PnP, explosively fragrant aromas of dark wild berries like blueberry and cherry, whiffs of lavender, violets, fresh tobacco leaf and eucalyptus. On the palate, so approachable, wonderful mouthfeel of freshness and balance, opulent texture but not overwhelming whatsoever, medium-bodied, fine-grained tannins, beautiful aromatic spices on the background that linger almost a minute, so elegant, so refined, cruising beautifully from start to finish. Drank over 2 hours, the first half an hour expresses world class quality that does justice its price tag. Surely this wine can develop further for the next few years or a decade but you won't disappoint to crack one to try today. Just great.
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Three hour decant. Medium ruby red. Gorgeous nose of dark cherries and blackberries. Nice and woodsy, with faint mushrooms. Tannins are robust whils silky smooth. No secondary notes to speak of, but delightful fruit. Medium body lingers forever. Enjoyable now, but best to wait as too yong by years - give it to 2028 at least.
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Christmas Eve dinner at Wimborne. Aired in decanter for 2+ hours. Drank in Grassl Cru. Raised both eyebrows when this was to be popped. Was expecting austerity and disappointment. Thankfully it showed more than well! Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blackcurrant, blackberries, redcurrant, dark red cherries. Developing. On the palate, dry, very good high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherry confit, blackberry confit, blackcurrant + redcurrant, thin layer of tobacco tar, licorice and cassis. Very long finish with lick of spice. Excellent quality. Luxe and lush yet controlled. Gets sweeter with more air. Bolgheri style I suppose.
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not blind, decanted for 1,5 hour, could/should be more Better than last year. Voluptous, lush and elegant likewise. Expected a bit more complexity. I would open my next bottle not that quick and if then with more more air. 96
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Decanted 5+ hours. A strong contender for WOTN, red and black fruits with licorice and spice notes. lush but relatively lightweight for the power it delivers. Many, many years in front of this wine.
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Some friends brought this gorgeous Red Bordeaux blend to a weekend tasting. Stellar, regal, savory, showing off red and black fruits, perfectly ripened, with notes of charcoal, anise, briary stems, and bay leaf. On the palate, full bodied, with a voluptuous mouthfeel, and the fruit showing pinpoint precision. Polished tannins that should age nicely for several decades, and beautiful buffering acidity that enhances the long and lip-smacking finish. Drink through 2040+. Amazing juice.
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This was so wound up over the three days it was consumed. Nowhere along the way was there any give. While I have little experience with young Super Tuscans, I was hoping that given the hype, this would have shown more fruit and perfume. It was a clenched fist of tannins. In 10-20 years the tertiary flavors will likely be amazing, but for now I cannot offer a higher score based on pleasure.
Decanted an hour. It’s very tight. Fruit seems weak. Might be a subpar bottle. A black tea, prune, sour cherry. Nose is classic Bordeaux, but just not the fruit I expected.
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Dinner at Richard's and Anita place on december 17, some short notes of the spectacular line-up: 5 hours in decanter. Dusty notes, incredible power, high acidity and powerful tannins. Closed Too Young. Let us open the next every 5 years. Hard to give a score, benefit of the doubt now 95.
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Youthful but already expressive and drinking well. Pleasing acidity paired with old world fruit, powerful but graceful. Will only improve from here with time.
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Still very young. Decanted in a wide decanter at 2pm, decanted back into the bottle at 6pm, and started to drink about 8:00pm where it was just opening up. Enjoyed for the rest of the evening. Wonderful old world cabernet and cab franc blend where the fruit was void of that California sweetness but was stunningly delicious. The nose was intoxicating with some earthiness and herbs (not green herbal). A powerful wine built for aging but with air, just fabulous now. Will probably rate higher in 10 years.
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Sassicaia 2016 was drunk in 2022. The recommended drinking window is between 2024-2040.
The legendary wine was very perfumed, florals like. It was let aerate for 4 hrs according to a sommelier.
The Sassicaia has a deep ruby color. On the nose, the first perfume that hit me was violet, lavender, dried flowers, sweet tobacco, menthol, wet stone.
While on the palate, The Sassicaia offered full-bodied, high alcohol level, well balanced indeed. There were, for me, blackberry, cassis, black fruit, minerals, earthy, tobacco cherry, and apple!.
This is truly one of the best wine I have ever tried.
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Pretty, ripe and black fruited. Got some alcohol kicking through but the tannins are almost already fully resolved. Acid is bright but still long term age ability is a concern on this wine. Pretty now. Seamless blending, good minerality but fully ripe fruit. And still, some elegance
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Absolutely fabulous! I had bought this in a restaurant 6 month prior to drinking. When we had it I asked for it to be opened 4h before. Nose: dark rich opulent fruit, some cassis (more red), violet, liquorice, dried plum, apricot and some fig. Mouth: very long sweet tannins and silky smooth. Dry (still young and therefore a bit astringent). Loved it!
Superb wine. Already shows great fruits at this young age. Blackcurrant, capsicum, black olive, toast. Structural tannins fine and grippy, piercing acidity, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. Like a lot of great Bordeaux, you either drink it really young or lay it down for a decade or two and patience rewards. Detailed tasting experience refers to my 96 vintage note. An awesome night with Ian and the fellow wine lovers.
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This is a breathtaking wine! Gorgeously expressive perfumed of violets, lavender, black & blue cherries, hints of spearmint, citrus and fresh herbs. Stunning mouthfeel silky smooth, fine-grained tannins, great, great finish, it keeps singing a couple more minutes aftertaste. I so much love the elegance, balance, length of the legendary Sassicaia. The 2016 is a pure pleasure to enjoy now, 98-99 today and should elevate to greater potential after 2026. This wine is truly the blood of Jupiter, every sip is a sublime I was left speechless. Out of the world!
DVI at Forslundska Decant 3h. Unyielding and it didn't change that much during the following 4 hours. Had wished for some more cab franc profile but this was more sauvignon territory. All nicely packed, rather good balance and healthy structure. Behaves a little like a young BDX and I will look forward to tasting it again in, say, 5 years?
