Took some time till it really started. But after 2 hours it was a great tuscan bdx blend. Rather young, but therefore it was a perfect match to ossobucco.
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Saturated dark ruby in color. Complex aromas of smoky cassis, black cherries, leather, violets and warm spices. Layered and dense palate shows sweet dark small fruits, a herbal savoriness, medium acidity and a long perfumed and smoky finish.
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An excellent wine, well into its drinking phase but with time in hand. It has intense blackcurrant fruit, with a hint of dark cherry, a slightly gravelly, volcanic character and great length. Very fine indeed.
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Ornellaia Dinner (Stefani Prime - Lincolnwood IL): The single ringer in what turned out to be a double blind Ornellaia vertical, which I correctly identified as an Italian Bordeaux blend. Maybe it stood out too much or maybe this was an off bottle, but this was universally everybody tonight. Backward with little grace tonight.
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This was my 5th bottle of a six pack I purchased on release. The 1st bottle was flawed. Second 2 reviewed 4/17/22. 3rd bottle Easter 2023 was slightly oxed (cork wet almost to top). This bottle was absolutely phenomenal. Like I said, when Sassicaia is on, it is really a top level wine. This bottle, like the one from Easter 2023 had definitely turned the corner and entered its secondary stage. I popped and poured this bottle and drank slow with sirloin strip steaks. Beautiful black fruits, tar, gravel, violets, earth, and more. Essence of Tuscan Cab. Complex. Beautiful structure, and mouth feel. Very silky. Long life ahead. I hope my last bottle is this pleasing. When Sassicaia performs like this, I truly believe it's close or at 1st growth BDX level. Definitely at top or beyond most seconds.
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Just a fabulous bottle that was ready to go from the first pour although it did continue to positively evolve over the course of 2 hours. Deep, luxuriant aromas of garrigue, tobacco, warm spices, dark berry fruit and a hint of toast. Creamy and full through the mid-palate and a long, broad finish with powdery tannins. At its apogee and without a doubt the best of 8 bottles I've had of this vintage over the past 10 years.
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Really love this, so regal and special. Every time i have a sassicaia i think oh yeah! So good, lovely sour cherries, dark fruits, beautiful balance of red and dark fruit and fresh acid but with enough plump fruit to carry everything beautifully. Probably peaked about 3 hour mark and held so a decant recommended as was a bit tight and serious the first hour.
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From magnum. Tasted next to the 2008. Quite similar - again really well balanced with lots of acidity, generous fruit, nice tannic structure. Maybe not quite as complex. Very long and intense finish. Drink or keep. 94-96
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Belated birthday meal: Obvious Italian nose, and managed to land the right producer based on the capsule and got the vintage correct from a lucky guess. Showing some secondary development with prominent tannins so could have only been a 06 or 08. Dark plummy character with a little liquorice without being flabby. Think Sassicaia is the only vaunted supertuscan that I like.
A fairly deep and still bright colour. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, very elegant and with good depth and persistency. A fine example with some tannin still towards the finish which should ensure a long life ahead.
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Wow, this was really singing from the first pour. Deep garnet with a thin veneer of rust. Garrigue, tapenade, dark plum, deli meats, a hint of cedar as well as a saline note on the nose. Silky smooth, this cut a broad swathe across the palate with dense blue and dark fruit and impeccable balance. More savoury than sweet. A lingering grippy finish. This bottle was in its prime and I suspect will hold there for another 5 or more years. Superb.
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blind, half bottle in perfect shape, I guessed first Bordeaux from 2000. Black currant, cherry und violet. Well balanced. Small bottle size shows no aging signs. 97
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Will T’s Sassicaia @ Noizé (Noizé, London): Slightly cloudy mid ruby. Again, mulberry fruit but less of a creamy note though it’s still there. A bit more savoury. Similar fine grip but a little more rounded, but also a little drier. More spice cf the 05’s cream. A cool finish. Nice line and shape here. ****
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Wow! What a surprise. Opened for Easter dinner. Still extremely primary at age 16 but totally generous and expressive. Bright bright purple color and beautiful primary fruit. Opened a second bottle at the request of everyone at the table and it was exactly the same. Sassicaia is always the most finicky and unpredictable of the 3 great "Aia’s ", but when it's on, it may be the most impressive.
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Decanted more than one hour. The cork was half way stained and intact. Ample ripe dark fruit on the nose. Medium to full bodied, very supple with dense (over)ripe cassis driven dark fruit and a hint of menthol carried by rather grippy tannins and decent lean acidity. Good dusty kick on the longish finish. Overall very youthful, can easily hold for another decade. Felt almost overly ripe in the fruit department. A good and solid wine but I’m not convinced of the hype and high price.
Second day notes (after 24 hours in the fridge): Felt like a completely different wine with pleasant funky and earthy notes and balanced (ripe) fruit. Outstanding!
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BYO with LRD Folks (Daniel's place): Deep garnet, with significant browning fading. Smoky overtones on the nose with rich blackberry and cassis. A firm tannic bite, whilst having ripe blackberry, cassis, violets, smoke and tea. Very complex, and minute-long finish. Great wine!
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ricght in its drinking window. still benefits from decanting 2 hrs or more. very long finish. fruit on thenose with little toast. nicely balances still some tanines left. dark fruit. elegant wine not too much overpowered.
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I am not a huge fan of Sassicaia's quite austere style but this was very nice indeed. Quite big on the palate and with that tell-tale acidity providing plenty of lift. restrained fine tannins also bolster the structure. I often feel that they don't have enough fruit to cover the bones of the structure but this bottle certainly did. long finish, relatively straight forward. Drink now but will last for decades.
Note that since about 2013 Sass has changed styles and become more complete, with greater extraction giving a more welcoming mouthful.
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Earthy and farmyard wrapped with beautiful black cherry, tobacco, mint and toast. Pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. More complex and open than 01 and 02 vintage. Superb wine and one of my top 3 vintage in the night. Detailed tasting experience refers to my 96 vintage note.
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Restaurant purchase. 375ml. One hour decant. Drank over three hours. A deep ruby core fading to a pale ruby outer edge. Heady, seductive, and beautifully scented. Multilayered with sweet baking spices, black pepper, iodine, crushed pine needles, campfire smoke, and the Burgundian elegance of ripe red berries coupled with damson, blackcurrents, and vanilla-infused black cherries. Silken and velveteen it glides effortlessly across the palate. The fruit is ripe and dense with superb concentration and mirrors the damson, black currents, and vanilla-infused black cherries found on the nose. It’s perfectly fair to say this is a fine exponent of power and elegance. The one thing above all else this wine lacks is age. At 15 years old it’s still an absolute baby but a baby worth having nonetheless.
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A dark colour, and a dark, brooding wine with intense blackcurrant/ blackberry fruit and a touch of smoke. Very fine now, but will keep well for many years.
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Flash note. Romantic wine. Sensual. Seductive. Bright red and blue fruit. Sous bois and earthy nose. Coffee and tar. Refined tannins but still BIG. Plenty of horsepower to go another 20/30 years. Lengthy finish. Highly recommended.
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Advanced cherry red color with hint of reddish brown towards the rim. Mediterranean stain (olive, rosemary and sage), outline of spice, tobacco and leather, robust core of black currant and cherry, tannins still very free-range. Very full in the mouth. Intense and long finish. At least another 10 years without any problems.
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Still deep ruby. Sulfur and vegetal note that blew off. A gentle giant with a waft of wonderful plummy sweet dark berry fruit and spice together with toasty oak. Fine acidity with Medium finish. At a nice plateau and will last for a decade.
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Mrs L's birthday dinner at home with usual suspects ((At home)): Dark ruby. Cedar, cassis, iron shavings, lilac and spicebox on the plush and dense nose. Medium bodied, creamy and sinewy, with a robust core of fruit and delicate tannins, this wine is elegant and refined in a distinctly bordeaux style.
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A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%). Fermented in stainless steel. Macerated with the skins for 15 months. Aged for 24 months in French oak barriques. 13,5% alcohol.Tasted blind.
Slightly evolved and somewhat translucent cherry red color with a developed hint of maroon towards the rim. Savory, fragrant and somewhat evolved nose evocative of a developed Bordeaux. Aromas of wizened blackcurrants and juicy red cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of graphite, light autumnal notes of damp leaves, a hint of old leather and a touch of savory oak spice. Very attractive overall impression. The wine is ripe, juicy and somewhat evolved on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and quite intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some wizened red plums, a little bit of new leather (I wonder if there is a touch of brett here?), light leafy and slightly earthy notes of sous-bois, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of Oolong tea. The overall feel is balanced yet slightly soft with the relatively gentle medium-plus acidity, making the somewhat resolved yet still moderately grippy medium-plus tannins take care of the structure. The finish is structured, somewhat grippy and slightly warm with dry-ish flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some leathery tones, a little bit of tobacco, light nuances of savory wood spice, a hint of meaty umami and a sweet touch of wizened red fruits.
A juicy, harmonious and quite classically built effort that immediately takes me to Bordeaux - although the ripe, juicy fruit and quite gentle acidity make me think of a somewhat warmer vintage, or then a warmer location. My first guess was a 2005 left bank Bordeaux and second guess was a Cali Cabernet from the 00's. Well, Cab / Bordeaux was quite correct, only I got the country completely wrong. All in all, this is a very enjoyable and harmonious effort, despite the somewhat mellow acidity. Although the age is starting to show a bit, the wine is still far from its peak - I can imagine this will continue to develop for another 10-15 years and keep for even longer. A well-made Bordeaux imitation - although I'm not sure if it's really worth the +100€ price tag. After all, you can get tons of great mid-00's Bordeaux wines at half the price.
Medium red; nose somewhat muted, some pepper, roses; gentle and smooth, a bit smoked, rich tastefull middle, mild tannins at the end; fine, but not really “there”
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Still a baby, really needs air to show its best, the 1/4 bottle I put back in the fridge was even better the next day -- big and dark with chewy tannin, really good stuff.
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rather closed bouquet, ripe dark berries, baked plum, flowery notes accompanied by leather and cedar aromas. shows also some herbs.
medium+ tannins, high acidity. for me this wine was a disappointment. had really high expectations, but it did not deliver. it remained rather closed throughout the night and was "edgy" and not well balanced. We decanted it right away after opening. I really doubt that this 2006 will be showing its potential that many critics say it has. Only time will tell. Keep, don't drink now. Will maybe profit from a long decant.
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I just have to write a note about this vintage, because I drunk tonight a 2016 Sassicaia and last month I had a 2006 which was at this stage far better but still has a long way to go... 2006 is a Vintage with a lot of potential, it is not on the top yet, but with a 3 hour decant already approachable...what I want to say...most vintages of Sassicaia need 10 years+ and the best vintages even more!!!
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Super nice Tuscan. First time trying this wine/producer. Wow, Gave a bit of air (sub 1H) and super masculine, brooding, nice color. can taste primary and secondary flavors. Wow. 1.5L bought at auction :)
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In a really great place right now. Came alive after 30 minutes. Ripe rich deep juicy cassis driven dark fruit profile. Some complexity, beautiful balance.
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Lightly cloudy, deep garnet. Clean nose of medium plus intensity. Aromas of earth, forest, game, tar, dried cherry, toast, chocolate. Fully developed wine. Palate: dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, medium alcohol, medium plus body, pleasant, medium plus flavors of flint, tar, chocolate, cured meat, cedar, toast, tobacco. Finish is very pleasant and medium plus. Very good wine. Drink now. I would not age it much further as there are no fruit flavors left.
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Fantastic super Tuscan nose! Still fresh and full of fruit, yet classically delicate as Sass always is. Totally delicious and was an awesome 1st wine of the evening paired with outstanding middle eastern cuisine. Seems to still have lots of life left.
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Couleur sombre, soutenue, nez animal, fermé, forêt, profond, bouche ronde, élégante, fruitée, belle longueur, beaux tannins, légèrement vert et un peu séchard en fin de bouche, certainement encore un beau potentiel, -> 2025-2030
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Mid crimson to brick red; Warm, sultry nose filled with ripe red fruits: Bing cherry, soaked cranberries, spicy oak, some cedar box, vanilla and dried sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, with prominent red fruits, savoury edge with a sumptuous melted chocolate texture and fine powdery tannins. Plenty of vanilla bean, cinnamon, clove, mocha coffee and cassia root, the oak positively influencing the wine. There is almost a right bank Pomerol aspect to the wine. A long undulating finish. Delicately structured (feminine) wine seamless and wonderful depth. Outstanding!
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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: Some smoke, dark fruit on the well balanced but only medium expressive nose. Very soft and feminine on nthe palate with lots of red berries. The soft structure and good balance are the highlights here but the wine is missing the stuffing. Beautiful to drink but not overly interesting.
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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.
