2023 Sassicaia & Friends Launch – 5th February 2026 at 67 Pall Mall
The UK representative is Armit Wines
As many will know, I have a love/like relationship with Sassicaia and a growing (deep) affection for Le Difese. Guidalberto has yet to convince me of its charms, and yet today’s tasting has certainly pushed all three of these wines higher in my estimations. I have not detailed my thoughts on the second vintage of Guidalberto (the 2022), which was tacked onto the line-up; suffice to say, it is still an oaky fellow and the American portion and the Merlot dominance give it a little too much glossiness and char for my liking. There were also three bonus vintages of Sassicaia. You can read my detailed notes on last year’s 2022 with ease on this website, and the 2019 has always been a civilised wine, without reaching the heights other commentators seem to think it possesses. The only let down was the 2015, a previous Wine Spectator Wine of the Year. My bottle was oxidised on the nose and browning in the glass. The organisers told me the second bottle was similar and a third was worse. I do hope that this bottle variation is not endemic, but I must admit this was a ‘high tone’ and rather ‘hot’ wine on release, with a meaty edge that I didn’t enjoy, so perhaps it has simply slumped. I hope not, but these things happen. Today’s 2023 vintage release more than makes up for the odd anomaly.
2024 Le Difese, IGT Toscana (first vintage 2002; 75% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon; 13.5% alc) RRP 135 per 6x75cl IB
The Sangiovese in this blend is not grown in Bolgheri but sourced from two properties in Chianti and Chianti Rufina. 2024 was a challenging vintage, with frequent rain in the Spring and also during the harvest. The barrels used here are second- and third-fill Guidalberto oak, which adds immeasurably to this wine’s class. Time has certainly tempered their woody quality and brought unmistakable warmth and discreet spice notes to this wine. The fruit is more forward than the mighty 2023, and yet despite the slightly slender framework, the balance is perfect, and the juiciness is lip-smacking. Production is around 375,000 bottles per year, so there ought to be enough to go around, but the restaurant trade is usually the first focus here, so if you fancy some for your dining room table (as opposed to your cellar, as this wine is ready to go), get in quick! The tannins are fully ripe, and I cannot see this wine evolving much over its life, given that it is already showing superb refinement and complexity. Place your orders now. The fair pricing usually makes this a steal! 17.5/20 (Drink now – 2032)
2024 Guidalberto, IGT Toscana (first vintage 2000; 52% Cabernet Sauvignon 48% Merlot; 13.48% alc) RRP £276 per 6x75cl IB
The oak component here is more definitely strident, with 13 months spent in 225l barriques (90% French, 10% Hungarian/Slavonian/German), and 40% are new. For my part, the oak is a little too punchy and dominant. Given its blend, this is a more upright, closed style, with slightly incongruous spiciness and a sense of rawness and tension on the finish, suggesting enthusiastic extraction. It appears that the Cabernet and Merlot skins have released a touch too much sourness and traction, which melds with the oak, resulting in unresolved grippiness on the finish. There is no doubt that the fruit is initially delicious, even if it is somewhat dry on the finish. While some will enjoy the attack, this wine will be so much more attractive in five years, and, by contrast to Le Difese, it would be an error to open it this side of 2030. 18+/20
2023 Sassicaia, Bolgheri Sassicaia D.O.C. (first vintage 1968; 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc; 14% alc; production is approximately 280,000 bottles) RRP £1,250 per 6x75cl IB
By all accounts, this was a classic vintage, and while there was a challenge with humidity and rain early in the season, the summer was sunny and perfect, and given the water reserves in the soils, harvest was relaxed and performed in an unhurried and forensic manner, picking each parcel in optimum condition. It spent 24 months in new French oak, and 40% of the barrels were new. I have been waiting for this wine’s launch all year, following my effusive note on 2023 Le Difese and the clear, obvious attributes of the 2023 vintage as a whole. The biggest question for this historic estate this year is whether this wine lives up to its potential and, if possible, my personal hopes for its ultimate potential. There is no doubt that the perfume is epic, with the oak notes sitting back respectfully, allowing the nose to unfurl and reveal a perfect tapestry of fine-woven red and black fruits and florals. Given time in the glass, the aromatics race forward, but the flavours do not expand laterally; instead, they become more detailed and intricate. I half-expected this olfactory performance to be the focus of this wine’s skills, but, inexplicably, the palate follows suit and builds on this theme. This is not a big wine, nor is it muscular. The extraordinary pedigree of the fruit ensures the flavours are impeccably marshalled, refreshingly linear and extremely formal. This is a sleek, honed, massively complex wine which finishes fresh, clean and uplifting. The tannins are far more toned and expressive than the sourness I found on the tail end of 2024 Guidalberto. There is confidence here, born of decades of experience, and it appears, at least on the surface, to mirror the great 1985, which, coincidentally, had almost identical climatic conditions. In all honesty, I venture even the 1985, if it were being brutally honest, would love to be considered alongside this stellar 2023. I went back to my glass many times, and the overarching theme is that this wine is refined, medium-bodied, truly elegant, and super-long and super-complex. It is a cosmic creation, and I am thrilled it lives up to its promise. After an hour, the energy in the glass was still sensational, and it had not dropped any of its precision, nor had it slumped or careened off in any one direction. This is a phenomenal Sassicaia, and I am eternally grateful that, instead of loading the front of the palate with all the fireworks, it cleverly releases its powers evenly throughout the entire tasting experience, allowing it to seep rhythmically into your senses, filling your taste buds with glorious, unique and memorable flavours. 20+/20