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No notes taken. We decanted this for roughly 90 minutes and followed it over two hours. In this short amount of time it never really showed much complexities and especially not much fruit. Some impressions we still got from this bottle: It’s certainly a dark fruited and very structured vintage for Sassicaia and I could well imagine that this could become a much better wine than most Sassicaias this century or longer as it clearly seems to have a lot of power and intensity underneath. Better purity too compared to most vintages. But as said before, right now it’s totally muted. My guess is that this will need at least 20 more years in the cellar.
Decanting: I guess this would have needed hours and hours in a decanter but the fruit is not there at this point, hence, better wait.
This was such a GORGEOUS wine! Surprisingly very approachable for such a young wine with the pedigree for age. Dark wild berry fruits of cherry, blackberry, currants...silky smooooooooooothe and graceful dry cedar tannins...wonderful dusty dryness of crushed minerals and licorice...very pretty fresh flower florals of violets, lavender, and roses...exotic spices and vanilla spiced oak...and a really cool citrus note like a blood orange that brightens. Pure pleasure to drink now, especially with a chunk of meat...yet begs you to suffer with abstinence as it will only get better from here! +pts
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Kleur: Helder robijnrood. Aroma / bouquet: Intense, aangename en complexe neus met kenmerken van een oude-wereld-Bordeauxblend. Kersen, bramen, zwarte bessen, verfijnd hout, vleugje vanille. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow. Ook in de mond is dese '16 Sas intens, aangenaam en complex. Een prettige, subtiel lactische zuurgraad. Prachtig gerijpte, gepolijste tannines. Lange afdronk. Ongelofelijk lekker. Algemeen / potentieel: Deze wijn grenst aan perfectie. Niet vanwege een extreme concentratie, maar juist vanwege de ultieme zachtheid en balans. Ik zou deze wijn probleemloos hebben kunnen 'herkennen' als een hoge cru uit van de linkeroever van het Bordeaux-gebied. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 99/100
Color: Bright ruby red Aroma / bouquet: Intense, pleasant and complex nose with characteristics of an old world Bordeaux blend. Cherries, blackberries, black currants, refined wood, hints of vanilla. Taste / Finish: Wow. Also on the palate, this '16 Sas is intense, pleasant and complex. Pleasant, subtly lactic acidity. Beautifully aged, polished tannins. Long finish. Incredibly delicious. Overall / potential: This wine borders on perfection. Not because of an extreme concentration, but precisely because of the ultimate softness and balance. I could have easily 'recognized' this wine as a high cru from the left bank of the Bordeaux area. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 20 + Overall / potential: 10 = 99/100
blind I was completely lost, I guessed older Bordeaux or California Cab. Very smooth, not in a fruit stage. A bit "boring" at the beginning, later on very precise in the finish. Good acidity structure. I would expect much louder and fruit dominated. We will see what happens in the future. At the moment in a closed phase. 94+
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Aperta una 375ml per verificare lo stato di evoluzione. Al naso é completamente chiuso a riccio. Impenetrabile. Una leggera nota di frutti neri, pepe e di peperone verde. In bocca é succoso e il sorso avvolge la bocca con grande eleganza senza spigoli da smussare. Acidità alta e tannini eleganti. Da dimenticare in cantina per almeno altri 5 anni prima di riassaggiarla dinuovo
Might need to be cellared for a long time. Certainly requires a substantial decant/open bottle to bring out its potential. Nothing really fantastic at this stage, but it does change appreciably as it unwinds. Drinkable nice wine, but given its reputation it came up decidedly short (at least for now). Recommend a 2-4 hour full decant for this wine, which is a bad Coravin pour candidate because of how closed the wine is right now after opening or pouring. I can see the possibility of this wine rating (perhaps much) higher after ten years in the cellar. From the perspective of whether this wine is worth $300 a bottle, my answer is an unambiguous "no."
had at a 50th birthday celebration intense all around but incredibly integrated for being so young. acidity was the calling card initially but that smoothed out as the night went on..we drank this way too young and it needed a longer decant. classic Bordeaux on nose and palate.. wonderful wine.. will need to get a bottle at some point and age the sucker.. drank with a 2016 Tignello and a 2012 Damilano Cannubi Barolo.. this was the last bottle finished.
Not a wine I was seeking out, but a local Italian place has it for cheap (way below retail) on the list, so I thought I'd give it a try. And it's *really* good--dense and dark but also balanced, mineral, and surprisingly graceful for the level of concentration. Super-extra young and structured, and I'm not sure I'd pay the going rate, but there's no denying the quality. This clearly will age and improve for a long time.
Deep ruby, pronounced nose - cassis, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, red plum, potpourri, dried flowers, oak not dominating but some vanilla. Rich mouthfeel, mouth-coating tannins - will certainly improve with age - milerally. Some meaty tertiary coming through on finish (almost Jonata Syrah-esque note?). High acidity
Amazing potential - concentrated fruit, good structure, balanced despite youth (oak does not overpower)
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From 375 ml bottle. Not decanted, consumed over 2+ hours in a very good Restaurant. I guess it would have been even better with a few hours in the decanter. Improved with every minute. A very good Sassicaia but I think it needs at least 10 more years in the cellar. 93+ pts. at the moment.
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I just don’t understand why some people overrate this wine so much at this time...for sure this wine is good, but today, this wine never deserves a very high score...it’s still closed...it’s a wine of elegance, not power...it’s a very good wine, but needs to be at least 10 years old to be (maybe) worth the money...I drank this wine the 3rd time today and spent with this bottle 24 hours and I will not open another bottle for several years...this could reach a much higher score, but for the moment 92 is the max in my opinion...
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I rarely drink Bordeaux blend wine young as I don’t appreciate them. I had this wine in a restaurant. Decanted 1 hour. Very nice. The future looks fantastic. Great wine.