Toppings of sweet spices, bright and ripe fruit of forest berries and blueberries. Just a tad of wet leather. Intense, fruity palate with well integrated but very present tannin structure. Unfortunately a rather sudden finish leaving a dry mouth. Otherwise one of the high-fliers here in the Sassicaia line-up and a rare beat vs Margaux.
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Beautiful acid, well balanced after one hour decant, soft tannins but still chewy; a touch of faint sweetness which consist an interesting temptation. Slightly lack of purity and lasting ability.
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For me, this was at it's best 1 hour after pouring. Took 2 glasses out with coravin. The wine was definitely past it's best by 2 1/2 hours and, I think, optimal at 1 hour. Not the same as decanting into a decanter, of course. Classical Sassicaia. Bordeaux grapes but more green fruit and slightly more acidity. Whether I would pick this up blind against various clarets, though, I'm not sure! A really great wine.
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Absolutely delicious, early maturity and drinking wonderfully straight out of the bottle. While I recommend decanting, I was pleasantly surprised to see how approachable it was right out of the gates. Beautiful "Bodeaux esque" aromas and flavor profile. Love the slightly green herbal & tobacco characteristics. Reminds me of the 2000 Pichon Lalande and very Pauillac in style. Glad I have more bottles.
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Drank it on the second day for a glass, didn't really enjoy it. Felt the wine was too leathery for me, could be storage issue? On the nose, sweet currant, leather, tar, menthol, on the palate, the fruits were fading, quite big leathery and menthol sensation, not my type of wine
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Features ripe plum, black cherry and tomato puree aromas followed by black pepper notes. Rich and full with grainy tannins and a fruit laden aftertaste redolent of new world wines.
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Absolutely amazing bottle. Great nose, satin tanins, wonderful flavors with light red fruit highlighted by cherries and berries. Totally ready to drink. No need to wait but seems like it could last another 10 years.
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From mg. In the trio of 05-06-07, this is best - by quite a bit. Rich and in complete harmony, creamy fruit, very well balanced, this is cab from the top shelf. Still quite primary, but no sin to drink it now, if you like a little fruit in your wine. #Studio
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Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): This is still really quite young so if going to drink it needs a decant or at least some time to open up. This was very pretty. Again the red fruits and the minerals and the more pretty style. Very fresh. A very enjoyable wine.
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Beautiful on opening and more promising than my first bottle two years ago; very Bordeaux - like with notes of pencil, cedar and red fruits but with time and air this shuts down pretty hard and still seems to need another 5 - 10 years to really open up and get into its groove. A good time to check in on this but the message is hold, hold, hold, ideally to 2022 or later.
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SLDS September 2018: Roses, tobacco, redcurrant and some herbs. Bold fruit profile but still retains its finesse Palate has spark to go along with the fruit intensity. Opening well with air, really showing its youthful quality. Delicious.
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Decanted for 3 hours, dark red, beautiful nose, red fruits with a creamy vanilla finish, powerful nose, a very good Sassi that will be even better as it ages gracefully, the balance is phenomenal, oodles of pleasure 94+
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I thought I had written off Sassicaia for this year as “closed down” in my last review a month or two ago but I decided to pull this out for another shot lined up with 2015 sena Chilean bdx blend, tua rita 2015 Redigaffi and this 2006 Sassicaia. I decanted all for 2-3 hours tasted all and served. I initially thought the tua Rita was my favorite but the Sassicaia at 900- 6 hours after opening blew everything else away and was the WOTN as 5 out of 6 people said they liked this one the best. This Sassicaia has loads of class and complexity and paired perfectly with my ribeye steak. Blue fruit, Earth, spice and a long finish. The tanins are silky smooth. I will try to track down another bottle of this. This wine is in optimum drinking window after a long decant. I can’t wait to do a side by side comparing the 2001 to the 2006. It will be close!
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Enjoyed with another CTer last night. Big-time visit from the wine angels. Why I gave this a 96, don't know what could have been better. This wine is in perfect harmony. Great nose within 30 mins, long pure finish, light on its feet and oh so polished. Bordeaux like in every way other than the nose which to me was even better. To be really fair this wine deserves 30 mins to an hour really find its groove. From there perfection. Reinforces buying the best.
As for the wine itself, lighter smaller berries, some flowers and just a hint of mineralogy. Polished, complex and youthfully exuberent. Motivation enough to buy some new vintages for long-term cellaring.
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It gets even better. It was great in 2016 and even better now. I can't imagine it getting even better so my belief is that this is firing on all cylinders and showing at it's best. Just a perfectly balanced wine in every respect. Pure harmony.
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I agree with one of the previous reviewers. This wine is tight and only opened after 3-4 hours. Only after that time did the fruit come through. Savory and smooth with a pleasing acidity and moderate tanins. Maybe it needs more time in the bottle. I will save my last two
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Bright, tight, rich - very young; really needs air, this on, but the concentration and black fruit is here, tannins as well, it will be great in five years. 93+ point. #Philipson30
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Consumed over more than one week (vacumized and stored in fridge). Surprisingly the wine seemed older (notes of oxidation?!?) in the beginning than after one week (I already thought about getting rid of the remaining 6 bottles...). So finally happy still having 6 bottles and definitively no reason to rush. Rather wait or give enough time to breath before consumption.
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Opened and tasted. Tight !!!!!!! Decanted for 4 h !! This is so dark . So concentrated . No fun !!!! Much too young . This needes several years of further aging. Put it in the edge of your cellar and forget it for minimum 5 years !!! I will !!!!! Patience will be rewarded . This will be amazing ! 93 ++
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2006 anything goes dinner. A very familiar Bordeaux-nose with that Cab-Franc (greeness), cedar, lead. Excellent intensity/weight on palate with earth, leather that's balanced with nice freshness. Very good and will get better with more bottle-age...
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Had at Babbo, Mario Batali's original NYC Italian restaurant and still a classic dining experience. Over a 4 hour dinner opened 4 bottles. Each was better than the previous with the last the best. Not sure if that is because of the extended decant or we were 3 bottles in! Love the complexity. The nose and palate are so different. The interaction of red fruit and earth is awesome. Could go up against classic French Bordeaux.
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Dark garnet red. Mineral, light tobacco, grilled herbs, and dark fruit on the nose. Elegant style, would fit in with a group of Bordeaux reds. It does have tart cherries on the finish. Liked it, but there's a lot of competition for a lower price tag.
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Blackberry/raspberry, violet, earth, spice, cedar?, tobacco, med high acid, med high acid. Not earth shattering. At $200, not great QPR. Falls in a tough spot. Many Cali cabs in this price range are better, same with classified growth Bordeaux.
{magnum} Loved it. Classic Sassicaia, this began as very good and transcended to excellent in pretty short order. As with most Sassicaia, I love the interplay of fruit with the trademark notes of the sea and earth which are always in the background, though not too recessed that they're buried. A wine that's magic (i.e. complex) on the nose, and shifts so often, but equally as fascinating on the palate, with such artful layers of pure, delineated fruits; which is to say this is the total package, . A great wine today, this might become a gem some day - need to keep an eye for more. Thru 2033. highly recommended
Double decanted 7 hours prior to service; served non-blind, just above cellar temp.
https://italianwine.blog/
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Dinner at Marea. Singing after 90 minutes. Such wonderful balance. An elegant wine with an intoxicating nose and 50-second finish. This should evolve for several more years and last a couple decades.
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Brought this this to dinner with Bob M at da Filippo, great spot in Sommerville with perfect food to pair with this and an 07 Flaccianello that Bob contributed. Thinking this was on the young side, I sought some guidance from from CT on decanting. Wound up slow oxing this for about 4 hours prior to dinner.
Color was rich and vibrant purple. The nose was amazing: dark fruits, earth notes, mushrooms and distinct layer of truffles. Palate of dark fruits, tart blueberry, leather, violets. Picked up some charred oak and earth notes on the mid/back palate. The finish is long and layered, probably close to 60 seconds.
This is still on the young side but already a stunning wine. Likely continues to evolve for 5 years and drinks 20+ past that. Tasters can debate what constitutes a perfect/100 pts. wine....A function of the tasters palate, preferences and environment tasted, Whatever the case this may be a candidate in a few more years...Great now, upside with a few more years of bottle age...97++
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Blind Italian. Looks young. Probably inside 2005. Cool nose of blackberry fruit and black currant with a fair bit of spice. Medium+ oak. Striking on the palate but with very good balance. Dark enough for Cabernet but not as heavy... Fairly dense, so maybe a bit of Merlot too, maybe Ornellaia or Massetto? Tannins have a lot of grip and there is a ton of sharp peppery spice through the finish. 2006 Sassicia on the reveal.
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Zachys/Mana tasting (Mana Contemporary (in Jersey City)): Maybe the show stealer of the night. It was between the French and the Cali and really came off as the best of both worlds. Cigar and leather and fruit. Pretty strong tannins. Almost an unctuousness to the wine. And a hint of minerals and salinity. Paired very well with the pork belly. When we did our recap a number of us (me included) had this as one of the wines worth remarking on.
Drank last night along with some other amazing wines. Drinking like an elegant Bordeaux. 85% Cab, 15% Cab Franc. A delicate, silky, refined experience. Just starting to show within it's undoubtedly long drinking window.
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Wow wine, nose to die for, flower power, on the palate elegant, intellectual and complex, a stunner, beautifully layered and drinking very well, WOTN, 95
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This wine begged for hearty food to balance its firm forward concentrated taste profile. It was best paired with the grilled portabello mushrooms.
This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, firm, tight, complex and concentrated black berry fruits accented by a layer of cassis, graphite, smokey creosote and dark expresso, turning to firm tannins on the firm, long, lingering finish.
Caravaggio (NY) Sassicaia dinner. Tasted '90, '97, '01, '06 and '12. Light nose of dark cherry, some violet and a light tar note. Smooth palate with tart berry, and earthy notes. Relative light on its feet as well, but has fleshed out much more than the '12. Beginning drinking window, but I think it has more to reveal; expect this will improve in time. 2018+.
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Tuscany 2006 Ten years after. (@ SvdV): Creamy bouquet with red and dark forest fruits as well as luxurious and well dosed oak. On the palate a creamy and beautiful start with the same red and dark berries, sweet spices, mint, perfectly integrated and luxurious oak, beautiful acidity and soft and round tannin with a lovely bite. Extremely well balanced wine with a great length. For me personally this was the WOTN due to its complexity, elegance and freshness. Great wine with a great future until well into the 2020’s.
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Decanted three hours but even with this there was very little development and the wine remained stubbornly foursquare and reticent. Nice balance of fruit and tannin, even if the latter is still pretty drying on the finish. Graphite and dark red and black fruit. But young.
In hindsight I am not sure why I ever thought that a wine like this would have developed faster than, say, a 2006 Bordeaux and I'm not touching those for a bit. I'll leave my other bottles a good while before the next one.
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SASSICAIA MAGNUM VERTICALE (WINETIP - MILANO): Degustato da Magnum a settembre 2015. Etereo e di pregevole fattura, ispira un senso di rispetto e aristocrazia. Impatto moderno con rovere ancora molto sensibile. La bocca è tesa, acidula, molto fine e verticale. La persistenza è ancora giocata sulla tattilità del tannino immaturo piuttosto che sugli aromi. Da attendere 10 anni con fiducia ( in formato magnum).
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Very Bordeaux like with noble barnyard, graphite, cedar, cassis and only hints of capsicum. Med-full bodied with soft tannins, perfect balance and a long aftertaste. Drinks nicely but could age further. Sassi of the night and the only one that beat clearly the Ornellaia from the same vintage.
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Decanted 2+ hours. Ready to drink but still has a long life ahead. One of the best italian wines i've ever had. 94++ pts. In a few years maybe even more.
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Winemakers Dinner på Operakällaren i Stockholm med Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta från Tenuta San Guido. Vi provade sida vid sida 2004, 2006, 2009 och 2012. Cabernet Sauvignon 85% och Cabernet Franc 15%. Jag drack det här vinet för några månader sedan och var lite besviken men denna flaska var något helt annat. Utan tvekan kvällens bästa vin. Underbar mörk frukt, lakrits, läder, tjära, rosor och lite skogmark. I smaken har det en otroligt fin balans och väldigt elegant med sval fin frukt, underbar syra och silkiga tanniner och väldigt fin längd.
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blind tasting of 17 different kind of wines all over the world
Drank together with Termanthia 2005, preferred the Italian wine at this stage, more accissible.
ripe dark berries, cassis, some vanilla, aromas from the barrique, ripe tannins, very powerful but elegant in another way, a lot of future for the next 20 years 95+
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detta vin levererade inte vad det ska göra enligt mig, näsan är väldigt sval med kola blyerts, blå frukt, torrt och lite dammigt intryck. Gissade på södra Rhone på detta vin och tyckte kanske inte doften var så bra. Smaken är bättre än doften, söt frukt dominerar men även här är den lite blyg, troligen är vinet i en tunnel och därför inte blommar ut.
