweet cigar and rich purple fruit and pie crust and caramel fudge nose. No traces of heat.
Medium to full in body. Very nice - good power, energy and tension on the palate. Rich dark fruits with excellent concentration. Some light grip on the finish which also gives off red licorice vibes. Texture is very plush. Really nicely balanced. Has many years ahead of it.
Re-visiting the palate after a couple hours of air in the decanter and it's really quite beautiful. I would decant if opening this anytime soon.
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11/8/2019 - pgartner Likes this wine: 100 Points
Spectacular!
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11/6/2019 - Jason W G Likes this wine: 95 Points
Spectacular, this was a treat of a wine. Excellent balance, power and finesse as the same time. Drinking well at this point, and gorgeous performance for an overlooked vintage relative to the more recent releases
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10/27/2019 - jcasey555 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really soft tannins with a long smooth finish
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9/10/2019 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
92, with potential upside to 94. Brought to Redd for dinner (375 ml). This was initially quite closed and tight, with the acidity really dominating initially. It slowly opened up over time and was best at the end of dinner. There is fruit here with some power, but this is a wine with balance and some elegance as well. Friendly to a variety of foods. The drinking window here seems about right to me. While I quite liked the wine, I would not say that this particular vintage would be a good value at $150-200 per bottle. I got 375's on a good deal for about $60 each some years ago. There are other wines from the region that would stand toe to toe with this at half the price or maybe even less.
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9/8/2019 - BrunelloBob wrote: 93 Points
in Lucerne, CH 195. Pnp, decanted, and drank over two hors: More shmutz than expetted, perfect cork. GREAT floral nose, violets. Blackberry, black raspberry, red raspberry., mineral. a touch of earth early. Considerable tannin, but with the fruit to balance it.
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8/7/2019 - StasMedvedev.lv wrote: 92 Points
🏅Rating 92+/100 (4,25⭐)
Aromas are muted with medium intensity. Pyrazins. Stayed 8hrs uncorked., but aromas didn't develop significantly. Maybe little bit of chocolate and coffee beans. However, palate improved dramatically with aeration. Ripe fruits, old sorts of blackberries. Full body and surprisingly fine grained tannins.
Long aftertaste as it should be.
☝️Sassicaia is the legendary Super Tuscan. It is the only case in Italy of single estate DOC (Bolgheri Sassicaia).
📖Bordeaux blend dominated with Cabernet Sauvignon which is complemented with Cabernet Franc. Sassicaia literally means 'stony field'. Its gravel soils in Maremma similar to those in Graves inspired Antinori's cousin to create the wine in early 1940s which was initially released as a Vino da Tavola. Later it was classified in newly established IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) together with other Super Tuscans. Until in 1994 when it was honored with its own appellation and broader Bolgheri appellation was set up.
---
Read my wine writing at stasmedvedev.lv
and follow me on Instagram
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7/25/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Nose of toast, torrefaction, some dark fruit, earth, oak. Elegant palate, not over-extracted but aromatically relatively foursquare, at least at this age.
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5/25/2019 - Barry Rothof wrote: 91 Points
From magnum, black currant, spice, tar, structured and constricted texture, more closed!?
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5/18/2019 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Super elegant wine. Very aromatic on opening with Christmas spice and bright bing cherry. Already some secondary development with leather and cigar notes. There’s an almost Burgundian weightlessness to it but still with enough bright fruit. Some may accuse this of being relatively lean for Sassicaia, but it’s quite classy and one to pull over the next 5-8 years while more heralded vintages rest
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4/11/2019 - PeterjW Likes this wine: 98 Points
amazing depth length finesse and elegance
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4/3/2019 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super tight, tannic, almost tart on opening. Can see the potential after an extended decant (5 hours or so), with an underlying fruit that borders on spectacular, but this probably needs several years before ready for prime time. Next bottle 2025+
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3/17/2019 - Al-Vino wrote: 91 Points
Good wine with lots to offer. The label has done a great job positioning themselves as the premium producer in Bolgheri, but the quality of the wine doesn’t pair up with the ask price. Guado al Tasso at half the price will beat it in a blind test.
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12/26/2018 - SteveN100 wrote: 91 Points
Not as good as I would have hoped. Wine was a bit flat in terms of bouquet. Lots of dark fruit notes on the palette and tannins were quite smooth.
