Sassicaia 1994
The 1994 Sassicaia from Tenuta San Guido is a Tuscan red wine from the Bolgheri appellation. This cuvée combines 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. For this vintage, the grapes come from vineyards with composite soils, notably including calcareous, stony, and partially clayey sectors with west to south-westerly exposures. Vinification was carried out in stainless steel vats with roughly two weeks of maceration, followed by 24 months of aging in French oak barriques and a period of rest in bottle.
Identité du vin
- Couleur
- Red
- Pays
- Italie
- Région
- Toscane
- Appellation
- Bolgheri
- Producteur / Domaine
- Tenuta San Guido
- Cuvée
- Sassicaia
Cépage et assemblage
- Grape Variety
- 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc
Tenuta San Guido
Tenuta San Guido is a family-run estate situated in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci. The estate, which originated from the legacy of Clarice della Gherardesca and was developed by her husband Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, is notably known for producing Sassicaia. Its vineyards are planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, between the foothills and the hills of Castiglioncello.
- Owner
- Famille Incisa della Rocchetta
- Maître de chais
- Carlo Paoli
- Surface (ha)
- 90.00 ha
- Production (average bottles per vintage)
- 780 000 bouteilles/an
Histoire du domaine
The origins of Tenuta San Guido are linked to Clarice della Gherardesca, who brought a vast estate of 2,500 hectares in the Bolgheri region as part of her dowry when she married Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in 1930. Born in 1899 and trained in agronomy in Pisa, Mario Incisa was interested in Bordeaux wines and was searching for a terroir suitable for growing Cabernet. Having settled in the Maremma in the 1940s, he recognised similarities between the estate’s gravelly and clayey soils and those of the Graves. In 1944, he planted his first vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri, marking the start of the Sassicaia project. The first wines were reserved for the family and their close friends and relatives from 1945 to 1967. The 1968 vintage was the first to be sold, when it was released in 1971. Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, Mario’s son, joined the management of the estate after studying economics in Geneva in 1959 and contributed to its commercial development as well as to new plantings. The collaboration with oenologist Giacomo Tachis helped to define the Bordeaux style of the estate’s wines. Today, the third generation of the Incisa della Rocchetta family is involved in the running of the business, whilst Carlo Paoli, who has been head of production since 2009, became managing director and then chief executive in 2025.
Sassicaia
Sassicaia is the emblematic wine of Tenuta San Guido, crafted from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc sourced from several plots on the estate. Originally a table wine, it now benefits from the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia appellation, which is exclusively reserved for the estate. It is distinguished by its finesse, elegance, complexity, and ageing potential.
- Origin of the cuvée name
- The name Sassicaia refers to the stones and pebbles found in the soils of its plots, with "sassi" meaning stones in Italian.
- Cuvée creation year
- 1968
- Style of the cuvée
- A great structured yet fine red wine, striving for elegance, complexity, precision, and the expression of terroir. Its blend, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, possesses a significant aging potential.
- Position within the range
- Emblematic and top-of-the-range wine from Tenuta San Guido, positioned above Guidalberto and Le Difese.
Histoire de la cuvée
Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet at Castiglioncello di Bolgheri in 1942 and again in 1944, with the ambition of creating a great wine inspired by French models. Reserved for family and close friends until 1967, Sassicaia was commercialized for the first time in 1971 with the 1968 vintage. Giacomo Tachis subsequently contributed to its development. Following the recognition of the Bolgheri Sassicaia sub-zone in 1994, the wine obtained an autonomous DOC in 2013 exclusively tied to Tenuta San Guido.