91-93
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Nose shows a cool profile, dusty and dry, dry fruit with sweeter red small berries, herbs, mint, with a small touch of acetone and leather. Palate is somewhat closed, showing only hints of fine red fruit, silky tannins, rather high acidity, with tart red berries on the long finish. Balanced but not very expressive. Very different from previous bottles enjoyed, as this seemed much more closed and less straight forward and expressive. Fruit is somewhat hidden at this point. This should be better. It might be in a transition phase at this point, ready to burst out in a year or a few? I hope so, because this was rather disappointing, compared to my expectations. (92 – 94)
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On the nose, cassis, cold blue berries, dust, nice fine herbs, licorice and some fine dark plums. On the palate, blueberries, fine but very present acidity and tannins. Medium + finish
A wine that has to be in a tunnel at the moment. This do not deliver at the best right now. Still a very good wine
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Truly outstanding wine! Big and muscular vs the equally impressive Ornellaia's which are more supple and toned. Serve after min one to two hour decant.
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Top 100 Farewell Dinner 2015 (Rodwell House): (Tasted Blind): Flawed see above. Deep garnet and started with damp cardboard. Umami notes with herbal and dark fruits. Sadly, the cardboard increased and cork taint surfaced.
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Limited notes. Complex lovely nose. Elegant, cool, acidity more prominent than tannins perhaps. Great mid palate and long lingering finish. Great wine!
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A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Explosive layers of cranberry, sweet spice and red velvet on the nose; backwards, monstrous & primary, only hinting at the level to which this should soar; concentrated but not extracted; chewy tannins; tremendous balance; no oak; continued to develop with air.
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Quite tawny in colour. A lot more savoury on the nose than the Mas La Plana before. Very expressive, less ripe, more complex, tobacco, forest notes, hints of mushrooms, spices. On the palate elegant, fresh, very well balanced. Still a bit tight and drying. Very long, spicy finish. Excellent 93-94+
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Drank in Davy's Incredible smoothness and length. This is really on-Point at the moment. A real classic super tuscan from a great vintage. Need to find some more.
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Sassicaia vertical tasting 11, 10, 09, 07, 06, 05, 04, 01: quite peppery and animalic. High tension. Anis, menthol blue and blackberrles. Still seems very young and has many years ahead. Next to the 04 and 10 this is the winner of the tasting. Comparable to the 10 but more masculine than the 04.
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Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia vertical 1998 - 2010: Medium ruby. Expressive nose of red fruit, cherry with some torrefaction and oak. On the palate it is medium+ bodied, combining both ripeness and structure, very compelling, good length too. Clearly one of the best vintages of Sassicaia. I personally prefer the 08 and 10 even more but if you like it a bit more ripe and fruity than this is the one to go for. Wait or decant before drinking.
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Wow! Intoxicating nose of ripe black fruit, loads of iodine, cedar wood... high acidity but ripe tannins, not too powerful and good lenght of fresh red berries... One of the best Sassicaia's I've had!
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VERY ELEGANT WINE WITH WITH RICH DARK BERRY FRUIT, LEATHER, AND EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE. RICH FRUIT, BLACK CHERRIES, CURRANTS, BLACKBERRIES & HINTS OF MINT IN THE FLAVOR. COMPLEX, LONG FINISH
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Simply excellent. A little tight at first but after an hour in the decanter it showed marvelously. This has everything you want in super Tuscan. Sadly there are only 11 bottles left in the case.
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Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Masterclass with Greg Sherwood MW (Handford Wines, London): Spicy on the forefront and then the dark fruits kick in. Very open on the nose, light oak. Big tannin but not harsh, bigger wine than the 07 &08. Good ripe core of fruit, primary but mo harsh edges. Good acidity and overall felt like it needed more ageing than the 07 & 08. Maybe 15yrs away from peak.
Herbal nose, anis, bell peppers, intriguing. Dense and not giving away much on the palate at present, lots of grip and fine, but drying tannins, great freshness and lovely persistence. The most backward, needs time. Great potential. 91-93++
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Un goût de prûne !! Très bon mais à boîre dans 10 ans.Je croyais avoir à faire à un SuperToscan type bombe.Un vin qui est très équilibré et très droit.
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Stunning, infanticide of course but appropriate for Thanksgiving, even though too young, it was far more approachable than the Oreno we had alongside, even after 2 hours aeration - Dark, full bodied with a nose of black fruit, licorice, tobacco, cedar, plum and vanilla, amazing structure and integration even at this stage, complex, intense, silky smooth on the palate with outstanding length, extraordinary (96 Points).
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Appearance: Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs. Nose: Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, red fruit of raspberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of liquorice, floral notes of violet, maturity notes of savory, kernel notes of cocoa. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and well-integrated texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, red fruit of raspberry, oak notes of cedar, mineral notes of tar. The wine has a long finish. Conclusion: Very good quality super-Tuscan from Italy, the wine has a good intense nose showing complex characters, with the interesting changes happening during the process of enjoyment. On the palate it is equally concentrated showing a good balance of acidity, with a seamlessly integrated tannin which is so perfectly matched into the wine. Accompanying by a very long finish, this wine is beautiful and ready to drink now, though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.
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Deep red, not black. Delicate, floral, blueberry and rasberry. Soft fleshy palate, evenly balanced, very refined tannins, pure flavours, no oak evident, very nicely integrated, long and supple finish. Perhaps lacks complexity, but structure is excellent.
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deep violet and opaque in color...rich and complex nose of dark ripe fruits, cedar, tobacco, licorice and earth...palate is beautiful balance of fruit, terroir and tannins although still in it's infancy...long supple finish which paired extremely well with northern italian dinner, so much so almost made me forget the meal...a real treat - approachable and not too big
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Decanted this for an hour at the restaurant but it needed more. The tannins and finish were quite hard but the fruit and balance were all there. Shut down at present so I would wait 5 years to open one of my own bottles. 93 now but 95+ later.
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Drank at Ned Towle's wine tasting. A wonderful wine, though way too young to be opened at present. The wine is a dark ruby color, medium bodied, nose of smoke and cedar, a bit sweet at first, and a very long finish. Lots of fruit hits you right in the face--cassis, blackberries, and maybe a bit of tar there. I look forward to tasting this again in 5-10 years.
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Sassicaia! (Roma - Hilton Cavalieri): Hot and dry summer, also if not like 2003. Full crystalline dark ruby red. Blueberry and Blackcurrant (!!) at nose. Also if evidently young, tannins and acidity have all the premises to become a superior wine. Better than 04/05. ****
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Drank with a nice Italian meal with lots of red meat. This is still a baby and I really should stop opening bottles but I cannot resist. Needs a good two hours in decanter before opening up its full beauty. I think I prefer the '06 to the '04 but they are both still babies.
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Tasted alongside the Ornellaia 2006: Winner = Sassicaia. Much more expressive bouquet with an explosion of cassis, flowers. The wine is still young at this stage and will be mind boggling in 5 - 8 years.
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Non-blind (tasting at Enoteca Sogo Yokohama). 1/2-btl. Red. Nose of sulfuric fumes from granny's toilet. Medium bodied, dangerously balanced and refined, elegant wine with a restrained appearance that is most impressive! Not as impresive as the price tag, but, yeah... This in 10-15 years' time will be just breath taking! A much better showing than last time. Up to par.
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Despite the fact that I'd rather have an old-school barolo, this is clearly exceptional juice. I was expecting it to be Parkerized, modern monster juice, but that just isn't the case here. Classy stuff all the way through.
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Decanter Sassicaia & Ornellaia Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Medium ruby with a medium garnet rim. Expressive nose with elegant cassis, cedar, pencil shavings and cigar box. Also some elegant farmyard nuances. Elegant very Bordeaux-like nose. Palate has ample plummy fruit, red currant, black currant, firm tannins and medium to high acidity. Bitter cedary nuances are coated within this sweet and ripe fruit and there are present graphite notes as well. Elegant wine with inky and licorice flavours but mainly cedary Bordeaux- like flavours. Wonderful silky texture. Like a left bank Bordeaux with added warmth and sweeter fruit. Cannot praise enough this wine.
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Super Tuscans and Gourmet Pizza: Contributed by the Yohs and tasted blind. Full throttle on nose & palate - vanilla / cedar / sour cherry / black cherry, sage - full body with long finish - tannins big but the fruit handled them well. Very enjoyable wine and my #2 wine in the tasting.
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Violets, some stony, smoky minerality and sweet fruit. Something musty though too. But is the palate oxidised? Mushroom, gran reservation like, but without the strawberries. Quite sharp and astringent finish.
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I'll confess to being far more underwhelmed with this wine than most others here. Very good quality, but no way I'd rate it a knockout. The main problem is that the tannins are excruciatingly strong at 4-5 years, and will require at least 10 to 15 more years of cellaring before they'll mellow out. Unfortunately, the fruit and body are very much on the thin side, even a bit watery. The overwhelming tannins may hide this fact for most reviewers. It is not unheard of for many winemakers to deliberately amp-up the tannin or oakiness content of the blend in order to mask a lack of real substance underneath, and I suspect this may be one of those instances. I have no doubt there will be little left of the fruit by the time these tannins deteriorate. I'd probably be kinder to it in my review if it wasn't so expensive, since in my view it is definitely not worth almost $200 a bottle. Might be a pleasant surprise at 1/3 that price. Otherwise, an above-average quaff, with pronounced aromas of smoke, spice and pepper that redeems the experience somewhat.
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Tasted blind – this wine is everything I had expected it to be and then some. Amazing balance of fruit and minerality. The nose has a strong odor of cassis, red and black fruits, violets, spring flowers and limestone with Tuscan iron minerality. The palate was the same and it tastes distinctively Italian. The tannins were present but not too drying that it makes this undrinkable now. Tasted 08 Ornellaia after and there is no competition and completely opposite.
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Vertical tasting. Ruby red. Intense aromatic nose of ripe plums, currants, smoke, pencil leads, oak, with hints of mushroom, or Tuscan earth. Need half 5 hours or more to open up, decanted, some sediment. Closed, velvety, round ripe cherries, blackcurrants on the palate, hidden layers of structured characters, fruits, burnt oak, smooth, with acid and tannin as balanced foreground, wound together in a intricate knot. Long finish ending with firm tannin biting. Cellar potential for 10 years or more. Overall, slightly more fruity than 2005, firm young tannin foreground, potentially to open up its personality in years to come, and going to be a long wait for it to grow to mature, and unleash its characters. I think 2005 and 2006 are closed runner-ups for legendary '1985' vintage for Sassicaia, as I speak of its potential, the price for each bottle is going up unprecedently. A7P7C8
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Still painfully young and dominated by tannins, this shows a core of plum, blackcurrant, allspice, and burnt earth. Delicious but needs a lot of air to drink now. Best to wait a few years.
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För ung för min smak, lite spritig i doften och lite obalanserad, smäller till direkt i munnen med kraftiga tanniner men saknar just nu l mellansegmentet. Blev bättre med luft då spritigheten försvann och vinet började mjukna lite. Låt ligga eller dekantera länge
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Light red colour. Too high acid for my taste: I percieve it as imbalanced. The refined structure and the wonderful tannins makes for an impressive feeling. But, not quite enough for to enter my cellar. Costly...
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tasted next to 2005 ornellaia. Amazing contrast. Med + intensity aromatics of pyrazine, purple florals, petrol, earth, vanilla, mineral and red fruits...almost a wild animale character to this. Very taught in style tasted next to ornellaia. RIpe stringy tannin with flavors of ink, flowers, moneral, chalk blackberry and licourice. This is going to age great and be even better in a few years. The balance here is impeccable.
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Opened 3 hours prior to drinking. Very smooth with lush fruit, silky to the taste, long finish. Wine continued to open with dinner for the next two hours
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A complex Super Tuscan showing power and depth. Aromatics of dark fruits, toast, chocolate, and some earthiness. Wonderful structure with medium-plus acidity and some grippy tannins that will support and evolve the wine nicely with age.
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Savory, deep and complex, this reveals blackcurrant and plum aromas on the nose that seem to effortlessly mesh with notes of dusty chocolate, wood smoke, olive, wild herbs and braised fennel. Medium bodied on the palate, young and firm, with medium plus acidity and somewhat drying tannins capping the dark cherry, mint, and soil flavors. While still a fantastic effort, this is my first time noticing a certain tautness on the palate.
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More delicious than the last. Cork was in better condition though stained halfway. Beautiful, old world aromatics. Tobacco/cigar. Leather and earth. Plenty of fruit to satisfy a new world wino like me. Classic cassis, currants, red fruits with stunning balance and acidity. Alot of tannins but not too much for my palate. Wish I had the patience to wait 20 years. Day 2 - Drank the last 4 oz tonight. So so good. With the tannins softened, this wine was beautiful. Elegant. Worth the $165 I paid.