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This one is the real deal. Had the 2015 last night, was a good-not-great showing. Tonight this one went up against a 2009 Ridge Monte Bello. The MB was a more elegant wine, softer tannins and this one has more robust tannins but still very pleasing. This is the real deal. There is only upside for this wine, I can't wait to see how it continues to develop. Decanted half the bottle for 3.5 hours. Other half is in the bottle, vacuum pumped. Tomorrow will update for my Day 2 thoughts.
This bottle was better than the one in January Sea breeze red and darker fruits expensive wood Excellent harmony of fruit tannins and acid. Medium to good length. Burgundian. Unforced Could gain points in the future
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Clear ruby. Nose of cassis and cherries opens up to show notes of forest floor, graphite, menthol, almonds. Impressive. Even at this young age, tannins are not overpowering. The acidity is medium-plus, alcohol medium-plus. Dry. Long finish. Incredible, balanced wine that is delightful now but likely has at least another couple of decades to keep improving. Amazing quality.
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Deep ruby in the glass with lifted nose of blue and red berries, vanilla, plum, tobacco leaves and cedar. Great balance with tremendous lift on the finish. The tannins are well mannered, but very present.
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Tasted at the Tucson Mineral Show in a sales room and was shocked at the outstanding early drinkability. Not much nose now but give it a few years and it will terrific and be 97+.
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this is very tasty and as expected drinking young. the nose however is more advanced in character than i'd have suspected, with a bit of a brown sugar/vanilla/prune character, while the palate is fresh and vibrant. the Cab Franc character showing even though i believe it's a small % of the blend
Too young or a weak bottle...even on day 2 im not shure nice nose with some wax and incense. medium weight, on the mid palate a mealy somewhat dull part that leads to the medium finish. If one told me its a great vintage of le difese, i would believe it. 91-93 for now to be revisited
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Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged 24 months in one -third new French oak. I long for the Sassacaia's of the 1970's and 1980's that I first enjoyed at a price that made sense. This wine is the first I have had in 15 years that reminds me more of those older wines. Over the years I have felt the wine became too big and ripe and modern i.e. a big scoring Parker-Pleaser that aged less well and was surpassed in terms of purity and balance by other less well know, less expensive Super-Tuscans like Guado al Tasso and Oreno etc. At this age the wine is slightly open for business and has good balance and depth. I would expect this to shut down in another couple years and be more drinkable after its 10th or 12th birthday. More restrained and elegant but still not nearly a perfect wine as some have scored it and for the price I think we can still find wine out there that outperforms this one, or better still wines at half the price or less that are just as good.
15 is significantly more elegant.. Seems like parker missed the boat on 15 so gave this a huge score to make up for it. This wines pales in comparison to the 15 elegance depth and complexity... I am just saying.
DEC 19 Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, blueberries, dark fruits, coffee, cassis, tight and firm at this stage. Faint scented high notes. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, dark fruity, nuanced, playful, detailed and layered, blackberries, cassis, incredible length. 100
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During a walkabout tasting with very small pours, so only brief impressions. Young but you can see the potential here. The wine is particularly polished and elegant, stays fresh with bright fruit, clay, spices. I can understand that this received high scores. Hard to judge this young and with this little in the glass but 95+ should not be a problem here once mature.
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85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. 14% alcohol.
This has to be one of the most delicious aromas ever from a Tuscan wine. Fantastically nuanced and detailed with gorgeous roses, violets, cherries, plums, light sweet spices, anise and nut. Really super delicious!
Full bodied and fresh wine that quickly charms with delicious fresh cherries, plums, juicy raspberries, ripe blueberries and a little vanilla. The wine could have had a bit more power, but has a brilliant acidity and tannin structure that provides perfect freshness and bite to the wine that will have a long life in the cellar in front of it. Lovely and long finish with distinct graphite feeling. Superb Sassicaia. 97 points.
Wine Advocate 1000-point dinner in NYC (Gabriel Kreuther): Monica Larner is a big fan of what Sassicaia has done with their large-production wine over the last couple years and I can see why. Sweet cassis on the nose, lush but not overly sweet fruit on the palate with good acid. Long finish with some minerality. 96+
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A wonderfully calm and even nose. There are briary fruits along with black cherry and spiced plum. It has the scent of violets and some cedar. The palate is powerful and intense, but light on its feet and tannins simply occupy a space. There's some chalkiness to the extremely long finish and the crackling energy of the vintage. Is it the best Sassicaia since the legendary 1985? Could be.
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Aromas of a dense, humid forest, a good dose of sour oak/tobacco notes but bearable and dark red fruits. Flavors of dark and vivid, juicy red fruits that's almost prickly. You can feel the youth of this wine on the palate.. there's this rush of intense energy that comes off that almost seems to be vibrating on the palate (imagine a strong, vibrating liquid where the vibrations are constantly kicking up small cone-like columns and droplets). I was told that this was scored 100 points but I don't really see it (then again, I'm not a professional). I know I like young wines but even this may be too young for me. Give this at at least another 4-5 years and it should start to come together more.
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Nose dominated by blackberry, bramble, tobacco. Taste strong on dark berries. Loads of very fine tannins give the whole wine a sort of Turkish coffee feel. Tasted next to a 2016 Smith Haut Lafitte and I would have to give the Graves wine the edge. Score : 93. Relative to expectations: 0
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2016 and 2013 Sassicaia served side-by-side (Hotel Diamant, San Cassiano, Alta Badia, Dolomites).
Black plum, blackberry, cherry, tobacco leaf, thyme, charcoal, and subtle floral notes. Linear and direct on the front, but it gains some depth by the time it hits mid-palate. A fairly powerful push races the flavors off to the back end. The attack ends as it starts, with a chiseled and focused (and fairly primary) finish.
A wine that needs at least 5-7+ years before you should seriously start considering its best offerings, though it showed excellent potential both in its seeming longevity and ability to deliver full satisfaction once it reaches its prime. It was more giving and concentrated mid-palate than the slightly less deep 2013.
Is it a WA100 point wine for me? No. Is it worth the price point. Uh, no. A 2013 Antinori Guado al Tasso Superiore (at a third of the cost) wiped the floor with the Sassicaias. Cost and professional points aside, this 2016 Sassicaia did deliver overall. Youthfully heightened acid and speedy grip overpower the core flavors at the moment, but not so much that enjoyment can’t be had, even in its current primary state.