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11/3/2018 - Papies wrote: 95 Points
3 Decades of Sassicaia Masterclass with Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta (Decanter FWE, The Landmark hotel, London): From Magnum. Definitely has improved a lot since 2015 when we first cross paths with it and was almost disappointing. Dark, inky color. A lot darker than the usual Sassicaia and darker even than 2013 & 15. Very fresh and definitely fresher and less modern than the 2009. Just about entering its drinking window, softer and silkier than expected too. Young but very much approachable and frankly there is a bit of scribble of delicious next to the box where we were taking notes. Very good and a solid 95
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9/1/2018 - robertek wrote: 91 Points
Elegant and balanced but a bit tight. Decant for longer than I did is the recommendation as it got better in the glass. Half bottle save for today - will see how that develops.
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7/16/2018 - JJB007 Likes this wine: 90 Points
mmmmm, not as bold as a big cab, but a lighter wonderful wine
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5/29/2018 - ve23 wrote: flawed
NR/100. CORKED
At first, we thought it was closed, with baked plum and the rest of the flavors largely imperceptible - but naw, later it becomes apparent that the aromas are obscured by nascent TCA.
On the palate it comes forward as complex, somewhat inky, with grainy tannin.
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5/13/2018 - Wine_lvr wrote: 93 Points
Solid wine. Now still young but already very approachble
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4/21/2018 - unrelenting wrote: 91 Points
Great tobacco nose but the palate is not interesting.
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3/3/2018 - Al-Vino Likes this wine: 91 Points
Surprisingly approachable for such a young Sassicaia. Soft, supple with integrated tannins. Not the strongest of vintages, but a respectable bottle. Rating not adjusted for price. Ready to drink.
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11/8/2017 - gteran76 wrote: 88 Points
It tasted very old, I though I was drinking a 2000 French wine.
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9/22/2017 - DrZett Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine, already quite approachable. Lots of mouthwatering red fruits, nice acidity and a long finish. It even will become better with some more time.
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6/19/2017 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is delicious now but has lots of potential. Terrific balance, sophisticated style. Red and black fruits, cedar, leather and earth. Beautiful nose and nice finish which should develop complexity over time.
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4/29/2017 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 94 Points
KOV Silent Auction Big Reds of Italy Class. Decanted several hours. The appearance is quite youthful, with medium (+) ruby with some purple hues. The nose is clean, with black fruit, fresh roasting herbs and forest floor. The palate is dry, consistent with the nose, with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) alcohol (13.5) and medium (+), silky tannins. Very well balanced, with a very elegant and long finish. It is drinking very well now with a decant, but is likely to be even better in several more years. This is a great wine but, because of its pedigree, it unfortunately costs probably 50% more than it should.
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3/12/2017 - Michael T. Zoppo Likes this wine:
I posted notes on the '12 of this wine a few months back, and this is a very different animal. While the '12 was a beast of wine, hiding massive potential behind a wall of tannin, the '11 is a much smaller scaled, approachable wine. In fact, I think this is ready to drink. A nose of dark cherries and mint gives way to a fairly soft palate that recalls Cabernet, but thanks to the strong acidity, also whispers "Italy." For the price I don't think this bottle in this vintage represents good value, but I really enjoyed it.
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2/24/2017 - bobvictor Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fun to try so young and was enjoyable. Hold off on this one for at least 4 more years...
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2/24/2017 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2.5+ hours. Still young but suprisingly approachable. This Sassicaia is earlier ready than other vintages. Very good and i guess it will improve with a few years more. 93+ pts. at the moment.
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12/20/2016 - gouldcampbell77 wrote: 92 Points
Dark glossy ruby purple. Very elegant and smooth with cool silky dark fruits and a hint coffee grounds on the finish. This is the antithesis of a super-extracted monster red. Instead it is sleek and precise with sensible alcohol 13.5% and elegant tannins. Enjoyable now but clearly needs another 5+ years to hit its stride.
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12/5/2016 - schirri1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Quite a lovely and approachable expression. Silky with big red fruits and a long, smooth finish. Very pleased with the 2011 - Galloni and D'Agata called it well as being a early-drinking Sassicaia.
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12/2/2016 - tc from santee Likes this wine: 95 Points
I guess the question would be "how can you not like this wine"?). As a first time taster of Sassacaia I was blown away by how evolved it was for only being 5 years old. This blend of 85% Cab. and 15% Cab. Franc was rich, rounded and ready to drink. Italy not being Napa it was less fruit forward by still fruit driven with exception balance with a 45 second finish. Loads of berry, cherry, flowers and spice. Delicious!