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Decanted an hour before being poured and it's fascinating to sit down with this right after the '95 - the aromatics are very similar with the same Bordeaux-like cigar smoke and leathery perfume, but on the palate it's much more about its fruit. Packed with cassis, plums and black cherries, with more savoury elements emerging as this breathes and impeccably balanced with plenty of tannin and acid structure, but enough richness to keep the tannins from being punishing now. Like the '95, stunning.
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Wow, what a tannic, mouth puckering monster. My #2 of the night at San Antonio Wine Geek night and first experience with a Sassicaia. The wine has a remarkable saturated deep blue violet color. A very youthful remarkable nose with very sweet oak, currants, menthol, and blueberries. Full-bodied super tuscan with a monumental concentration of black cherry fruit, plums, minerals, anise on the palate. However, this wine has enough fruit underneath with a great balance of acidity to be even drinkable at this stage. I need to try a mature Sassicaia soon.
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San Antonio Wine Geeks - The Great Gathering (aka: Steak porn/Wine Orgy); 11/5/2010-11/6/2010 (The Home of Steve Treu): WOTN for me, though painfully young. Rich complex nose with a pure red fruit profile, lots of cassis, licorice, lavender, with a saline element. Fresh acidic palate, with fine tannic finish that was the most drying of the night. Palate adds tons of red fruit, but just an explosive mineral/slate character that I can’t say I’ve ever experienced in a cab. Great length on the finish, with a little coffee. Really only enjoyable with steak to cut the tannins, this will be a remarkable wine in 10+ years.
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Deep red color with a nose of olive and smoked meats - a very magical nose that I keep coming back to. Amzing pure expressions of of black fruits and a touch of spice. This has been open for about 4 hours and is showing beautifully. this is really terrific.
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Wow, super sexy and super elegant - the best of three tastings of this wine - with a touch of cedar, grilled herb and olive aromas adding depth to the suave black fruit and new oak notes. Medium to full bodied, suave and velvety on the entry with beautiful intensity, good acidity, and fine tannins framing currant, plum, earth and raspberry flavors. Amid a tasting of First Growth Bordeaux, and cream of the crop Napa Cabernets, this stood out as something, well, exceptional.
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Garnet. Black fruit, forest floor on the nose. Incredible depth and structure, with incredibly silky tannins despite its relative youth. Very elegant and long finish. This 85% blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc is more First Growth-like than Tuscan. It is drinking very well now, but is likely to be even better in several more years. A great wine, but because of its pedigree it is probably twice as expensive as it should be.
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Alluring, with astounding depth to its ripe black fruit, leafy tobacco, olive, earth, and peppery spice aromas. Medium bodied, seamless, and very savory, but shockingly open for business. Tannins show up on the back end, and while this could use some time, it was pretty fun to drink.
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Second time I get this blind. Very sweet and forward nose, almost Merlot typicity. Full bodied and sweet. Overseas style, but with a good, fresh underlying acidity which makes it interesting to drink. I guessed US Cabernet from Ridge (Montebello) on it...
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Very green and closed. Seems lacking in fruit but probably needs time. Medium tannin and a long long finish. 94 now, but might get better with some time.
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This is the second time I have had this and both times I have come away thinking it is a phenomenal wine. The fruit, tannins and acidity are all there and so well balanced. Big yet almost elegant. A very memorable wine that has a long life ahead of it. I just wish it was in my price range.
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Big Red! (Sportsman's): Dark garnet color. Red berry aromatics. Cherry, raspberry, plumb and currant. Very well balanced. Excellent depth and complexity in the mid palate. Closing down on the finish. This wine will be amazing with a few years of bottle age.
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tossing this wine into a tasting is, while admirable, i guess, doesn't really allow for a very strong eval. not decanted, a 2 ounce pour, how much can you ascertain? hey, it's closed and tannic. what a surprise. i was taken a little aback by it's barnyard nose. ?? i don't know how this will emerge, but it strikes me as a bit manipulated. obviously, hold.
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Cherry jam and toasty, nutty wood nose. Medium-full bodied with dry, medium tannins, balanced acidity, and polished fruit flavours. Med-long finish. 3.5/5
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Young, primary, sexy and plush with deep, concentrated flavors of black plum, currant, spice and tar. Full bodied, rich and detailed with very fine tannins. I wouldn't open this for at least ten years, as it really needs time to put all its elements together. (93-95)
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Amazing nose on this beauty, with dark ripe fruit, smoke and a silky finish. We decanted for three hours and the wine continued to evolve in the glass. Fantastic way to celebrate USC's win over the domers.
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OMFG wine right here! Decanted for 3 hours. Incredible nose. I couldn't get my nose out of the glass. Ridiculous complexity on the palate. Big but so perfectly balanced. Menthol, smoke, red fruit, black fruit, coffee, leather and tobacco. The finish was well over 60 seconds and pure silk. Just one amazing Sass.
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{ST} Thankful to get a taste of this, but the pour was so small it was difficult to evaluate. Decant approximately 1 hour. Nose of dark cherries, Dominican tobacco leaf, and smoke. On the palate, layers of primary red and black fruits, spice and tobacco. Excellent acid, outstanding fine-grained tannins give this an elegant texture. Finish of same flavors was not as long as one might expect. Would love to try this in ten years.
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3/31/2024 - LIE-user Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took some time till it really started. But after 2 hours it was a great tuscan bdx blend. Rather young, but therefore it was a perfect match to ossobucco.
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1/3/2024 - devraj Likes this wine: 94 Points
Saturated dark ruby in color. Complex aromas of smoky cassis, black cherries, leather, violets and warm spices. Layered and dense palate shows sweet dark small fruits, a herbal savoriness, medium acidity and a long perfumed and smoky finish.
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1/1/2024 - JS199 wrote: flawed
Corked
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12/3/2023 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 96 Points
An excellent wine, well into its drinking phase but with time in hand. It has intense blackcurrant fruit, with a hint of dark cherry, a slightly gravelly, volcanic character and great length. Very fine indeed.
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8/1/2023 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Ornellaia Dinner (Stefani Prime - Lincolnwood IL): The single ringer in what turned out to be a double blind Ornellaia vertical, which I correctly identified as an Italian Bordeaux blend. Maybe it stood out too much or maybe this was an off bottle, but this was universally everybody tonight. Backward with little grace tonight.
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5/30/2023 - tropa56 Likes this wine: 98 Points
This was my 5th bottle of a six pack I purchased on release. The 1st bottle was flawed. Second 2 reviewed 4/17/22. 3rd bottle Easter 2023 was slightly oxed (cork wet almost to top).
This bottle was absolutely phenomenal. Like I said, when Sassicaia is on, it is really a top level wine. This bottle, like the one from Easter 2023 had definitely turned the corner and entered its secondary stage. I popped and poured this bottle and drank slow with sirloin strip steaks.
Beautiful black fruits, tar, gravel, violets, earth, and more. Essence of Tuscan Cab. Complex. Beautiful structure, and mouth feel. Very silky. Long life ahead. I hope my last bottle is this pleasing.
When Sassicaia performs like this, I truly believe it's close or at 1st growth BDX level. Definitely at top or beyond most seconds.
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3/5/2023 - winelover3 wrote:
Vivek’s house in London with Jenny’s lamb
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2/2/2023 - hkbob Likes this wine: 97 Points
Just a fabulous bottle that was ready to go from the first pour although it did continue to positively evolve over the course of 2 hours. Deep, luxuriant aromas of garrigue, tobacco, warm spices, dark berry fruit and a hint of toast. Creamy and full through the mid-palate and a long, broad finish with powdery tannins. At its apogee and without a doubt the best of 8 bottles I've had of this vintage over the past 10 years.
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12/17/2022 - vino777 wrote: 95 Points
Unbelievable. Opened up over 2 hrs at dinner and was spectacular. Drinking well but still a good life ahead.
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11/19/2022 - jmoon wrote: flawed
Really love this, so regal and special. Every time i have a sassicaia i think oh yeah! So good, lovely sour cherries, dark fruits, beautiful balance of red and dark fruit and fresh acid but with enough plump fruit to carry everything beautifully. Probably peaked about 3 hour mark and held so a decant recommended as was a bit tight and serious the first hour.
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11/18/2022 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at 67
Fully mature and a real beauty
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11/5/2022 - rossi.wine wrote: 95 Points
From magnum. Tasted next to the 2008. Quite similar - again really well balanced with lots of acidity, generous fruit, nice tannic structure. Maybe not quite as complex. Very long and intense finish. Drink or keep. 94-96
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10/23/2022 - GFischmann Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect balance of red fruit , acidity and tannins
Would not hold for much longer
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10/21/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 94 Points
Belated birthday meal: Obvious Italian nose, and managed to land the right producer based on the capsule and got the vintage correct from a lucky guess. Showing some secondary development with prominent tannins so could have only been a 06 or 08. Dark plummy character with a little liquorice without being flabby. Think Sassicaia is the only vaunted supertuscan that I like.
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10/15/2022 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A fairly deep and still bright colour. Ripe blackcurrant fruit, very elegant and with good depth and persistency. A fine example with some tannin still towards the finish which should ensure a long life ahead.
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9/16/2022 - hkbob Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow, this was really singing from the first pour. Deep garnet with a thin veneer of rust. Garrigue, tapenade, dark plum, deli meats, a hint of cedar as well as a saline note on the nose. Silky smooth, this cut a broad swathe across the palate with dense blue and dark fruit and impeccable balance. More savoury than sweet. A lingering grippy finish. This bottle was in its prime and I suspect will hold there for another 5 or more years. Superb.
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9/12/2022 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
醒酒三个半小时,深宝石红色,闻香有可可和胭脂香料的气息,标志性的青椒和石墨味,入口酸度酸度高,酒液咸,收口微甜,单宁紧涩,颗粒细腻,石墨,青椒,醋栗,中后段饱满输出,口感非常满足,烤面包的香气从后段一直延续到余味,还有香草和胭脂香料。五个半小时后再饮还发展出了烤芝麻的香气。漂亮的集中度,强劲的酒体,同时保持着非常好的平衡感,一种西施佳雅式的优雅。
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7/4/2022 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
blind, half bottle
in perfect shape, I guessed first Bordeaux from 2000. Black currant, cherry und violet. Well balanced. Small bottle size shows no aging signs. 97
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4/19/2022 - SimonG wrote: 93 Points
Will T’s Sassicaia @ Noizé (Noizé, London): Slightly cloudy mid ruby. Again, mulberry fruit but less of a creamy note though it’s still there. A bit more savoury. Similar fine grip but a little more rounded, but also a little drier. More spice cf the 05’s cream. A cool finish. Nice line and shape here. ****
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4/17/2022 - tropa56 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wow! What a surprise. Opened for Easter dinner. Still extremely primary at age 16 but totally generous and expressive. Bright bright purple color and beautiful primary fruit. Opened a second bottle at the request of everyone at the table and it was exactly the same. Sassicaia is always the most finicky and unpredictable of the 3 great "Aia’s ", but when it's on, it may be the most impressive.
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3/17/2022 - Henman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted more than one hour. The cork was half way stained and intact. Ample ripe dark fruit on the nose. Medium to full bodied, very supple with dense (over)ripe cassis driven dark fruit and a hint of menthol carried by rather grippy tannins and decent lean acidity. Good dusty kick on the longish finish. Overall very youthful, can easily hold for another decade. Felt almost overly ripe in the fruit department. A good and solid wine but I’m not convinced of the hype and high price.
Second day notes (after 24 hours in the fridge):
Felt like a completely different wine with pleasant funky and earthy notes and balanced (ripe) fruit. Outstanding!
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2/28/2022 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 95 Points
BYO with LRD Folks (Daniel's place): Deep garnet, with significant browning fading. Smoky overtones on the nose with rich blackberry and cassis. A firm tannic bite, whilst having ripe blackberry, cassis, violets, smoke and tea. Very complex, and minute-long finish. Great wine!
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1/1/2022 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
A dark colour; rich, concentrated fruit, slightly smoky and with good length. Drinking well now, but should also keep.
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12/25/2021 - Richard.schmit Likes this wine: 95 Points
ricght in its drinking window. still benefits from decanting 2 hrs or more. very long finish. fruit on thenose with little toast. nicely balances still some tanines left. dark fruit. elegant wine not too much overpowered.
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12/19/2021 - Philip67 Likes this wine: 94 Points
I am not a huge fan of Sassicaia's quite austere style but this was very nice indeed. Quite big on the palate and with that tell-tale acidity providing plenty of lift. restrained fine tannins also bolster the structure. I often feel that they don't have enough fruit to cover the bones of the structure but this bottle certainly did. long finish, relatively straight forward. Drink now but will last for decades.
Note that since about 2013 Sass has changed styles and become more complete, with greater extraction giving a more welcoming mouthful.