94-95+ points. Hold until 2025.
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Had this during our Tuscany trip with friends 9/28 to 10/5 to Villa Montepulciano. We tasted this at the Enoteca La Fortezza Di Montalcino. Line-up included Brunello's from 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 2010. The 2015 was tasted but will not be released to us till next year.
Here we were treated to a bonus from Irald our server.
The 2016 Sassicaia is stunning, and for not the price, I would have purchased. The most powerful wine in the lineup but not the favorite. Tremendous layers on the palette as the fruits take turns with the earth in the aroma category. More layers of flavors on the palette with a tannin laden backbone which gives this the structure of some of the greatest Italian wines ever produced. Reminds me of 2015 with even more structure.
It should place this wine squarely in line for one of the Wine of the year awards.
Clear deep ruby; clean medium nose of fresh cassis, fresh blackberries, red cherries, vanilla and cinnamon; dry; high acidity; high tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; pfn; long finish; outstanding quality; still just a baby - so tight
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Sample tasting at 2019 Philly Mag Wine Festival. All wines PnP at room temperature. This is scored along with ~40 other quality wines that I tasted over several hours.
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The 2016 Sassicaia got a lot of early praises including a perfect score from the Wine Advocate. So we thought to check-in too see if all the fuzz is warranted. This is a wine with a cool, dark and elegant soul. It‘s very mineral driven and a lot of acidity which will guarantee a long life. The tannins are ultra fine, just perfection on this front. It reminded me a bit of the Leoville Las Cases 2016, although with less aromatic expression and a bit lower precision. Overall, this Sassicaia pales a bit in comparison to the some great 2016 Bordeauxs I tried over the past few months. But I like the classic, fresh character. Those looking for pure hedonistic pleasure, however, should probably stick to the 2015 Sassicaia (or the 2015 vintage in general). 93 points today (probably 95+ with the right decant) and the potential for more in the future.
TN: After an hour in the glass the nose started to reveal dark fruit (mainly blackberries), wet crushed rocks, graphite, dark wet earth, ash, smoke. Same profile on the palate and finish. Minerality currently defines the wine along with the ultra-fine tannins and the high acidity. It’s a fresh, dark, cool expression of a Bordeaux blend, much like some 2016 Bordeauxs like the Las Cases or Leoville Barton.
Decanting: We decanted and followed the wine over roughly 2.5 hours which might not have been enough time as the wine got better by the minute (although, the Bordeaux 2016s who outshine this Sassicaia didn’t get a decant at all). So if you pop a bottle today, give it at least 5 hours in the decanter.
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Tasted blind. Maybe 30min decant and drank slowly over 1.5-2h. Quite closed initially and needed time to open up - but opening up it did. Sweet spices present from the onset. Ripe cherries leaning more towards dark. Dry coal type of minerality. High acidity at this early stage creates the feeleing of an untames stallion. Extracted, high octane and lots of muscle packed into a classic old world style. Is it really the best since 1985? I guess early to tell, but very happy to have had the chance of establishing a first reference point here...
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3/31/2024 - Winsip Likes this wine: 99 Points
PnP, explosively fragrant aromas of dark wild berries like blueberry and cherry, whiffs of lavender, violets, fresh tobacco leaf and eucalyptus.
On the palate, so approachable, wonderful mouthfeel of freshness and balance, opulent texture but not overwhelming whatsoever, medium-bodied, fine-grained tannins, beautiful aromatic spices on the background that linger almost a minute, so elegant, so refined, cruising beautifully from start to finish. Drank over 2 hours, the first half an hour expresses world class quality that does justice its price tag. Surely this wine can develop further for the next few years or a decade but you won't disappoint to crack one to try today. Just great.
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3/11/2024 - Bottle Dog Likes this wine: 95 Points
Three hour decant. Medium ruby red. Gorgeous nose of dark cherries and blackberries. Nice and woodsy, with faint mushrooms. Tannins are robust whils silky smooth. No secondary notes to speak of, but delightful fruit.
Medium body lingers forever. Enjoyable now, but best to wait as too yong by years - give it to 2028 at least.
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12/24/2023 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 95 Points
Christmas Eve dinner at Wimborne. Aired in decanter for 2+ hours. Drank in Grassl Cru.
Raised both eyebrows when this was to be popped. Was expecting austerity and disappointment. Thankfully it showed more than well!
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of blackcurrant, blackberries, redcurrant, dark red cherries. Developing.
On the palate, dry, very good high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of dark red cherry confit, blackberry confit, blackcurrant + redcurrant, thin layer of tobacco tar, licorice and cassis. Very long finish with lick of spice.
Excellent quality. Luxe and lush yet controlled. Gets sweeter with more air. Bolgheri style I suppose.
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12/1/2023 - tdurst wrote: 88 Points
Somewhat disappointing. Flat and sharp.
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11/19/2023 - aquacongas wrote: 96 Points
not blind, decanted for 1,5 hour, could/should be more
Better than last year. Voluptous, lush and elegant likewise. Expected a bit more complexity. I would open my next bottle not that quick and if then with more more air. 96
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11/18/2023 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 98 Points
Decanted 5+ hours. A strong contender for WOTN, red and black fruits with licorice and spice notes. lush but relatively lightweight for the power it delivers. Many, many years in front of this wine.
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11/11/2023 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very good now, fresh deep dark and delicious. Good from first pour but opened up w air so don’t shy from a decanter.
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9/24/2023 - drrobvino wrote: 96 Points
Some friends brought this gorgeous Red Bordeaux blend to a weekend tasting.
Stellar, regal, savory, showing off red and black fruits, perfectly ripened, with notes of charcoal, anise, briary stems, and bay leaf.
On the palate, full bodied, with a voluptuous mouthfeel, and the fruit showing pinpoint precision.
Polished tannins that should age nicely for several decades, and beautiful buffering acidity that enhances the long and lip-smacking finish.
Drink through 2040+. Amazing juice.