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11/12/2016 - raiachat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Amazing. Stunning. So powerful and still can use a few more years.
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11/1/2016 - AV2012 wrote: 93 Points
Supertuscany 1978-2011: Albeit young, it was very intelligent wine. Very round, polished, wow, gooood! So open and friendly. Was very surprised that at this age it is already that approachable.
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8/28/2016 - Ianthemac Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Well balanced already, but the tannins need smoothing out. Delicious but still a baby. 4 bottles left and will leave for 3-4 years minimum.
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8/11/2016 - sdsull wrote: 98 Points
2 hours of decanting..... Still quite youthful, but a classic and mouthwatering Sassicaia.
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5/30/2016 - Barry Rothof wrote:
Earth, cedar and dark fruit aromas. On the palate good concentration with a firm tannic structure, dark berries, mocha and tobacco on the long complex finish. Needs time …
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3/9/2016 - Fatty Cat wrote: 87 Points
Sassicaia/Guidalberto tasting at the Rheingau Gourmet Festival 2016: deep red color; only faint fruit aromas and flavors in nose and mouth, appeared very reductive; medium body.
This one is definitely very young. Maybe additional decanting time would have helped but at such a tasting time is tight and you get what is served.
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2/9/2016 - AWBryce wrote:
Seductive nose of oak, red fruits. Tannic, powerful, ripe/dark fruits on the mouthfeel.
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12/28/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a baby. Restrained nose of dark cherries, capsicum and cedar. Med-full bodied with very firm, almost drying tannins and high acidity. A baby. Almost unapproachable.
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10/23/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 Points
2015 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/19/2015-10/27/2015 (New York City, NY): A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, this deep ruby wine serves up black raspberries, anise, dark chocolate, fig and loamy earth on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied, fresh and with big firm tannins, it has impressive mid-palate density and shows no alcoholic heat. The finish is long, but quite astringent as a result of its tannic backbone. Cellar time is very important here. Drink 2021-2035.
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9/24/2015 - Al Doughty wrote: 92 Points
Muted on the nose, with green-edged berry/currant fruit, graphite and violets. Fruit driven right now and supple on the front, with chalky/floral flavors of blackcurrant, raspberry and some mint, presented with a plush mouth-feel that has the right amount of balancing acidity.
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9/5/2015 - Wine_lvr wrote: 94 Points
Dark fruit, coffee, wood. Smooth tannins, now in a wonderful drinking phase. More to come in the future...
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8/7/2015 - Andre Brattland Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted along with the Pichon Baron '10, this was quite a differece style, despite the approx same amount of use of Cab.sauv. This super-tuscan offered a more reserved aromas of red fruit and a lighter purple / red colour. Medium/full-bodied wine, with super-fresh and ripe blackberry and Cherry fruit at the palate. More open then the aromas gives. I was really surrprised over the structure and length this wine offer. Great wine!
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6/24/2015 - swapdoc wrote:
Bodega Chacra and Tenuta San Guido Dinner with Piero Incisa della Rocchetta: Tight and focused wine. Soft and fragrant palate, with some blueberry aromatics. Finishes tannic now. Needs time.
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6/19/2015 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 Points
2015 Aspen Food & Wine Classic Trip; 6/17/2015-6/22/2015 (Aspen, Colorado): This deep ruby wine (a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc) offers aromas and flavors of black raspberries, anise, dark chocolate and fig. Full-bodied, fresh and with big firm tannins, it stays solid in the middle and shows no alcoholic heat. The finish is lengthy, but flaunts the "not ready" astringency of its tannic backbone. Give this gem some time. It may merit an even higher score in the future. Drink 2021-2035.
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6/10/2015 - Papies wrote:
Decanter's Great Cabernets of the world with Steven Spurrier, Brian Croser and Cecilia Torres (Bluefin Building, London): Tasted blind (from a disclosed list of 10 possible wines though).
Definitely we expected this to be better. Light sweet fruit, light nose, light oaky feel. Very young and dare we say hard. A touch of floral side at times gave a bit of joy but at this stage a touch too austere and not giving. Needs 10yrs and hopefully this will be the wine we paid for. NR for now.