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12/4/2021 - Jason Wu Likes this wine: 97 Points
Earthy and farmyard wrapped with beautiful black cherry, tobacco, mint and toast. Pronounced flavour intensity and long finish. More complex and open than 01 and 02 vintage. Superb wine and one of my top 3 vintage in the night.
Detailed tasting experience refers to my 96 vintage note.
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11/26/2021 - paintinginacave Likes this wine: 94 Points
Restaurant purchase. 375ml. One hour decant. Drank over three hours. A deep ruby core fading to a pale ruby outer edge. Heady, seductive, and beautifully scented. Multilayered with sweet baking spices, black pepper, iodine, crushed pine needles, campfire smoke, and the Burgundian elegance of ripe red berries coupled with damson, blackcurrents, and vanilla-infused black cherries. Silken and velveteen it glides effortlessly across the palate. The fruit is ripe and dense with superb concentration and mirrors the damson, black currents, and vanilla-infused black cherries found on the nose. It’s perfectly fair to say this is a fine exponent of power and elegance. The one thing above all else this wine lacks is age. At 15 years old it’s still an absolute baby but a baby worth having nonetheless.
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10/25/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant d'Oude Schuur, Sint-Martens-Latem, Belgium): Cedary and mature Cabernet, bright fruit, cranberries and red currants, fresh and slender, elegant and linear, very good length.
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10/2/2021 - brasstab Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wanted this one to change my life. Didn’t quite do that, but it was still a good time.
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9/23/2021 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A dark colour, and a dark, brooding wine with intense blackcurrant/ blackberry fruit and a touch of smoke. Very fine now, but will keep well for many years.
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9/15/2021 - eschaefer Likes this wine: 96 Points
Flash note. Romantic wine. Sensual. Seductive. Bright red and blue fruit. Sous bois and earthy nose. Coffee and tar. Refined tannins but still BIG. Plenty of horsepower to go another 20/30 years. Lengthy finish. Highly recommended.
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9/11/2021 - phgnan wrote: 94 Points
Advanced cherry red color with hint of reddish brown towards the rim. Mediterranean stain (olive, rosemary and sage), outline of spice, tobacco and leather, robust core of black currant and cherry, tannins still very free-range. Very full in the mouth. Intense and long finish. At least another 10 years without any problems.
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7/26/2021 - Larslatour wrote:
Corked
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5/25/2021 - acheng wrote: 93 Points
Still deep ruby. Sulfur and vegetal note that blew off. A gentle giant with a waft of wonderful plummy sweet dark berry fruit and spice together with toasty oak. Fine acidity with Medium finish. At a nice plateau and will last for a decade.
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5/4/2021 - Darko17 wrote:
very good
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4/24/2021 - ilee Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mrs L's birthday dinner at home with usual suspects ((At home)): Dark ruby. Cedar, cassis, iron shavings, lilac and spicebox on the plush and dense nose. Medium bodied, creamy and sinewy, with a robust core of fruit and delicate tannins, this wine is elegant and refined in a distinctly bordeaux style.
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4/9/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 95 Points
2 hour decant.
A big wine that drank great
A good combination of darker fruit and wet forest floor.
Ready to drink
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2/16/2021 - forceberry wrote: 94 Points
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (85%) and Cabernet Franc (15%). Fermented in stainless steel. Macerated with the skins for 15 months. Aged for 24 months in French oak barriques. 13,5% alcohol.Tasted blind.
Slightly evolved and somewhat translucent cherry red color with a developed hint of maroon towards the rim. Savory, fragrant and somewhat evolved nose evocative of a developed Bordeaux. Aromas of wizened blackcurrants and juicy red cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of graphite, light autumnal notes of damp leaves, a hint of old leather and a touch of savory oak spice. Very attractive overall impression. The wine is ripe, juicy and somewhat evolved on the palate with a medium-to-moderately full body and quite intense flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some wizened red plums, a little bit of new leather (I wonder if there is a touch of brett here?), light leafy and slightly earthy notes of sous-bois, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of Oolong tea. The overall feel is balanced yet slightly soft with the relatively gentle medium-plus acidity, making the somewhat resolved yet still moderately grippy medium-plus tannins take care of the structure. The finish is structured, somewhat grippy and slightly warm with dry-ish flavors of ripe blackcurrants, some leathery tones, a little bit of tobacco, light nuances of savory wood spice, a hint of meaty umami and a sweet touch of wizened red fruits.
A juicy, harmonious and quite classically built effort that immediately takes me to Bordeaux - although the ripe, juicy fruit and quite gentle acidity make me think of a somewhat warmer vintage, or then a warmer location. My first guess was a 2005 left bank Bordeaux and second guess was a Cali Cabernet from the 00's. Well, Cab / Bordeaux was quite correct, only I got the country completely wrong. All in all, this is a very enjoyable and harmonious effort, despite the somewhat mellow acidity. Although the age is starting to show a bit, the wine is still far from its peak - I can imagine this will continue to develop for another 10-15 years and keep for even longer. A well-made Bordeaux imitation - although I'm not sure if it's really worth the +100€ price tag. After all, you can get tons of great mid-00's Bordeaux wines at half the price.
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1/9/2021 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium red; nose somewhat muted, some pepper, roses; gentle and smooth, a bit smoked, rich tastefull middle, mild tannins at the end; fine, but not really “there”
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12/31/2020 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still a baby, really needs air to show its best, the 1/4 bottle I put back in the fridge was even better the next day -- big and dark with chewy tannin, really good stuff.
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12/28/2020 - La Sprezzatura wrote: 92 Points
rather closed bouquet, ripe dark berries, baked plum, flowery notes accompanied by leather and cedar aromas. shows also some herbs.
medium+ tannins, high acidity.
for me this wine was a disappointment. had really high expectations, but it did not deliver. it remained rather closed throughout the night and was "edgy" and not well balanced. We decanted it right away after opening. I really doubt that this 2006 will be showing its potential that many critics say it has. Only time will tell. Keep, don't drink now. Will maybe profit from a long decant.
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7/31/2020 - MarcelloW Likes this wine: 95 Points
I just have to write a note about this vintage, because I drunk tonight a 2016 Sassicaia and last month I had a 2006 which was at this stage far better but still has a long way to go... 2006 is a Vintage with a lot of potential, it is not on the top yet, but with a 3 hour decant already approachable...what I want to say...most vintages of Sassicaia need 10 years+ and the best vintages even more!!!
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7/16/2020 - RWG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super nice Tuscan. First time trying this wine/producer. Wow, Gave a bit of air (sub 1H) and super masculine, brooding, nice color. can taste primary and secondary flavors. Wow. 1.5L bought at auction :)
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7/9/2020 - jmoon Likes this wine: 94 Points
In a really great place right now. Came alive after 30 minutes. Ripe rich deep juicy cassis driven dark fruit profile. Some complexity, beautiful balance.
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7/3/2020 - vpoms wrote: 92 Points
Lightly cloudy, deep garnet. Clean nose of medium plus intensity. Aromas of earth, forest, game, tar, dried cherry, toast, chocolate. Fully developed wine. Palate: dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus tannins, medium alcohol, medium plus body, pleasant, medium plus flavors of flint, tar, chocolate, cured meat, cedar, toast, tobacco. Finish is very pleasant and medium plus. Very good wine. Drink now. I would not age it much further as there are no fruit flavors left.
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6/17/2020 - King JR wrote: 96 Points
Fantastic super Tuscan nose! Still fresh and full of fruit, yet classically delicate as Sass always is. Totally delicious and was an awesome 1st wine of the evening paired with outstanding middle eastern cuisine. Seems to still have lots of life left.
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5/21/2020 - Dionysos 1920 wrote: 96 Points
Couleur sombre, soutenue, nez animal, fermé, forêt, profond, bouche ronde, élégante, fruitée, belle longueur, beaux tannins, légèrement vert et un peu séchard en fin de bouche, certainement encore un beau potentiel, -> 2025-2030
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5/4/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mid crimson to brick red; Warm, sultry nose filled with ripe red fruits: Bing cherry, soaked cranberries, spicy oak, some cedar box, vanilla and dried sweet spices. Medium to full-bodied, with prominent red fruits, savoury edge with a sumptuous melted chocolate texture and fine powdery tannins. Plenty of vanilla bean, cinnamon, clove, mocha coffee and cassia root, the oak positively influencing the wine. There is almost a right bank Pomerol aspect to the wine. A long undulating finish. Delicately structured (feminine) wine seamless and wonderful depth. Outstanding!
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4/30/2020 - nschmidt wrote: 89 Points
Disappointing really. Drank at home with cajun steak dinner. More acidic than I prefer and really nothing special at all.
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4/8/2020 - Cailles wrote: 93 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: Some smoke, dark fruit on the well balanced but only medium expressive nose. Very soft and feminine on nthe palate with lots of red berries. The soft structure and good balance are the highlights here but the wine is missing the stuffing. Beautiful to drink but not overly interesting.
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4/5/2020 - Levantine wrote:
Excellent, ripe and elegant
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3/29/2020 - Larslatour wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful mature wine
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3/11/2020 - jmprusko Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wines for the Apocalypse, pre-quarrantine
2006 Ornellaia vs Sassicais
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3/2/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 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.
Toppings of sweet spices, bright and ripe fruit of forest berries and blueberries. Just a tad of wet leather. Intense, fruity palate with well integrated but very present tannin structure. Unfortunately a rather sudden finish leaving a dry mouth. Otherwise one of the high-fliers here in the Sassicaia line-up and a rare beat vs Margaux.
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10/25/2019 - Peleus wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful acid, well balanced after one hour decant, soft tannins but still chewy; a touch of faint sweetness which consist an interesting temptation. Slightly lack of purity and lasting ability.
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10/21/2019 - jmoon Likes this wine: 95 Points
Loved it. Superbly rich and delicious and wonderfully balanced with real depth. Benefits from a 1-2 hour decant.
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8/12/2019 - AndyBC Likes this wine: 95 Points
For me, this was at it's best 1 hour after pouring. Took 2 glasses out with coravin. The wine was definitely past it's best by 2 1/2 hours and, I think, optimal at 1 hour. Not the same as decanting into a decanter, of course.
Classical Sassicaia. Bordeaux grapes but more green fruit and slightly more acidity. Whether I would pick this up blind against various clarets, though, I'm not sure!
A really great wine.
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8/5/2019 - tuzlukov Likes this wine: 97 Points
Needs 3 hours decanting at least
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7/26/2019 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Absolutely delicious, early maturity and drinking wonderfully straight out of the bottle. While I recommend decanting, I was pleasantly surprised to see how approachable it was right out of the gates. Beautiful "Bodeaux esque" aromas and flavor profile. Love the slightly green herbal & tobacco characteristics. Reminds me of the 2000 Pichon Lalande and very Pauillac in style. Glad I have more bottles.
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5/28/2019 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 96 Points
The acidity and tannins have mellowed into the fruit and the wine is well balanced. Drinking great now. Beautiful.
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4/7/2019 - kcloman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still needs time.
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3/25/2019 - PPM Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent!! Was taken just before Masseto. On the just ripe cherry side, light tannin (I little surprising as I was expecting bolder one).
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3/8/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Does not like this wine:
Drank it on the second day for a glass, didn't really enjoy it. Felt the wine was too leathery for me, could be storage issue? On the nose, sweet currant, leather, tar, menthol, on the palate, the fruits were fading, quite big leathery and menthol sensation, not my type of wine
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1/13/2019 - Philippe_C wrote: 98 Points
Nose of red berries, cedar, sous-bois... Super sappy, delicious, peperonis, super delicious tannins, very long and feminine.
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12/22/2018 - BAJRiley Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consumed at Wine Library, Sydney. Nose: cedar, a bit vegetal, blackcurrants. Intense but elegant nose. Palate: medium bodied, long finish. Excellent.
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12/15/2018 - Umay Ceviker wrote: 92 Points
Features ripe plum, black cherry and tomato puree aromas followed by black pepper notes. Rich and full with grainy tannins and a fruit laden aftertaste redolent of new world wines.
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12/11/2018 - clarktoews Likes this wine: 94 Points
No fading at all, lots of life left
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11/16/2018 - King JR wrote: 96 Points
Absolutely amazing bottle. Great nose, satin tanins, wonderful flavors with light red fruit highlighted by cherries and berries. Totally ready to drink. No need to wait but seems like it could last another 10 years.
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10/24/2018 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
From mg. In the trio of 05-06-07, this is best - by quite a bit. Rich and in complete harmony, creamy fruit, very well balanced, this is cab from the top shelf. Still quite primary, but no sin to drink it now, if you like a little fruit in your wine.
#Studio
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10/19/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine Spectator newbies; 10/18/2018-10/20/2018 (Marriott Marquis): This is still really quite young so if going to drink it needs a decant or at least some time to open up. This was very pretty. Again the red fruits and the minerals and the more pretty style. Very fresh. A very enjoyable wine.