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9/16/2023 - Holadi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beatiful wine. Full fruit. Mod tannins. High acid. Still young. Leave for another 10 yrs. Goes amazing with a very marbled Wagyu seared steak.
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7/29/2023 - Hppr Cellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pure velvet initially with well balanced fruit and tannins. Finish is surprisingly short though.
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7/3/2023 - joshabramson Likes this wine:
Second time tasting this wine with similar notes. Already drinking great! Served a bit chilled with pizza.
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5/26/2023 - Jens DT Likes this wine:
Sassicia 2016
Dejlig blødhed fra Toscana. En hel flaske bliver noget kvalm ift Bourgogne, men virkelig dejlig.
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4/1/2023 - G_H wrote:
Way way too young, massive structure and intense tannin structure, plums, blood orange, good acidity. I wouldn't try this before 2030.
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3/29/2023 - G_H wrote:
Not ready yet. And judging from performances from previous Sassicaia vintages it needs a good decade+ to shine.
Cool, lots of minerals, oyster shells, dark berries, strong astringency, medium to full body.
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2/14/2023 - JEP007 wrote: 93 Points
This was so wound up over the three days it was consumed. Nowhere along the way was there any give. While I have little experience with young Super Tuscans, I was hoping that given the hype, this would have shown more fruit and perfume. It was a clenched fist of tannins. In 10-20 years the tertiary flavors will likely be amazing, but for now I cannot offer a higher score based on pleasure.
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2/7/2023 - RickyT12 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted an hour. It’s very tight. Fruit seems weak. Might be a subpar bottle. A black tea, prune, sour cherry. Nose is classic Bordeaux, but just not the fruit I expected.
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12/20/2022 - maaike2 wrote: 95 Points
Dinner at Richard's and Anita place on december 17, some short notes of the spectacular line-up: 5 hours in decanter. Dusty notes, incredible power, high acidity and powerful tannins. Closed Too Young. Let us open the next every 5 years. Hard to give a score, benefit of the doubt now 95.
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12/2/2022 - Yzhang1908 wrote:
TBD
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10/20/2022 - SimonDong wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, red fruit
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8/15/2022 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 94 Points
At Il Tinello in NYC. Only got to decant for 30-45 mins. Needs more time.
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8/1/2022 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Youthful but already expressive and drinking well. Pleasing acidity paired with old world fruit, powerful but graceful. Will only improve from here with time.
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5/23/2022 - BordeauxBoy wrote: 97 Points
Still very young. Decanted in a wide decanter at 2pm, decanted back into the bottle at 6pm, and started to drink about 8:00pm where it was just opening up. Enjoyed for the rest of the evening. Wonderful old world cabernet and cab franc blend where the fruit was void of that California sweetness but was stunningly delicious. The nose was intoxicating with some earthiness and herbs (not green herbal). A powerful wine built for aging but with air, just fabulous now. Will probably rate higher in 10 years.
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4/15/2022 - Bew Naweera Likes this wine: 100 Points
Sassicaia 2016 was drunk in 2022.
The recommended drinking window is between 2024-2040.
The legendary wine was very perfumed, florals like. It was let aerate for 4 hrs according to a sommelier.
The Sassicaia has a deep ruby color. On the nose, the first perfume that hit me was violet, lavender, dried flowers, sweet tobacco, menthol, wet stone.
While on the palate, The Sassicaia offered full-bodied, high alcohol level, well balanced indeed. There were, for me, blackberry, cassis, black fruit, minerals, earthy, tobacco cherry, and apple!.
This is truly one of the best wine I have ever tried.
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3/15/2022 - vintage_whine wrote:
Pretty, ripe and black fruited. Got some alcohol kicking through but the tannins are almost already fully resolved. Acid is bright but still long term age ability is a concern on this wine. Pretty now. Seamless blending, good minerality but fully ripe fruit. And still, some elegance
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12/18/2021 - Fredde17 Likes this wine: 100 Points
Absolutely fabulous! I had bought this in a restaurant 6 month prior to drinking. When we had it I asked for it to be opened 4h before. Nose: dark rich opulent fruit, some cassis (more red), violet, liquorice, dried plum, apricot and some fig. Mouth: very long sweet tannins and silky smooth. Dry (still young and therefore a bit astringent). Loved it!
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12/4/2021 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Superb wine. Already shows great fruits at this young age. Blackcurrant, capsicum, black olive, toast. Structural tannins fine and grippy, piercing acidity, pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. Like a lot of great Bordeaux, you either drink it really young or lay it down for a decade or two and patience rewards.
Detailed tasting experience refers to my 96 vintage note.
An awesome night with Ian and the fellow wine lovers.
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9/25/2021 - Winsip Likes this wine: 99 Points
This is a breathtaking wine! Gorgeously expressive perfumed of violets, lavender, black & blue cherries, hints of spearmint, citrus and fresh herbs. Stunning mouthfeel silky smooth, fine-grained tannins, great, great finish, it keeps singing a couple more minutes aftertaste. I so much love the elegance, balance, length of the legendary Sassicaia. The 2016 is a pure pleasure to enjoy now, 98-99 today and should elevate to greater potential after 2026.
This wine is truly the blood of Jupiter, every sip is a sublime I was left speechless. Out of the world!
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8/30/2021 - Eriklainen wrote:
DVI at Forslundska
Decant 3h. Unyielding and it didn't change that much during the following 4 hours. Had wished for some more cab franc profile but this was more sauvignon territory. All nicely packed, rather good balance and healthy structure. Behaves a little like a young BDX and I will look forward to tasting it again in, say, 5 years?
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8/24/2021 - Cailles wrote: 92 Points
No notes taken. We decanted this for roughly 90 minutes and followed it over two hours. In this short amount of time it never really showed much complexities and especially not much fruit. Some impressions we still got from this bottle: It’s certainly a dark fruited and very structured vintage for Sassicaia and I could well imagine that this could become a much better wine than most Sassicaias this century or longer as it clearly seems to have a lot of power and intensity underneath. Better purity too compared to most vintages. But as said before, right now it’s totally muted. My guess is that this will need at least 20 more years in the cellar.