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5/14/2015 - chatters wrote:
United Cellars Bordeaux tasting 2015 (Harbour 220/L15 131 Macquarie Street): funky and farty aromas, savoury black fruits and wet stone. On agitation the fruit gains a little sweetness. On the palate the wine is juicy , savoury with both red and black fruit and then almost devastating tannins that dry the out completely leaving a faint impression of the fruit and a little biscuit note. Come back in a millennia or three.
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4/28/2015 - pgartner Likes this wine: 100 Points
Excelent
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4/22/2015 - Stevey wrote: 92 Points
Tasted at PFV tasting event. Muted flavors of dark black and red fruits; earthy, spicy. Dominant tannins. This wine appears slightly closed.
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3/10/2015 - Blauweiss Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very big in every sense, but not at all jammy. Already very balanced, but will gain complexity with age. A truly big wine, but deserves time to develop into something truly awesome! (94-96)
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2/24/2015 - Philippe_C wrote: 92 Points
Nice nose of ripe green pepers and ripe black fruit, hint of menthol, hint of vanilla... ripe black fruit, sappy tannins, nice acidity, just a hint of wet wood in the finish
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2/5/2015 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
Very elegant and balanced with some resemblance of St Julien. This is pretty much close to perfection. The problem is that this is without character and boring and there are quite a lot of red bordeauxs that are both cheaper and better.
Medium bodied+ and with a touch of sour fruit.
91-93 pts.
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1/11/2015 - DTown Vino Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Soft, minearals dominate up front, mid palate has the slightest hint of sour cherry and red berries and then finishes long with a slight menthol linger.
It's young but much more approachable than the 10 was at this time. You definitely can taste the Cab Franc at this point (which I enjoy).
It's surely tasting Bordeaux like, and I've read others say more right bank. Rest assured, that taste is the cab franc, there is nothing that tastes Merlot like in this blend.
Will open my next bottle in 2-3 years...
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12/20/2014 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sassicaia vertical: I like the 2011 more than the 2010. This has more of the mineral touch on the palate, well integrated, bright fruit, long finish. Once again amazed how well this already drinks at this young age. Even better than last time, perhaps the longer air time helped.
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12/17/2014 - mike410 wrote: 90 Points
Way over rated wine. You can find similar between $25-$35. Unimpressed.
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12/8/2014 - Vintomas wrote: 93 Points
Mixed wines with Munskänkarna, including some Super Tuscans (Stockholm): A big, warm nose with dark plums and blackcurrants, spices, rather prominent oak notes with chocolate and coffee. Rather full-bodied palate with tart blackcurrants, some blackberries, liquorice, some pepper, noticeable tannins that however are freshened up by tart berries, and an aftertaste with tart blackcurrants and some tannins. Definitely a polished palate, young, has potential and should be allowed time in the cellar, 93+ p.
The nose shows a clear Bordeaux blend character, but rather than a "Cabernet nose" it’s a bit more right bank-style, i.e. indicates Merlot (which is not part of the Sassicaia blend). On the palate, the Cabernet dominance is more obvious.
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12/8/2014 - Mad Dog Mikey wrote: 94 Points
Lingering and youthful.
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12/6/2014 - pavel_p Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is drinking surprisingly well given how young this wine is. Poured into decanter and drank over a business lunch. While dominated by dark fruit, the wine is light footed and does not suffer from excessive oak one almost always encounters at such young age. Very fine tannins. Medium to long finish. Would love to try in a couple years.
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12/1/2014 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 93 Points
Sassicaia vertical tasting 11, 10, 09, 07, 06, 05, 04, 01. Primary, blueberries, clay, vanilla and toasting from new french oak. Classic with great balance. Needs time but a great promise for the future. Comparable to the 04 in a few years down the road.
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11/22/2014 - djlevin Likes this wine: 95 Points
2014 Italian Wine Tasting Event (Allesia's Ristorante Italiano - Mesa, AZ): One of my absolute favorite wines of the world. Another rating option for "I like it - a lot" needs to be added to Cellar Tracker. This vintage does not disappoint again. A young wine, but this vintage is a touch more accessible than others in the past. I must extol its virtues now... again. Beautiful nose of fruit and spice. The palate is fruit-forward but the fruit is not over-whelming. The perfect balance of acidity, tannins, alcohol and texture. A food wine AND excellent on its own. Just a classically elegant wine that can be drunk now, or bottle-aged to add nuance and approachability. Is your mouth watering? Mine is. The retail is listed at $200/btl at the local shop... is the QPR right? What can you compare this to? I am not a fan of spending $200 on a bottle of wine. Although in this case, how do you even put that question in context?