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10/2/2018 - PJRONeill wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful on opening and more promising than my first bottle two years ago; very Bordeaux - like with notes of pencil, cedar and red fruits but with time and air this shuts down pretty hard and still seems to need another 5 - 10 years to really open up and get into its groove. A good time to check in on this but the message is hold, hold, hold, ideally to 2022 or later.
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9/26/2018 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
SLDS September 2018: Roses, tobacco, redcurrant and some herbs. Bold fruit profile but still retains its finesse Palate has spark to go along with the fruit intensity. Opening well with air, really showing its youthful quality. Delicious.
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6/3/2018 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 3 hours, dark red, beautiful nose, red fruits with a creamy vanilla finish, powerful nose, a very good Sassi that will be even better as it ages gracefully, the balance is phenomenal, oodles of pleasure
94+
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5/26/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 98 Points
I thought I had written off Sassicaia for this year as “closed down” in my last review a month or two ago but I decided to pull this out for another shot lined up with 2015 sena Chilean bdx blend, tua rita 2015 Redigaffi and this 2006 Sassicaia. I decanted all for 2-3 hours tasted all and served. I initially thought the tua Rita was my favorite but the Sassicaia at 900- 6 hours after opening blew everything else away and was the WOTN as 5 out of 6 people said they liked this one the best. This Sassicaia has loads of class and complexity and paired perfectly with my ribeye steak. Blue fruit, Earth, spice and a long finish. The tanins are silky smooth. I will try to track down another bottle of this. This wine is in optimum drinking window after a long decant. I can’t wait to do a side by side comparing the 2001 to the 2006. It will be close!
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4/22/2018 - afu wrote: 96 Points
Enjoyed with another CTer last night. Big-time visit from the wine angels. Why I gave this a 96, don't know what could have been better. This wine is in perfect harmony. Great nose within 30 mins, long pure finish, light on its feet and oh so polished. Bordeaux like in every way other than the nose which to me was even better. To be really fair this wine deserves 30 mins to an hour really find its groove. From there perfection. Reinforces buying the best.
As for the wine itself, lighter smaller berries, some flowers and just a hint of mineralogy. Polished, complex and youthfully exuberent. Motivation enough to buy some new vintages for long-term cellaring.
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4/22/2018 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 96 Points
It gets even better. It was great in 2016 and even better now. I can't imagine it getting even better so my belief is that this is firing on all cylinders and showing at it's best. Just a perfectly balanced wine in every respect. Pure harmony.
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4/12/2018 - UFGators Likes this wine: 94 Points
I agree with one of the previous reviewers. This wine is tight and only opened after 3-4 hours. Only after that time did the fruit come through. Savory and smooth with a pleasing acidity and moderate tanins. Maybe it needs more time in the bottle. I will save my last two
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3/11/2018 - Kwlharvey wrote:
Decant for 1 hour at least. Very long finish. Layered taste
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12/4/2017 - UTPK wrote:
This is closed now, at least this bottle. Big difference from 2 years ago.
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11/3/2017 - tummala wrote: 92 Points
Drank with friends. Beautiful wine. Savory without a lot of fruit. Moderate tannins. Medium finish.
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9/28/2017 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Bright, tight, rich - very young; really needs air, this on, but the concentration and black fruit is here, tannins as well, it will be great in five years. 93+ point. #Philipson30
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9/24/2017 - Waedi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consumed over more than one week (vacumized and stored in fridge). Surprisingly the wine seemed older (notes of oxidation?!?) in the beginning than after one week (I already thought about getting rid of the remaining 6 bottles...). So finally happy still having 6 bottles and definitively no reason to rush. Rather wait or give enough time to breath before consumption.
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9/10/2017 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
Opened and tasted. Tight !!!!!!! Decanted for 4 h !! This is so dark . So concentrated . No fun !!!! Much too young . This needes several years of further aging. Put it in the edge of your cellar and forget it for minimum 5 years !!! I will !!!!! Patience will be rewarded . This will be amazing ! 93 ++
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5/23/2017 - clarktoews Likes this wine: 94 Points
just outstanding. super smooth and powerful after a 45min decant. not overpowering just full of fruit with some spice.
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4/13/2017 - etyc Likes this wine:
2006 anything goes dinner. A very familiar Bordeaux-nose with that Cab-Franc (greeness), cedar, lead. Excellent intensity/weight on palate with earth, leather that's balanced with nice freshness. Very good and will get better with more bottle-age...
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1/13/2017 - WojoWineCave Likes this wine: 95 Points
Had at Babbo, Mario Batali's original NYC Italian restaurant and still a classic dining experience. Over a 4 hour dinner opened 4 bottles. Each was better than the previous with the last the best. Not sure if that is because of the extended decant or we were 3 bottles in! Love the complexity. The nose and palate are so different. The interaction of red fruit and earth is awesome. Could go up against classic French Bordeaux.
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12/14/2016 - jmoon Likes this wine: 94 Points
Needed a 2 hr decant. Dry mineral red and dark fruit, complex, drinking very well but will go on for years
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12/11/2016 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark garnet red. Mineral, light tobacco, grilled herbs, and dark fruit on the nose. Elegant style, would fit in with a group of Bordeaux reds. It does have tart cherries on the finish. Liked it, but there's a lot of competition for a lower price tag.
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12/11/2016 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Blackberry/raspberry, violet, earth, spice, cedar?, tobacco, med high acid, med high acid. Not earth shattering. At $200, not great QPR. Falls in a tough spot. Many Cali cabs in this price range are better, same with classified growth Bordeaux.
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12/4/2016 - Al-Vino Likes this wine:
85% Cab Sauv, 15% Cab Franc. Still a baby with lots of cellaring potential. Tannic overtones dissipated after 2 hour decant.
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12/2/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
{magnum} Loved it. Classic Sassicaia, this began as very good and transcended to excellent in pretty short order. As with most Sassicaia, I love the interplay of fruit with the trademark notes of the sea and earth which are always in the background, though not too recessed that they're buried. A wine that's magic (i.e. complex) on the nose, and shifts so often, but equally as fascinating on the palate, with such artful layers of pure, delineated fruits; which is to say this is the total package, . A great wine today, this might become a gem some day - need to keep an eye for more. Thru 2033. highly recommended
Double decanted 7 hours prior to service; served non-blind, just above cellar temp.
https://italianwine.blog/
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11/24/2016 - wso Likes this wine: 93 Points
Kathy really liked
The wine has high acidity.
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11/19/2016 - nm10 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Dinner at Marea. Singing after 90 minutes. Such wonderful balance. An elegant wine with an intoxicating nose and 50-second finish. This should evolve for several more years and last a couple decades.
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10/25/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 97 Points
Brought this this to dinner with Bob M at da Filippo, great spot in Sommerville with perfect food to pair with this and an 07 Flaccianello that Bob contributed. Thinking this was on the young side, I sought some guidance from from CT on decanting. Wound up slow oxing this for about 4 hours prior to dinner.
Color was rich and vibrant purple. The nose was amazing: dark fruits, earth notes, mushrooms and distinct layer of truffles. Palate of dark fruits, tart blueberry, leather, violets. Picked up some charred oak and earth notes on the mid/back palate. The finish is long and layered, probably close to 60 seconds.
This is still on the young side but already a stunning wine. Likely continues to evolve for 5 years and drinks 20+ past that. Tasters can debate what constitutes a perfect/100 pts. wine....A function of the tasters palate, preferences and environment tasted, Whatever the case this may be a candidate in a few more years...Great now, upside with a few more years of bottle age...97++
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10/13/2016 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 91 Points
Blind Italian.
Looks young. Probably inside 2005. Cool nose of blackberry fruit and black currant with a fair bit of spice. Medium+ oak. Striking on the palate but with very good balance. Dark enough for Cabernet but not as heavy... Fairly dense, so maybe a bit of Merlot too, maybe Ornellaia or Massetto? Tannins have a lot of grip and there is a ton of sharp peppery spice through the finish. 2006 Sassicia on the reveal.
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9/20/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Zachys/Mana tasting (Mana Contemporary (in Jersey City)): Maybe the show stealer of the night. It was between the French and the Cali and really came off as the best of both worlds. Cigar and leather and fruit. Pretty strong tannins. Almost an unctuousness to the wine. And a hint of minerals and salinity. Paired very well with the pork belly. When we did our recap a number of us (me included) had this as one of the wines worth remarking on.
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8/15/2016 - Lype Likes this wine:
Tight and young, promising but requires cellaring.
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8/12/2016 - AtoZ wrote:
Good with bbq
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7/24/2016 - Tannic Monster Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank last night along with some other amazing wines. Drinking like an elegant Bordeaux. 85% Cab, 15% Cab Franc. A delicate, silky, refined experience. Just starting to show within it's undoubtedly long drinking window.
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7/2/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow wine, nose to die for, flower power, on the palate elegant, intellectual and complex, a stunner, beautifully layered and drinking very well, WOTN,
95
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6/5/2016 - rmcnees wrote: 93 Points
This wine begged for hearty food to balance its firm forward concentrated taste profile. It was best paired with the grilled portabello mushrooms.
This was dark garnet colored, full bodied, firm, tight, complex and concentrated black berry fruits accented by a layer of cassis, graphite, smokey creosote and dark expresso, turning to firm tannins on the firm, long, lingering finish.
http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/06/backus-sassicaia-dead-arm-highlight.html
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5/4/2016 - rcg62 wrote: 92 Points
Caravaggio (NY) Sassicaia dinner. Tasted '90, '97, '01, '06 and '12. Light nose of dark cherry, some violet and a light tar note. Smooth palate with tart berry, and earthy notes. Relative light on its feet as well, but has fleshed out much more than the '12. Beginning drinking window, but I think it has more to reveal; expect this will improve in time. 2018+.
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4/29/2016 - Zweder wrote: 96 Points
Tuscany 2006 Ten years after. (@ SvdV): Creamy bouquet with red and dark forest fruits as well as luxurious and well dosed oak. On the palate a creamy and beautiful start with the same red and dark berries, sweet spices, mint, perfectly integrated and luxurious oak, beautiful acidity and soft and round tannin with a lovely bite. Extremely well balanced wine with a great length. For me personally this was the WOTN due to its complexity, elegance and freshness. Great wine with a great future until well into the 2020’s.
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4/16/2016 - PJRONeill wrote: 91 Points
Decanted three hours but even with this there was very little development and the wine remained stubbornly foursquare and reticent. Nice balance of fruit and tannin, even if the latter is still pretty drying on the finish. Graphite and dark red and black fruit. But young.
In hindsight I am not sure why I ever thought that a wine like this would have developed faster than, say, a 2006 Bordeaux and I'm not touching those for a bit. I'll leave my other bottles a good while before the next one.
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2/15/2016 - reaston Likes this wine:
a great one
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2/15/2016 - galenico wrote:
SASSICAIA MAGNUM VERTICALE (WINETIP - MILANO): Degustato da Magnum a settembre 2015.
Etereo e di pregevole fattura, ispira un senso di rispetto e aristocrazia. Impatto moderno con rovere ancora molto sensibile.
La bocca è tesa, acidula, molto fine e verticale. La persistenza è ancora giocata sulla tattilità del tannino immaturo piuttosto che sugli aromi.
Da attendere 10 anni con fiducia ( in formato magnum).
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2/4/2016 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine: 95 Points
simply amazing.
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1/19/2016 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well right now in its relative youth. Cab domination comes through in a good way, with a full mouthfeel, smooth and long finish.
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1/19/2016 - AtoZ wrote:
More accessible than 2008 but still too much vanilla and chocolate for me. Might be great in 25 years but who cares ?
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1/1/2016 - Fuzzy Squash Likes this wine: 95 Points
Herbal notes reflective of the 15% Cab Franc.
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12/28/2015 - Yiannis Likes this wine: 97 Points
Very Bordeaux like with noble barnyard, graphite, cedar, cassis and only hints of capsicum. Med-full bodied with soft tannins, perfect balance and a long aftertaste. Drinks nicely but could age further. Sassi of the night and the only one that beat clearly the Ornellaia from the same vintage.
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12/9/2015 - GFischmann wrote:
Super wine for Hanukkah
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11/30/2015 - Romol Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 2+ hours. Ready to drink but still has a long life ahead. One of the best italian wines i've ever had. 94++ pts. In a few years maybe even more.
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9/22/2015 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 96 Points
Winemakers Dinner på Operakällaren i Stockholm med Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta från Tenuta San Guido.
Vi provade sida vid sida 2004, 2006, 2009 och 2012.
Cabernet Sauvignon 85% och Cabernet Franc 15%.
Jag drack det här vinet för några månader sedan och var lite besviken men denna flaska var något helt annat. Utan tvekan kvällens bästa vin.
