1999 Sassicaia
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Tasting notes
The 1999 Sassicaia is one of the more mature wines in this tasting. It's a very pretty and expressive Sassicaia, but not a wine I would wait for at this point. Dark-fleshed fruit, cedar, tobacco, leather and dried herbs all show the graceful patina of age. The growing season was marked by persistent rains in July and then moderate temperatures for most of the summer. In this tasting, the 1999 is attractive, but it clearly does not offer the opulence of wines from warmer, drier years. Vinification and aging were quite typical; the 1999 spent 15 days on skins and then 23 months in barrel, with 40% new wood.
Critic scores
Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
The 1999 Bolgheri Sassicaia steps forward with extra richness and darkness that sets a decisive tone. Compared to the neighboring vintages, this wine shows more succulence and textural thickness that is immediately apparent. It also reveals some heaviness and flatness that remind you of its age and its ongoing evolution. The bouquet delivers tones of dark fruit, black olive, cured meat and smoked tobacco. Reading between the lines, you are playfully reminded of the wine's important legacy and its territory-specific identity. But this vintage is more simplistic than the others. If you have a bottle, I wouldn't wait too much longer, although for now this wine is holding strong.
Deep garnet and very little sign of age in the colour. Some cedary freshness and a touch of old polished furniture. Dark cherry and still has some cassis. Very slight touch of coffee. Rich, smooth chocolate texture but it lightens up to a refined finish. Still has great balance and length and finishes with that mouthwatering freshness that is, for me, Sassicaia’s hallmark. Lots of complexity. (JH)
Bordeaux grapes. Heady, rich nose, not unlike the Sammarco in that. Hint of chocolate malt then quite a bit of minerality and acidity. Fine tannins and dryness on the finish. Some energy. A youthful, vigorous wine. Very polished – lots of work in the cellar here! Savoury, succulent finish with the alcohol a little obvious. (JR)
About the producer
Tentuta San Guido produces Sassicaia – Italy’s most famous wine. An icon from the Bolgheri coastline of Tuscany, made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, its rise to prominence in the late 1970s sparked the Super Tuscan revolution.