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11/19/2014 - Biggsy wrote: 95 Points
Quite delicate aromas with a little touch of black fruits and spice. Full of black fruits, layered with tar and cedar. Lovely balance of dense dark fruits with the zippy acidity and youthful but fine grippy tannins. It has a youthful elegance and intensity and at times feels like you could drink this right now. Very very good.
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11/12/2014 - smahk wrote: 94 Points
Color: deep garnet
Nose: cherry, plum, earth, leather
Taste: plum, earth, tart cherry, herbs, licorice
This is a very young wine with lots of promise. A full mouth full with strong yet round tannins, energetic. On second pour a subtle salty sea taste. This will be a very fine wine in 6+ years.
NB: Sassicaia means place of stones
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11/12/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Carpe Vino!; 11/9/2014-11/15/2014 (Tuscany (Florence, Montalcino, Siena)): 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. One can debate between the Ornellaia and Sassicaia and our group did and I think we split about evenly down the middle. The Sassicaia is I think a bit more approachable than the Ornellaia young although here too the wine would benefit from more (at least 10) years. Very crisp and clear wine to me. Get the seabreeze and a strong mineral flavor. With some time I also sense a spice cabinet (more like sage) and an herbal quality to the wine. Some slate, perhaps a touch of sour cherry. It's a lovely wine - would love to see what it can be with more time.
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11/7/2014 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Tenuta San Guido visit (Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri): 85%CS, 15%CF; dark opaque red-purple, delicate elegant aroma, balanced quality fruity flavours, good acidty , excellent complexity, fine flavours, lingering finish.
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11/1/2014 - j30 wrote:
(Tasting portion) Quite young and alcoholic, with raisin, refreshing fruit and acidity.
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10/18/2014 - swapdoc Likes this wine:
Zachys Mixed Tating 10/18/14: Young and tannic, the wine is supple and extremely well made. The finish lingers on, revealing layers of flowery blueberries, red fruit, sage. Mineral and balanced, the wine impresses with its quiet sophistication. Only 13.5%, almost an old school bordeaux.
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10/14/2014 - Duke88 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly closed on the nose, not expressive but showed some serious intensity. Restrained aromas of ripe dark berries, dried plum, lead pencil shavings, herbal notes and ink. Lush and full across the palate, carrying some serious weight, well balanced and not as tightly wound as anticipated but still well structured. Still needs some time to really find itself, pick it up in 6 years.
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10/10/2014 - otto60 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted. Drank up over 3h, cause too good.
Typical Raisin/red fruit/violet/shell smell. Some well integrated oak.
I like 09,10 and 11, but 11 is light on its feet, has the most pronounced freshness and great harmony on the palate.
Since it is so young its hard to believe it will get better, but it will.
From the 3 vintages mentioned it has got (one of the)the best flow.
Rather the Haut Brion(or mission) than the Lafite of Tuscany, beside elegance there is good fruit and enough complexity in this wine.
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10/10/2014 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:
spicy nose, lots of oak, some cabernet coming through as well. Dense dark fruit and some pencil shavings
lots of fragrance, really not that tannic but still a little dumb
Some discrete oak. Long finish. Feels very concentrated and embryonic
Wait
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9/5/2014 - batas wrote: 89 Points
Very fruity with a long finish but I'm not sure it's complex enough to warrant the price
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9/2/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Ripe berry fruit, slightly herbal, balsamic notes, very elegant, fine and subtle. Very well balanced and fresh, great finish. 93-94+
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6/3/2014 - Lyubomir Lefterov wrote: 93 Points
Solid bright fruit, and lovely tannin grip, multi-layered fruit aromas. Exciting wine, has got the passion and will be getting better.
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5/30/2014 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pretty dark purple color. Beautiful and pretty open nose of dark berries (cassis/black currant, blackberries, dark cherries), some dark chocolate, sweet spices and some menthol/eucalyptus and some smoke. Similar flavor profile on the palate. Full-bodied and pretty dense, with medium acidity and medium-high tannin that is pretty silky. Good length. A very beautiful Sassicaia from this warmer vintage. Personally, I would prefer a touch more freshness. I was surprised about how accessible it is (maybe still...). Somehow I think that this vintage is more for medium-term consumption (10 -15 yrs) and will be pretty accessible early on.
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