Underbar mörk frukt, lakrits, läder, tjära, rosor och lite skogmark. I smaken har det en otroligt fin balans och väldigt elegant med sval fin frukt, underbar syra och silkiga tanniner och väldigt fin längd.
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9/14/2015 - King JR wrote: 95 Points
Amazing! Perfectly ready to drink. Very very smooth, light red fruits. Incredibly smooth, a real treat
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9/5/2015 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark red; good dark powerful nose, a bit smoked; velevety, deep, concentrated, long; extremely nice and well done
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7/9/2015 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 95 Points
blind tasting of 17 different kind of wines all over the world
Drank together with Termanthia 2005, preferred the Italian wine at this stage, more accissible.
ripe dark berries, cassis, some vanilla, aromas from the barrique, ripe tannins, very powerful but elegant in another way, a lot of future for the next 20 years 95+
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6/12/2015 - MWiking wrote: 92 Points
detta vin levererade inte vad det ska göra enligt mig, näsan är väldigt sval med kola blyerts, blå frukt, torrt och lite dammigt intryck. Gissade på södra Rhone på detta vin och tyckte kanske inte doften var så bra.
Smaken är bättre än doften, söt frukt dominerar men även här är den lite blyg, troligen är vinet i en tunnel och därför inte blommar ut.
91-93
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6/11/2015 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 91 Points
Röda bär, damm, stenkross, lakrits, mynta och aningen aceton. Snällt, silkigt och fint balanserat men ingen vidare komplexitet.
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6/11/2015 - Ramberg wrote: 92 Points
Nose shows a cool profile, dusty and dry, dry fruit with sweeter red small berries, herbs, mint, with a small touch of acetone and leather.
Palate is somewhat closed, showing only hints of fine red fruit, silky tannins, rather high acidity, with tart red berries on the long finish.
Balanced but not very expressive.
Very different from previous bottles enjoyed, as this seemed much more closed and less straight forward and expressive.
Fruit is somewhat hidden at this point.
This should be better.
It might be in a transition phase at this point, ready to burst out in a year or a few?
I hope so, because this was rather disappointing, compared to my expectations.
(92 – 94)
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6/11/2015 - Patrik H Likes this wine: 93 Points
On the nose, cassis, cold blue berries, dust, nice fine herbs, licorice and some fine dark plums.
On the palate, blueberries, fine but very present acidity and tannins.
Medium + finish
A wine that has to be in a tunnel at the moment. This do not deliver at the best right now. Still a very good wine
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5/24/2015 - Al-Vino wrote: 95 Points
Truly outstanding wine! Big and muscular vs the equally impressive Ornellaia's which are more supple and toned. Serve after min one to two hour decant.
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3/24/2015 - rikipedia wrote: flawed
Top 100 Farewell Dinner 2015 (Rodwell House): (Tasted Blind): Flawed see above. Deep garnet and started with damp cardboard. Umami notes with herbal and dark fruits. Sadly, the cardboard increased and cork taint surfaced.
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2/28/2015 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Limited notes.
Complex lovely nose. Elegant, cool, acidity more prominent than tannins perhaps. Great mid palate and long lingering finish. Great wine!
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2/28/2015 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Velvet lush nose with red fruits, tar, tobacco and earth. Silky smooth palate with a wonderful length.
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2/28/2015 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 95 Points
A Matter of Taste: London Edition (Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea): Explosive layers of cranberry, sweet spice and red velvet on the nose; backwards, monstrous & primary, only hinting at the level to which this should soar; concentrated but not extracted; chewy tannins; tremendous balance; no oak; continued to develop with air.
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2/28/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Quite tawny in colour. A lot more savoury on the nose than the Mas La Plana before. Very expressive, less ripe, more complex, tobacco, forest notes, hints of mushrooms, spices. On the palate elegant, fresh, very well balanced. Still a bit tight and drying. Very long, spicy finish. Excellent 93-94+
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2/12/2015 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
Drank in Davy's
Incredible smoothness and length. This is really on-Point at the moment. A real classic super tuscan from a great vintage. Need to find some more.
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12/1/2014 - Doni.Bertolami wrote: 96 Points
Sassicaia vertical tasting 11, 10, 09, 07, 06, 05, 04, 01: quite peppery and animalic. High tension. Anis, menthol blue and blackberrles. Still seems very young and has many years ahead. Next to the 04 and 10 this is the winner of the tasting. Comparable to the 10 but more masculine than the 04.
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10/11/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia vertical 1998 - 2010: Medium ruby. Expressive nose of red fruit, cherry with some torrefaction and oak. On the palate it is medium+ bodied, combining both ripeness and structure, very compelling, good length too. Clearly one of the best vintages of Sassicaia. I personally prefer the 08 and 10 even more but if you like it a bit more ripe and fruity than this is the one to go for. Wait or decant before drinking.
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7/6/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 95 Points
Wow! Intoxicating nose of ripe black fruit, loads of iodine, cedar wood... high acidity but ripe tannins, not too powerful and good lenght of fresh red berries... One of the best Sassicaia's I've had!
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5/24/2014 - buckeye76 wrote: 96 Points
VERY ELEGANT WINE WITH WITH RICH DARK BERRY FRUIT, LEATHER, AND EARTHINESS IN THE NOSE. RICH FRUIT, BLACK CHERRIES, CURRANTS, BLACKBERRIES & HINTS OF MINT IN THE FLAVOR. COMPLEX, LONG FINISH
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5/17/2014 - sandwich Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply excellent. A little tight at first but after an hour in the decanter it showed marvelously. This has everything you want in super Tuscan. Sadly there are only 11 bottles left in the case.
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4/5/2014 - Rogu wrote: 93 Points
Great fruit taste, deep earthy mouth finishing with a dry berry flavor.
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3/26/2014 - Papies wrote:
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Masterclass with Greg Sherwood MW (Handford Wines, London): Spicy on the forefront and then the dark fruits kick in. Very open on the nose, light oak. Big tannin but not harsh, bigger wine than the 07 &08. Good ripe core of fruit, primary but mo harsh edges. Good acidity and overall felt like it needed more ageing than the 07 & 08. Maybe 15yrs away from peak.
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3/26/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Herbal nose, anis, bell peppers, intriguing. Dense and not giving away much on the palate at present, lots of grip and fine, but drying tannins, great freshness and lovely persistence. The most backward, needs time. Great potential. 91-93++
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12/7/2013 - jarjarbinx99 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent ! Encore jeune, tout en finesse. Moyennement puissant. Nez divin. Grand vin. À revisiter dans 5 ans.
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12/6/2013 - phil the agony wrote: 93 Points
Un goût de prûne !! Très bon mais à boîre dans 10 ans.Je croyais avoir à faire à un SuperToscan type bombe.Un vin qui est très équilibré et très droit.
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10/30/2013 - rahimi wrote: 90 Points
Definitely too young to drink. Decanted for 2 hours still not ready.
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10/12/2013 - Tarrant wrote: 96 Points
Stunning, infanticide of course but appropriate for Thanksgiving, even though too young, it was far more approachable than the Oreno we had alongside, even after 2 hours aeration - Dark, full bodied with a nose of black fruit, licorice, tobacco, cedar, plum and vanilla, amazing structure and integration even at this stage, complex, intense, silky smooth on the palate with outstanding length, extraordinary (96 Points).
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10/7/2013 - peterchoy wrote: 93 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.
Nose: Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as cassis and blackberry, red fruit of raspberry and plum, oak notes of cedar, pungent spice of liquorice, floral notes of violet, maturity notes of savory, kernel notes of cocoa. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium acidity, medium tannin of ripe and well-integrated texture, the wine has medium alcohol and is of medium (+) body with medium (+) intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, red fruit of raspberry, oak notes of cedar, mineral notes of tar. The wine has a long finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality super-Tuscan from Italy, the wine has a good intense nose showing complex characters, with the interesting changes happening during the process of enjoyment. On the palate it is equally concentrated showing a good balance of acidity, with a seamlessly integrated tannin which is so perfectly matched into the wine. Accompanying by a very long finish, this wine is beautiful and ready to drink now, though can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.
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8/4/2013 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep red, not black.
Delicate, floral, blueberry and rasberry.
Soft fleshy palate, evenly balanced, very refined tannins, pure flavours, no oak evident, very nicely integrated, long and supple finish. Perhaps lacks complexity, but structure is excellent.
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8/1/2013 - BUBBA DAWG Likes this wine: 95 Points
deep violet and opaque in color...rich and complex nose of dark ripe fruits, cedar, tobacco, licorice and earth...palate is beautiful balance of fruit, terroir and tannins although still in it's infancy...long supple finish which paired extremely well with northern italian dinner, so much so almost made me forget the meal...a real treat - approachable and not too big
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6/2/2013 - Uncle John wrote: 93 Points
Decanted this for an hour at the restaurant but it needed more. The tannins and finish were quite hard but the fruit and balance were all there. Shut down at present so I would wait 5 years to open one of my own bottles. 93 now but 95+ later.
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5/27/2013 - ChicagoScot wrote: 94 Points
Rich and earthy wine -- decant as long as you can (hours) it will change before your palette.
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1/11/2013 - Miceri Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium dark red; deep intense peppery nose; nice structure, deep and concentrated, dark berries; good long aftertaste; very good
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10/25/2012 - cephomer wrote: 93 Points
Drank at Ned Towle's wine tasting. A wonderful wine, though way too young to be opened at present. The wine is a dark ruby color, medium bodied, nose of smoke and cedar, a bit sweet at first, and a very long finish. Lots of fruit hits you right in the face--cassis, blackberries, and maybe a bit of tar there. I look forward to tasting this again in 5-10 years.
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10/13/2012 - ChicagoScot wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful wine that will last we'll into the next 20 years
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10/1/2012 - quaglia wrote:
Sassicaia! (Roma - Hilton Cavalieri): Hot and dry summer, also if not like 2003.
Full crystalline dark ruby red.
Blueberry and Blackcurrant (!!) at nose.
Also if evidently young, tannins and acidity have all the premises to become a superior wine. Better than 04/05. ****
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8/17/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Franco's
Drank with a nice Italian meal with lots of red meat. This is still a baby and I really should stop opening bottles but I cannot resist. Needs a good two hours in decanter before opening up its full beauty. I think I prefer the '06 to the '04 but they are both still babies.
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8/1/2012 - ChicagoScot wrote: 93 Points
Great earthy juice with a bold start and smooth finish
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6/8/2012 - oenophilip wrote: 92 Points
Closed, but with a lot of promise. Sweet fruit and great balance.
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5/23/2012 - Chrisw97 wrote: 97 Points
Tasted alongside the Ornellaia 2006: Winner = Sassicaia. Much more expressive bouquet with an explosion of cassis, flowers. The wine is still young at this stage and will be mind boggling in 5 - 8 years.
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5/5/2012 - ltadd wrote: 96 Points
Outstanding!
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2/12/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 94 Points
Non-blind (tasting at Enoteca Sogo Yokohama). 1/2-btl.
Red.
Nose of sulfuric fumes from granny's toilet.
Medium bodied, dangerously balanced and refined, elegant wine with a restrained appearance that is most impressive! Not as impresive as the price tag, but, yeah... This in 10-15 years' time will be just breath taking!
A much better showing than last time. Up to par.
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1/7/2012 - lumpyelbow wrote:
Yet to be Named Wine Club Meeting #13 Great Wines From Around the World (Jim and David's): Wine Club #13: Young and drinking as such. Small hint of Italian oaking. Needs 5+ years minimum.
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12/25/2011 - yofog wrote: 94 Points
Despite the fact that I'd rather have an old-school barolo, this is clearly exceptional juice. I was expecting it to be Parkerized, modern monster juice, but that just isn't the case here. Classy stuff all the way through.
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12/9/2011 - St Paul wrote: 94 Points
Nice classy structure with compact fruit. A bit young still so it has more to show in a few years time.
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11/20/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 94 Points
Decanter Sassicaia & Ornellaia Masterclass (Landmark Hotel London): Medium ruby with a medium garnet rim. Expressive nose with elegant cassis, cedar, pencil shavings and cigar box. Also some elegant farmyard nuances. Elegant very Bordeaux-like nose. Palate has ample plummy fruit, red currant, black currant, firm tannins and medium to high acidity. Bitter cedary nuances are coated within this sweet and ripe fruit and there are present graphite notes as well. Elegant wine with inky and licorice flavours but mainly cedary Bordeaux- like flavours. Wonderful silky texture. Like a left bank Bordeaux with added warmth and sweeter fruit. Cannot praise enough this wine.
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11/5/2011 - CWilliam wrote: 93 Points
Super Tuscans and Gourmet Pizza: Contributed by the Yohs and tasted blind. Full throttle on nose & palate - vanilla / cedar / sour cherry / black cherry, sage - full body with long finish - tannins big but the fruit handled them well. Very enjoyable wine and my #2 wine in the tasting.
