First taste: Sassicaia 2020

The last few vintages in Italy have cast a light on the precarious situation some wine regions find themselves in; at the mercy of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather conditions. But in 2020, it was the human situation which marked the vintage.

Scroll down to see the tasting note and score for Sassicaia 2020

Several lockdowns throughout the year threatened the ability of many estates to conduct work in the vineyard, but Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta – third generation at Tenuta San Guido – noted that fortunately for them there were always just enough people available at any given time to get the job done.

Production was down on 2019, although this was largely a result of March frosts and strict selection, rather than any lack of manpower.

Tenuta San Guido’s latest vintage of its flagship wine was shown during the Sassicaia 2020 & Le Difese 2021 launch event in London, hosted by UK importers, Armit, accompanied by some back-vintages of the lauded SuperTuscan: 2014, 2010 and 2000 (all from magnum).

The thinking behind this, Priscilla explained, was to give some context to 2020, which is very much a balance of cool-vintage and warm-vintage indicators; 2014 and 2010 were cooler years, while the hot and dry 2000 vintage provided a neat contrast.

‘2020 was cool and fresh like 2018, then it got hot and dry towards the end of the growing season,’ Priscilla summarised.

The 2020 vintage

Winter rains ensured the soils had adequate water reserves for the summer. Near-freezing conditions in February were followed by a windy and wet March, however the milder temperatures encouraged bud development.

Temperatures dropped dramatically again at the end of the month, the frosts damaging the earlier-developing Cabernet Franc, leading to lower yields but more concentration and better quality.

A mild spring led to increased vegetative growth, which required a number of interventions by the vineyard team.

The summer was generally warm and sunny from mid-June onwards, with some rain in July and August. Ripening occurred about eight days ahead of schedule, with an acceleration of maturation in the late summer that led to a faster-than-normal harvest beginning in the first week of September, in order to avoid any overripeness.

The last vineyards to be picked, in the last week of September, were the highest Cabernet Sauvignon sites; Vigna di Castiglioncello and Vigna del Quercione – both above 300m.

Sassicaia 2020: in the cellar

After a soft pressing and destemming, the grapes were fermented with wild yeasts at controlled temperatures of below 28°C, with regular delestages (racking and returning), and pumping-over.

Following malolactic fermentation, the wines matured in medium-toast French oak barriques (45% new – a slightly higher percentage than usual) for 25 months. The wines were then transferred to stainless steel tanks and the final selection was made for blending and bottling.

Comparisons

Sassicaia 2020 is marked by an incredible tangy blueberry character along with reasonable concentration. It’s this balance of freshness and warmth which makes it such an accomplished and poised wine already: it’s a wine that will reward cellaring into the 2050s, yet the tannins are near enough imperceptible from the outset.

How does it compare to previous years? 2019 is no doubt a better wine, offering a ‘more is good’ character from the warm, concentrated 2019 vintage (and with 90% Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend) – but it will likely take longer to reach its apogee.

2018 is a cooler, ‘classic’ vintage which is somewhat similar to 2020; it’s perfumed and elegant but less balsamic and focused than 2020.

2017 was almost unique in its incredibly hot and dry conditions, but this translated into a super-fragrant and intense yet elegant expression.

Developments

• Guidalberto and Le Difese are developing their own identities, and Priscilla is clear that they should not be thought of as typical ‘second’ and ‘third’ wines of Sassicaia in the Bordeaux mould. A new winery, ‘Le Fornace’, was delayed by the pandemic but is finally under construction for Guidalberto – and likely for Le Difese too – and is due to be finished in 2024.
• Le Difese in 2021 sports a majority of Sangiovese – 55% – in a break from the traditional 70/30 split in favour of Cabernet Sauvignon. Priscilla explained that this decision was made to enhance the wine’s ‘local Tuscan’ character, and to improve its drinkability early on as ‘a first step into the Tenuta San Guido world.’
• Priscilla has previously suggested that Guidalberto might be labelled as Bolgheri DOC rather than Toscana IGT in the near future; it would make sense to do this once production begins at the new facility.
• In a further move to separate Guidalberto from its siblings, it now has its own launch schedule and will be presented separately in a month’s time.

Tenuta San Guido: new releases tasted and rated

Plus back-vintages poured at the launch of Sassicaia 2020

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