Sassicaia 2020 Tenuta San Guido

Raffaele Vecchione (WinesCritic)
98/100 punten
Very elegant to the nose it shows energy and character of a decidedly noble and intriguing spicy nature. The notes of wild violet blend well with wild myrtle, juniper berries and coriander. The center of the wine is rich with nuances of black plums, black tea leaves and cloves. Full body, soft and enveloping in the sip it shows perfectly ripe, noble, slightly stiff tannins at the moment and a truly exciting finish that ignites from the center of the palate onwards showing a progressive ascending parabola of a select few. A vintage that puts the winemakers in the area to the test but which shows a really important complexity. Shorter than usual macerations on some vineyards and a more important percentage of new wood are the interpretation of the 2020 vintage in the San Guido house. "A divine sign to the sacrifice and effort of the whole team". Gorgeous right away but better from 2026.

Decanter
97/100 punten
Frosts damaged the the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc in late March, leading to reduced production but superb quality fruit. Spring was mild and summer was generally warm, but a rapid acceleration of maturation in late summer forced the team to begin picking in the first week of September to avoid any overripeness. A traditional 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc blend, its blackcurranty, dusty, leafy and cedary character is brought into focus by an intense and balsamic palate. It's poised and light on its feet with super-fresh acidity and a fine-grained, almost imperceptible tannic structure. Ripe and tangy raspberry and blueberry fruits linger on the mid-palate, leading to a long, fresh finish with some cream and chocolate notes. This will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet you'll get plenty of pleasure from it in its youth. 'We advise to keep it at least 10 months in the bottle before opening,' states third-generation Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta.

Wine Spectator
97/100 punten
Complex aromas and flavors of black currant, blackberry, iron, sweet tobacco and Mediterranean herbs are the hallmarks of this elegant, tensile red, which is already revealing plenty, yet still feels reserved, as though there were many more facets to be discovered. Superb harmony, freshness and a long aftertaste prevail. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 

Vinous (Antonio Galloni)
97/100 punten
The 2020 Sassicaia is a bold, rapturous wine. Dark, fleshy and expansive on the palate, the 2020 offers up scents of blackberry jam, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and crème de cassis. Potent tannins are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. Sassicaia is never a huge wine, the 2020 does seem to have an extra dimension of textural intensity. It's an intensity that is hugel appealing.

James Suckling
97/100 punten
A very perfumed Sassicaia on the nose with forest floor, citrus and deep dark fruits. Blackcurrants. Cedar and black tea. Some balsamic. Pine needles. Full and very succulent. Really long, structured and complete. Tangy and energetic with a linear line of fresh tannins and acidity. Very Sassicaia throughout. 85% cabernet sauvignon and the rest is cabernet franc. Very attractive now in a youthful and vibrant way, but this will be better in three to four years. Try after 2027.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
96/100 punten
The Tenuta San Guido 2020 Bolgheri Sassicaia speaks to those who seek a more voluptuous, opulent and, ultimately, more accessible wine. This vintage is a precise reflection of Coastal Tuscany, as opposed to a more generic "Tuscan" wine from elsewhere in this large central Italian region. You taste the ripeness and soft fruit weight that comes from a coastal appellation with especially bright luminosity and warm Mediterranean offshore breezes. Sassicaia from the cool vintages is a famously reticent or withholding wine in its earliest years, requiring a long lead time before it eases into an ideal drinking window. That's definitely not the case here. This wine is beautiful and compelling straight out of the gate, showing a lovely mix of dark fruit, oak spice, balanced freshness, textural richness, soft tannins and an expertly contained 14% alcohol content. The wine's immediate character is what distinguishes this vintage, and I wouldn't get too fussed by exaggerated cellar-aging ambitions. The wine awards sheer pleasure in its current form, with dazzling primary fruit and soaring intensity over the near and medium term.

Jancis Robinson
18/20 punten
Full bottle 1,370 g. The prototype Maremma bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc in this case. Canopy was especially vigorous in spring and needed trimming, followed by a warm summer with occasional showers that meant the grapes ripened more than a week earlier than usual and, to retain Sassicaia's trademark freshness, harvest started in the first week of September and ended in the last week of September with vines on the hills at over 300 m (Vigna di Castiglioncello and Vigna del Quercione). The wine was matured for 25 months in 45% new French oak barrels before going into tank for selection and blending.