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First taste: Sassicaia 2022
James Button gets a first taste of the new 2022 vintage of Sassicaia, which follows hot on the heels of the widely celebrated 2021. How does it match up?
Following on from the exceptional 2021, Sassicaia 2022 has big shoes to fill. ‘The perception [of 2022] is of a really hot year giving masculine, powerful wines, but that’s not actually the case,’ said UK importer Armit’s MD, Brett Fleming.
Bolgheri’s microclimate, close to the sea and cooled by the woodland, helps to mitigate temperature extremes, but despite this, 2022 Sassicaia demonstrates some hot-vintage characteristics. Thankfully – and particularly noticeable in Sassicaia, whose fruit is sourced from hillside vineyards – the freshness of acidity is retained, ensuring good balance.
‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life.’
Note and score for the new Sassicaia 2022 vintage below
The portion of Cabernet Sauvignon is very slightly higher this year, as some of the Cabernet Franc was heat stressed and struggling to ripen fully, according to Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta – daughter of San Guido president Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta – who travelled over to London for the tasting.
‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ she concluded.
I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t have the soaring aromatics of 2021, nor the succulent appeal of 2019, nor the breeziness of 2018, but it does have concentration, acidity, and a vertical but currently tightly coiled structure…I think this could be a dark horse Sassicaia.
But when to drink it? I would personally leave it for at least 12 years, giving it time to shake off its adolescence and emerge fully formed. But if you’re not that patient, I would suggest leaving it for at least 24 months.
One to drink now: 2018
The 2022 formed the end point of a sweeping vertical of 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017 vintages of Sassicaia, giving a fascinating overview into how the wines are evolving. If you’re looking for a vintage to drink now, the 2018 is in a really good place.
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The product of a cooler vintage, 2018 is an aromatic, breezy wine with nice mid-palate sapidity of pretty red and black fruits.
Le Difese 2023
In the meantime, you could perhaps drink some of the estate’s delicious entry-level red, Le Difese. It has all the sex appeal you’d expect from a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from Tuscany, and is made in an approachable way that offers early drinking pleasure. It’s hard to look past as a mid-level red wine for the dinner table.
The Sangiovese portion actually comes from family friends in nearby Chianti Montespertoli and Chianti Rufina. Sadly, in 2023, these areas were ravaged by peronospora (downy mildew) and so the percentage of Sangiovese in the new release is down 5% compared to the previous year.
Sassicaia 2022 will be launched en primeur via UK importer, Armit, on Thursday 13 February 2025. Price TBC.
A tangy raspberry and pomegranate attack is followed by some ripe dark fruits wrapped in soft, open-knit tannins. Tenuta San Guido sources the Sangiovese for...
James Button is Decanter’s regional editor for Italy, responsible for all of Decanter's Italian content in print and online.
Like many others, he started his wine career at Majestic Wine, giving him a strong grounding in the subject before successfully completing the WSET Level 4 Diploma in 2010. From 2014 to 2016 he managed the fine wine department of a startup wine company in London, before joining Decanter as digital sub-editor.
Outside of wine, James enjoys cooking, skiing, playing guitar and cycling.