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11/5/2011 - km5 wrote:
well balanced delicious smooth red..greens and slight tart but overall very enjoyable.
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9/17/2011 - Carteran wrote: 78 Points
Violets, some stony, smoky minerality and sweet fruit. Something musty though too. But is the palate oxidised? Mushroom, gran reservation like, but without the strawberries. Quite sharp and astringent finish.
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6/12/2011 - pacificoast wrote: 88 Points
I'll confess to being far more underwhelmed with this wine than most others here. Very good quality, but no way I'd rate it a knockout. The main problem is that the tannins are excruciatingly strong at 4-5 years, and will require at least 10 to 15 more years of cellaring before they'll mellow out. Unfortunately, the fruit and body are very much on the thin side, even a bit watery. The overwhelming tannins may hide this fact for most reviewers. It is not unheard of for many winemakers to deliberately amp-up the tannin or oakiness content of the blend in order to mask a lack of real substance underneath, and I suspect this may be one of those instances. I have no doubt there will be little left of the fruit by the time these tannins deteriorate. I'd probably be kinder to it in my review if it wasn't so expensive, since in my view it is definitely not worth almost $200 a bottle. Might be a pleasant surprise at 1/3 that price. Otherwise, an above-average quaff, with pronounced aromas of smoke, spice and pepper that redeems the experience somewhat.
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6/10/2011 - Jack O'Brien wrote: 99 Points
Tasted blind – this wine is everything I had expected it to be and then some. Amazing balance of fruit and minerality. The nose has a strong odor of cassis, red and black fruits, violets, spring flowers and limestone with Tuscan iron minerality. The palate was the same and it tastes distinctively Italian. The tannins were present but not too drying that it makes this undrinkable now. Tasted 08 Ornellaia after and there is no competition and completely opposite.
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6/9/2011 - dedrislee wrote: 96 Points
Vertical tasting. Ruby red. Intense aromatic nose of ripe plums, currants, smoke, pencil leads, oak, with hints of mushroom, or Tuscan earth. Need half 5 hours or more to open up, decanted, some sediment. Closed, velvety, round ripe cherries, blackcurrants on the palate, hidden layers of structured characters, fruits, burnt oak, smooth, with acid and tannin as balanced foreground, wound together in a intricate knot. Long finish ending with firm tannin biting. Cellar potential for 10 years or more. Overall, slightly more fruity than 2005, firm young tannin foreground, potentially to open up its personality in years to come, and going to be a long wait for it to grow to mature, and unleash its characters. I think 2005 and 2006 are closed runner-ups for legendary '1985' vintage for Sassicaia, as I speak of its potential, the price for each bottle is going up unprecedently. A7P7C8
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5/24/2011 - chapinde wrote: 94 Points
Still painfully young and dominated by tannins, this shows a core of plum, blackcurrant, allspice, and burnt earth. Delicious but needs a lot of air to drink now. Best to wait a few years.
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5/23/2011 - Shorepower wrote:
För ung för min smak, lite spritig i doften och lite obalanserad, smäller till direkt i munnen med kraftiga tanniner men saknar just nu l mellansegmentet. Blev bättre med luft då spritigheten försvann och vinet började mjukna lite. Låt ligga eller dekantera länge
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5/17/2011 - StefanAkiko wrote:
Light red colour. Too high acid for my taste: I percieve it as imbalanced. The refined structure and the wonderful tannins makes for an impressive feeling. But, not quite enough for to enter my cellar. Costly...
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4/10/2011 - LPskeleton wrote: 95 Points
tasted next to 2005 ornellaia. Amazing contrast. Med + intensity aromatics of pyrazine, purple florals, petrol, earth, vanilla, mineral and red fruits...almost a wild animale character to this. Very taught in style tasted next to ornellaia. RIpe stringy tannin with flavors of ink, flowers, moneral, chalk blackberry and licourice. This is going to age great and be even better in a few years. The balance here is impeccable.
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4/2/2011 - tom999s Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 3 hours prior to drinking. Very smooth with lush fruit, silky to the taste, long finish. Wine continued to open with dinner for the next two hours
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3/13/2011 - jorge48 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted several hours. Notes of eucalyptus, rubber on the nose. Menthol, tobacco, leather on the mouth. Floral notes. Strong tannins. Long finish.
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2/14/2011 - oenophilip wrote: 92 Points
A complex Super Tuscan showing power and depth. Aromatics of dark fruits, toast, chocolate, and some earthiness. Wonderful structure with medium-plus acidity and some grippy tannins that will support and evolve the wine nicely with age.
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2/14/2011 - wino_tim wrote: 94 Points
Savory, deep and complex, this reveals blackcurrant and plum aromas on the nose that seem to effortlessly mesh with notes of dusty chocolate, wood smoke, olive, wild herbs and braised fennel. Medium bodied on the palate, young and firm, with medium plus acidity and somewhat drying tannins capping the dark cherry, mint, and soil flavors. While still a fantastic effort, this is my first time noticing a certain tautness on the palate.
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12/18/2010 - texaswinelover wrote: 97 Points
More delicious than the last. Cork was in better condition though stained halfway. Beautiful, old world aromatics. Tobacco/cigar. Leather and earth. Plenty of fruit to satisfy a new world wino like me. Classic cassis, currants, red fruits with stunning balance and acidity. Alot of tannins but not too much for my palate. Wish I had the patience to wait 20 years. Day 2 - Drank the last 4 oz tonight. So so good. With the tannins softened, this wine was beautiful. Elegant. Worth the $165 I paid.
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11/13/2010 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Decanted an hour before being poured and it's fascinating to sit down with this right after the '95 - the aromatics are very similar with the same Bordeaux-like cigar smoke and leathery perfume, but on the palate it's much more about its fruit. Packed with cassis, plums and black cherries, with more savoury elements emerging as this breathes and impeccably balanced with plenty of tannin and acid structure, but enough richness to keep the tannins from being punishing now. Like the '95, stunning.
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11/6/2010 - macker100 wrote: 94 Points
Wow, what a tannic, mouth puckering monster. My #2 of the night at San Antonio Wine Geek night and first experience with a Sassicaia. The wine has a remarkable saturated deep blue violet color. A very youthful remarkable nose with very sweet oak, currants, menthol, and blueberries. Full-bodied super tuscan with a monumental concentration of black cherry fruit, plums, minerals, anise on the palate. However, this wine has enough fruit underneath with a great balance of acidity to be even drinkable at this stage. I need to try a mature Sassicaia soon.
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11/6/2010 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 95 Points
San Antonio Wine Geeks - The Great Gathering (aka: Steak porn/Wine Orgy); 11/5/2010-11/6/2010 (The Home of Steve Treu): WOTN for me, though painfully young. Rich complex nose with a pure red fruit profile, lots of cassis, licorice, lavender, with a saline element. Fresh acidic palate, with fine tannic finish that was the most drying of the night. Palate adds tons of red fruit, but just an explosive mineral/slate character that I can’t say I’ve ever experienced in a cab. Great length on the finish, with a little coffee. Really only enjoyable with steak to cut the tannins, this will be a remarkable wine in 10+ years.
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11/6/2010 - texaswinelover wrote: 95 Points
Less than ideal storage as judged by the dry somewhat crumbly cork but still very very nice. Perfect balance with long finish. My first Sassicaia.
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11/1/2010 - rwstorer wrote: 95 Points
Deep red color with a nose of olive and smoked meats - a very magical nose that I keep coming back to. Amzing pure expressions of of black fruits and a touch of spice. This has been open for about 4 hours and is showing beautifully. this is really terrific.
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10/28/2010 - wino_tim wrote: 97 Points
Wow, super sexy and super elegant - the best of three tastings of this wine - with a touch of cedar, grilled herb and olive aromas adding depth to the suave black fruit and new oak notes. Medium to full bodied, suave and velvety on the entry with beautiful intensity, good acidity, and fine tannins framing currant, plum, earth and raspberry flavors. Amid a tasting of First Growth Bordeaux, and cream of the crop Napa Cabernets, this stood out as something, well, exceptional.
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10/9/2010 - TannicBeast wrote: 93 Points
Garnet. Black fruit, forest floor on the nose. Incredible depth and structure, with incredibly silky tannins despite its relative youth. Very elegant and long finish. This 85% blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc is more First Growth-like than Tuscan. It is drinking very well now, but is likely to be even better in several more years. A great wine, but because of its pedigree it is probably twice as expensive as it should be.
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10/1/2010 - wino_tim wrote: 93 Points
Alluring, with astounding depth to its ripe black fruit, leafy tobacco, olive, earth, and peppery spice aromas. Medium bodied, seamless, and very savory, but shockingly open for business. Tannins show up on the back end, and while this could use some time, it was pretty fun to drink.
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7/1/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Second time I get this blind. Very sweet and forward nose, almost Merlot typicity. Full bodied and sweet. Overseas style, but with a good, fresh underlying acidity which makes it interesting to drink. I guessed US Cabernet from Ridge (Montebello) on it...
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3/8/2010 - monkeylug wrote: 94 Points
Very green and closed. Seems lacking in fruit but probably needs time. Medium tannin and a long long finish. 94 now, but might get better with some time.
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2/3/2010 - eyeguy wrote: 95 Points
Fabulous!
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1/29/2010 - astroman wrote:
2006 Italy Tasting: Elegant nose as compared to ornellaia. Palate is also more elegant also but lighter. Lenght is good.
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12/12/2009 - Outplaying wrote:
This is the second time I have had this and both times I have come away thinking it is a phenomenal wine. The fruit, tannins and acidity are all there and so well balanced. Big yet almost elegant. A very memorable wine that has a long life ahead of it. I just wish it was in my price range.
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11/21/2009 - fpessolano wrote: 84 Points
Delicate palate with lot of fruit, very little tannins, even a bit swet. To me a decent wine, but nothing to remember. Even after long decanting.
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11/14/2009 - kstoddard wrote: 93 Points
Big Red! (Sportsman's): Dark garnet color. Red berry aromatics. Cherry, raspberry, plumb and currant. Very well balanced. Excellent depth and complexity in the mid palate. Closing down on the finish. This wine will be amazing with a few years of bottle age.
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11/14/2009 - jeff nowak wrote:
tossing this wine into a tasting is, while admirable, i guess, doesn't really allow for a very strong eval. not decanted, a 2 ounce pour, how much can you ascertain? hey, it's closed and tannic. what a surprise. i was taken a little aback by it's barnyard nose. ?? i don't know how this will emerge, but it strikes me as a bit manipulated. obviously, hold.
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11/3/2009 - Double-A wrote: 88 Points
Cherry jam and toasty, nutty wood nose. Medium-full bodied with dry, medium tannins, balanced acidity, and polished fruit flavours. Med-long finish.
3.5/5
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10/31/2009 - cpsmith33 wrote: 95 Points
clearly young, but still great nose. dark fruits/smoke. on palate very smooth (surprisingly). coffee, tobacco. long finish. needs so much time.
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10/27/2009 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
Zachys Fall 2009 Food & Wine Extravaganza (The Lighthouse at Pier Sixty (NYC)): red fruit, leather, tar, nice. very tannic at this young young age, but thy are well integrated and a nice long finish shows the quality here.
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10/20/2009 - Cia R wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful Super Tuscany.
Much of everything.
High concentration of fruit and barrels.
Super hyped.
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10/19/2009 - wino_tim wrote: 94 Points
Young, primary, sexy and plush with deep, concentrated flavors of black plum, currant, spice and tar. Full bodied, rich and detailed with very fine tannins. I wouldn't open this for at least ten years, as it really needs time to put all its elements together. (93-95)
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10/17/2009 - BYOB wrote: 95 Points
Amazing nose on this beauty, with dark ripe fruit, smoke and a silky finish. We decanted for three hours and the wine continued to evolve in the glass. Fantastic way to celebrate USC's win over the domers.
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10/17/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 97 Points
OMFG wine right here! Decanted for 3 hours. Incredible nose. I couldn't get my nose out of the glass. Ridiculous complexity on the palate. Big but so perfectly balanced. Menthol, smoke, red fruit, black fruit, coffee, leather and tobacco. The finish was well over 60 seconds and pure silk. Just one amazing Sass.
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9/19/2009 - Jossik wrote: 87 Points
Vino molto piacevole, al naso sembra quasi un barbaresco, molto giocato sul frutto
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9/5/2009 - Vinacull wrote:
{ST} Thankful to get a taste of this, but the pour was so small it was difficult to evaluate. Decant approximately 1 hour. Nose of dark cherries, Dominican tobacco leaf, and smoke. On the palate, layers of primary red and black fruits, spice and tobacco. Excellent acid, outstanding fine-grained tannins give this an elegant texture. Finish of same flavors was not as long as one might expect. Would love to try this in ten years.
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