Decanting: I guess this would have needed hours and hours in a decanter but the fruit is not there at this point, hence, better wait.
Glass: Conterno Sensory
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5/2/2021 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was such a GORGEOUS wine! Surprisingly very approachable for such a young wine with the pedigree for age. Dark wild berry fruits of cherry, blackberry, currants...silky smooooooooooothe and graceful dry cedar tannins...wonderful dusty dryness of crushed minerals and licorice...very pretty fresh flower florals of violets, lavender, and roses...exotic spices and vanilla spiced oak...and a really cool citrus note like a blood orange that brightens. Pure pleasure to drink now, especially with a chunk of meat...yet begs you to suffer with abstinence as it will only get better from here! +pts
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4/29/2021 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine: 99 Points
Kleur: Helder robijnrood. Aroma / bouquet: Intense, aangename en complexe neus met kenmerken van een oude-wereld-Bordeauxblend. Kersen, bramen, zwarte bessen, verfijnd hout, vleugje vanille. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow. Ook in de mond is dese '16 Sas intens, aangenaam en complex. Een prettige, subtiel lactische zuurgraad. Prachtig gerijpte, gepolijste tannines. Lange afdronk. Ongelofelijk lekker. Algemeen / potentieel: Deze wijn grenst aan perfectie. Niet vanwege een extreme concentratie, maar juist vanwege de ultieme zachtheid en balans. Ik zou deze wijn probleemloos hebben kunnen 'herkennen' als een hoge cru uit van de linkeroever van het Bordeaux-gebied. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Smaak / Afdronk: 20 + Algemeen / potentieel: 10 = 99/100
Color: Bright ruby red Aroma / bouquet: Intense, pleasant and complex nose with characteristics of an old world Bordeaux blend. Cherries, blackberries, black currants, refined wood, hints of vanilla. Taste / Finish: Wow. Also on the palate, this '16 Sas is intense, pleasant and complex. Pleasant, subtly lactic acidity. Beautifully aged, polished tannins. Long finish. Incredibly delicious. Overall / potential: This wine borders on perfection. Not because of an extreme concentration, but precisely because of the ultimate softness and balance. I could have easily 'recognized' this wine as a high cru from the left bank of the Bordeaux area. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 14 + Taste / Finish: 20 + Overall / potential: 10 = 99/100
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3/14/2021 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 94 Points
blind
I was completely lost, I guessed older Bordeaux or California Cab. Very smooth, not in a fruit stage. A bit "boring" at the beginning, later on very precise in the finish. Good acidity structure. I would expect much louder and fruit dominated. We will see what happens in the future. At the moment in a closed phase. 94+
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1/4/2021 - Passionvino wrote: 95 Points
Aperta una 375ml per verificare lo stato di evoluzione.
Al naso é completamente chiuso a riccio. Impenetrabile. Una leggera nota di frutti neri, pepe e di peperone verde.
In bocca é succoso e il sorso avvolge la bocca con grande eleganza senza spigoli da smussare. Acidità alta e tannini eleganti. Da dimenticare in cantina per almeno altri 5 anni prima di riassaggiarla dinuovo
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12/12/2020 - tundraline Likes this wine: 90 Points
Might need to be cellared for a long time. Certainly requires a substantial decant/open bottle to bring out its potential. Nothing really fantastic at this stage, but it does change appreciably as it unwinds. Drinkable nice wine, but given its reputation it came up decidedly short (at least for now). Recommend a 2-4 hour full decant for this wine, which is a bad Coravin pour candidate because of how closed the wine is right now after opening or pouring. I can see the possibility of this wine rating (perhaps much) higher after ten years in the cellar. From the perspective of whether this wine is worth $300 a bottle, my answer is an unambiguous "no."
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10/22/2020 - Dad300 wrote: 94 Points
had at a 50th birthday celebration
intense all around but incredibly integrated for being so young. acidity was the calling card initially but that smoothed out as the night went on..we drank this way too young and it needed a longer decant. classic Bordeaux on nose and palate.. wonderful wine.. will need to get a bottle at some point and age the sucker..
drank with a 2016 Tignello and a 2012 Damilano Cannubi Barolo.. this was the last bottle finished.
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9/21/2020 - rc@ughey wrote: 94 Points
Not a wine I was seeking out, but a local Italian place has it for cheap (way below retail) on the list, so I thought I'd give it a try. And it's *really* good--dense and dark but also balanced, mineral, and surprisingly graceful for the level of concentration. Super-extra young and structured, and I'm not sure I'd pay the going rate, but there's no denying the quality. This clearly will age and improve for a long time.
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9/15/2020 - hhcave wrote: 98 Points
Deep ruby, pronounced nose - cassis, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, red plum, potpourri, dried flowers, oak not dominating but some vanilla. Rich mouthfeel, mouth-coating tannins - will certainly improve with age - milerally. Some meaty tertiary coming through on finish (almost Jonata Syrah-esque note?). High acidity
Amazing potential - concentrated fruit, good structure, balanced despite youth (oak does not overpower)
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8/18/2020 - Romol Likes this wine: 93 Points
From 375 ml bottle. Not decanted, consumed over 2+ hours in a very good Restaurant. I guess it would have been even better with a few hours in the decanter. Improved with every minute. A very good Sassicaia but I think it needs at least 10 more years in the cellar. 93+ pts. at the moment.
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8/17/2020 - JJB007 Likes this wine: 95 Points
a 4 hour decant made a huge difference
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7/31/2020 - MarcelloW Likes this wine: 92 Points
I just don’t understand why some people overrate this wine so much at this time...for sure this wine is good, but today, this wine never deserves a very high score...it’s still closed...it’s a wine of elegance, not power...it’s a very good wine, but needs to be at least 10 years old to be (maybe) worth the money...I drank this wine the 3rd time today and spent with this bottle 24 hours and I will not open another bottle for several years...this could reach a much higher score, but for the moment 92 is the max in my opinion...
