Wine Advocate
byMonica Larnerthe6/30/2015
Tenuta San Guido's newest release is the 2012 Bolgheri Sassicaia. This was a warm vintage, especially during summer months that saw hot winds and little rain. Thankfully, winter months delivered ample precipitation. Vines had good access to moisture underground. Production of the lower-tier wines was reduced: Le Difese was cut by 40% and Guidalberto by 30%. But Sassicaia’s production numbers remained stable at 200,000 bottles because all the estate’s best fruit was directed toward this product. Fruit was harvested a bit early to avoid problems with over ripeness. The wine presents a soft, velvety mouthfeel with plump cherry, fruity berry, blue flower and spice. Perhaps it shows more simplicity overall, but it does so with an impressive sense of harmony and confidence. This is not one of the great vintages of Sassicaia, but the wine flaunts its considerable pedigree nonetheless. It should age gracefully for twenty years or more.
When Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made a state visit to Washington, D.C. this past April, he packed a few bottles for the trip. He selected four wines to share with President Barack Obama. According to media reports they were Sassicaia (the 2011 vintage), Ornellaia, Tignanello and a Brunello di Montalcino by Mastrojanni. The statesmen sampled the wines together and President Obama joked that it would be “insulting” not to taste them. During a press conference, he turned to Renzi and smiled: “I will give you, Matteo, a report on whether it is up to the quality we expect.”
Born in Florence, Prime Minister Renzi made a sound selection of wines from his native Tuscany to share with the American president. Of these wines, none is more iconic than Sassicaia. Roughly one month prior to the White House wine summit, I was in Bolgheri at Tenuta San Guido to taste a few older vintages of Sassicaia including the 1982 and 1998. I was also able to taste preview samples of the excellent 2013 vintage and the challenging 2014 vintage.