Sassicaia, Tenuta San Guido 2023 75cl

A brand-new release of Italy's most famous red, the 2023 Sassicaia continues the run of the Bolgheri estate that started it all. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from Tenuta San Guido, the only single vineyard in Italy to carry its own DOC, matured in French oak barriques.

The estate's origins lie in the 1940s, when the Incisa della Rocchetta family planted Bordeaux varieties on the Tuscan coast in tribute to the Medoc. That experiment became the template for the entire Super Tuscan movement. Bolgheri's sea breezes and stony soils lend Cabernet a cool, cedary poise that sets Sassicaia apart from richer Tuscan reds.

As an early release from a promising vintage, expect the estate's classic profile: blackcurrant and dark cherry fruit, cedar and pencil-shaving oak, and that signature note of Mediterranean herbs and graphite minerality. The palate should show fine, firm tannins, cool-fruited freshness and a long savoury finish. This is structural youth that wants time in the cellar to open fully.

At around £260 it is a wine to buy on release and lay down. Best from 2028 and holding for well over a decade beyond.

How to Serve

Serve at 16-18C in a large Bordeaux glass. Decant at least two hours if opening young.

Where to Drink It

Locanda Locatelli in Marylebone for classic Italian. Harry's Bar in Mayfair for occasion. Noble Rot Soho for the list.

Food Pairings

Roast rib of beef, or aged pecorino with a drizzle of honey.