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7/29/2020 - Sen4469 Likes this wine: 96 Points
I rarely drink Bordeaux blend wine young as I don’t appreciate them. I had this wine in a restaurant. Decanted 1 hour. Very nice. The future looks fantastic. Great wine.
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7/18/2020 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 96 Points
This one is the real deal. Had the 2015 last night, was a good-not-great showing. Tonight this one went up against a 2009 Ridge Monte Bello. The MB was a more elegant wine, softer tannins and this one has more robust tannins but still very pleasing. This is the real deal. There is only upside for this wine, I can't wait to see how it continues to develop. Decanted half the bottle for 3.5 hours. Other half is in the bottle, vacuum pumped. Tomorrow will update for my Day 2 thoughts.
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6/7/2020 - Skaggs.1980 wrote: 94 Points
D: Brända däck, körsbär och hallon.
S: Mycket gott men kommer med tid att bli ännu bättre.
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6/1/2020 - otto60 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This bottle was better than the one in January
Sea breeze red and darker fruits expensive wood
Excellent harmony of fruit tannins and acid.
Medium to good length.
Burgundian. Unforced
Could gain points in the future
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4/25/2020 - streethawk wrote: 97 Points
Clear ruby. Nose of cassis and cherries opens up to show notes of forest floor, graphite, menthol, almonds. Impressive. Even at this young age, tannins are not overpowering. The acidity is medium-plus, alcohol medium-plus. Dry. Long finish. Incredible, balanced wine that is delightful now but likely has at least another couple of decades to keep improving. Amazing quality.
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4/25/2020 - GFischmann Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful balance of tannins and acidity with dark berries flair of vanilla, oak with early earth tones
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2/22/2020 - Wylie_coyoti wrote: 94 Points
Deep ruby in the glass with lifted nose of blue and red berries, vanilla, plum, tobacco leaves and cedar. Great balance with tremendous lift on the finish. The tannins are well mannered, but very present.
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2/14/2020 - Waedi Likes this wine: 94 Points
94+
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2/9/2020 - kwarning8@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at the Tucson Mineral Show in a sales room and was shocked at the outstanding early drinkability. Not much nose now but give it a few years and it will terrific and be 97+.
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2/8/2020 - Amerique wrote: 91 Points
Disappointing, maybe too young tasted among older wines
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1/25/2020 - kr522 wrote: 94 Points
this is very tasty and as expected drinking young. the nose however is more advanced in character than i'd have suspected, with a bit of a brown sugar/vanilla/prune character, while the palate is fresh and vibrant. the Cab Franc character showing even though i believe it's a small % of the blend
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1/19/2020 - otto60 wrote:
Too young or a weak bottle...even on day 2 im not shure
nice nose with some wax and incense.
medium weight, on the mid palate a mealy somewhat dull part that leads to the medium finish.
If one told me its a great vintage of le difese, i would believe it.
91-93 for now
to be revisited
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1/16/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Wow that smells great, wonderful soil mixed with fruits and minerality.
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1/14/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at the Wine & Spirits Top 100 Symposium in NYC. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Aged 24 months in one -third new French oak. I long for the Sassacaia's of the 1970's and 1980's that I first enjoyed at a price that made sense. This wine is the first I have had in 15 years that reminds me more of those older wines. Over the years I have felt the wine became too big and ripe and modern i.e. a big scoring Parker-Pleaser that aged less well and was surpassed in terms of purity and balance by other less well know, less expensive Super-Tuscans like Guado al Tasso and Oreno etc. At this age the wine is slightly open for business and has good balance and depth. I would expect this to shut down in another couple years and be more drinkable after its 10th or 12th birthday. More restrained and elegant but still not nearly a perfect wine as some have scored it and for the price I think we can still find wine out there that outperforms this one, or better still wines at half the price or less that are just as good.
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12/31/2019 - jwsmith wrote: 93 Points
15 is significantly more elegant.. Seems like parker missed the boat on 15 so gave this a huge score to make up for it. This wines pales in comparison to the 15 elegance depth and complexity... I am just saying.
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12/1/2019 - Christer Byklum Likes this wine: 100 Points
DEC 19 Ruby. Blackberries, anise, spices, blueberries, dark fruits, coffee, cassis, tight and firm at this stage. Faint scented high notes. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, juicy, dark fruity, nuanced, playful, detailed and layered, blackberries, cassis, incredible length. 100
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12/1/2019 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
During a walkabout tasting with very small pours, so only brief impressions. Young but you can see the potential here. The wine is particularly polished and elegant, stays fresh with bright fruit, clay, spices. I can understand that this received high scores. Hard to judge this young and with this little in the glass but 95+ should not be a problem here once mature.
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11/29/2019 - Auger Likes this wine: 97 Points
WS 97
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11/24/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 97 Points
85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. 14% alcohol.
This has to be one of the most delicious aromas ever from a Tuscan wine. Fantastically nuanced and detailed with gorgeous roses, violets, cherries, plums, light sweet spices, anise and nut. Really super delicious!
Full bodied and fresh wine that quickly charms with delicious fresh cherries, plums, juicy raspberries, ripe blueberries and a little vanilla. The wine could have had a bit more power, but has a brilliant acidity and tannin structure that provides perfect freshness and bite to the wine that will have a long life in the cellar in front of it. Lovely and long finish with distinct graphite feeling. Superb Sassicaia. 97 points.
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11/22/2019 - Quiet Lion Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine Advocate 1000-point dinner in NYC (Gabriel Kreuther): Monica Larner is a big fan of what Sassicaia has done with their large-production wine over the last couple years and I can see why. Sweet cassis on the nose, lush but not overly sweet fruit on the palate with good acid. Long finish with some minerality. 96+
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10/19/2019 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
A wonderfully calm and even nose. There are briary fruits along with black cherry and spiced plum. It has the scent of violets and some cedar. The palate is powerful and intense, but light on its feet and tannins simply occupy a space. There's some chalkiness to the extremely long finish and the crackling energy of the vintage. Is it the best Sassicaia since the legendary 1985? Could be.
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10/12/2019 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sassicaia Vertical Tasting (Friend's home): Vertical tasting of '14, '15 & '16 Sassicaia (no detailed notes, going off of scents and flavors that were memorable).
Aromas of a dense, humid forest, a good dose of sour oak/tobacco notes but bearable and dark red fruits. Flavors of dark and vivid, juicy red fruits that's almost prickly. You can feel the youth of this wine on the palate.. there's this rush of intense energy that comes off that almost seems to be vibrating on the palate (imagine a strong, vibrating liquid where the vibrations are constantly kicking up small cone-like columns and droplets). I was told that this was scored 100 points but I don't really see it (then again, I'm not a professional). I know I like young wines but even this may be too young for me. Give this at at least another 4-5 years and it should start to come together more.
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10/12/2019 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose dominated by blackberry, bramble, tobacco. Taste strong on dark berries. Loads of very fine tannins give the whole wine a sort of Turkish coffee feel. Tasted next to a 2016 Smith Haut Lafitte and I would have to give the Graves wine the edge.
Score : 93. Relative to expectations: 0
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10/12/2019 - csimm wrote: 95 Points
2016 and 2013 Sassicaia served side-by-side (Hotel Diamant, San Cassiano, Alta Badia, Dolomites).
Black plum, blackberry, cherry, tobacco leaf, thyme, charcoal, and subtle floral notes. Linear and direct on the front, but it gains some depth by the time it hits mid-palate. A fairly powerful push races the flavors off to the back end. The attack ends as it starts, with a chiseled and focused (and fairly primary) finish.
A wine that needs at least 5-7+ years before you should seriously start considering its best offerings, though it showed excellent potential both in its seeming longevity and ability to deliver full satisfaction once it reaches its prime. It was more giving and concentrated mid-palate than the slightly less deep 2013.
Is it a WA100 point wine for me? No. Is it worth the price point. Uh, no. A 2013 Antinori Guado al Tasso Superiore (at a third of the cost) wiped the floor with the Sassicaias. Cost and professional points aside, this 2016 Sassicaia did deliver overall. Youthfully heightened acid and speedy grip overpower the core flavors at the moment, but not so much that enjoyment can’t be had, even in its current primary state.
94-95+ points. Hold until 2025.
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9/30/2019 - tomoem Likes this wine: 96 Points
Had this during our Tuscany trip with friends 9/28 to 10/5 to Villa Montepulciano. We tasted this at the Enoteca La Fortezza Di Montalcino. Line-up included Brunello's from 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 2010. The 2015 was tasted but will not be released to us till next year.
Here we were treated to a bonus from Irald our server.
The 2016 Sassicaia is stunning, and for not the price, I would have purchased. The most powerful wine in the lineup but not the favorite.
Tremendous layers on the palette as the fruits take turns with the earth in the aroma category. More layers of flavors on the palette with a tannin laden backbone which gives this the structure of some of the greatest Italian wines ever produced. Reminds me of 2015 with even more structure.
It should place this wine squarely in line for one of the Wine of the year awards.
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9/16/2019 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear deep ruby; clean medium nose of fresh cassis, fresh blackberries, red cherries, vanilla and cinnamon; dry; high acidity; high tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; medium plus flavour intensity; pfn; long finish; outstanding quality; still just a baby - so tight
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9/2/2019 - Belair-Monange2015 wrote: 98 Points
The best young Sassicaia I habe ever had, so pure and with pure style, mineral, spice, fruit, perfect balance, long aftertaste. WOW
CB Weinhandel
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9/2/2019 - Orca-Belva Likes this wine: 96 Points
Jung
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8/17/2019 - Waedi Likes this wine: 94 Points
From 37.5 bottle w/ 45 min airing. Indeed very good.
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5/30/2019 - Axelpeter wrote: 95 Points
100PP!
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5/3/2019 - esw423 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Sample tasting at 2019 Philly Mag Wine Festival. All wines PnP at room temperature. This is scored along with ~40 other quality wines that I tasted over several hours.
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4/15/2019 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
The 2016 Sassicaia got a lot of early praises including a perfect score from the Wine Advocate. So we thought to check-in too see if all the fuzz is warranted. This is a wine with a cool, dark and elegant soul. It‘s very mineral driven and a lot of acidity which will guarantee a long life. The tannins are ultra fine, just perfection on this front. It reminded me a bit of the Leoville Las Cases 2016, although with less aromatic expression and a bit lower precision. Overall, this Sassicaia pales a bit in comparison to the some great 2016 Bordeauxs I tried over the past few months. But I like the classic, fresh character. Those looking for pure hedonistic pleasure, however, should probably stick to the 2015 Sassicaia (or the 2015 vintage in general). 93 points today (probably 95+ with the right decant) and the potential for more in the future.
TN: After an hour in the glass the nose started to reveal dark fruit (mainly blackberries), wet crushed rocks, graphite, dark wet earth, ash, smoke. Same profile on the palate and finish. Minerality currently defines the wine along with the ultra-fine tannins and the high acidity. It’s a fresh, dark, cool expression of a Bordeaux blend, much like some 2016 Bordeauxs like the Las Cases or Leoville Barton.
Decanting: We decanted and followed the wine over roughly 2.5 hours which might not have been enough time as the wine got better by the minute (although, the Bordeaux 2016s who outshine this Sassicaia didn’t get a decant at all). So if you pop a bottle today, give it at least 5 hours in the decanter.
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4/14/2019 - sirpat00 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted blind. Maybe 30min decant and drank slowly over 1.5-2h. Quite closed initially and needed time to open up - but opening up it did. Sweet spices present from the onset. Ripe cherries leaning more towards dark. Dry coal type of minerality. High acidity at this early stage creates the feeleing of an untames stallion. Extracted, high octane and lots of muscle packed into a classic old world style. Is it really the best since 1985? I guess early to tell, but very happy to have had the chance of establishing a first reference point here...
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2/28/2019 - watcheslover Likes this wine: 98 Points
Meaby at same level than 2015 but not now, too soon
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