Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
Antinori's single-vineyard Gran Selezione: 100% Sangiovese grown around the abbey of Passignano, aged in French and Hungarian oak. Firm, fine tannins and bright acidity frame ripe cherry, violet and leather. Built to cellar, made for red meat.
Sassicaia is Tenuta San Guido's Bolgheri benchmark: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc from stony slopes near the Tuscan coast. Cassis, tobacco and graphite frame ageworthy tannins. Bolgheri Sassicaia is Italy's only single-estate DOC.
8winesBest price2023 · 75cl · checked 25 Oct · Delivery charged at checkoutCode NEWCUST8J: Enter NEWCUST8J to get £8 off with the minimum wine order of £88. Valid only for new customers, until 31 Dec 2027
Read from the retailer's page once a day. Confidence is low, so treat it as a guide and confirm at the retailer.
8winesBest price2021 · 75cl · checked 20 Oct · Delivery charged at checkoutCode NEWCUST8J: Enter NEWCUST8J to get £8 off with the minimum wine order of £88. Valid only for new customers, until 31 Dec 2027
Stock status is read from each retailer’s page once a day and may lag. Case and magnum listings show a per-bottle or per-litre equivalent and sit outside the best-price figure.
Tasting Notes
What Sassicaia tastes like
Cassis and blackcurrant framed by cedar, tobacco and graphite from 24 months in small French oak barrels. A violet, leafy edge comes from the 15% Cabernet Franc.
Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
6 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Typical of Cabernet Sauvignon
BodyLight / Full
TanninsSmooth / Grippy
SweetnessDry / Sweet
AciditySoft / Crisp
Nose
Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia opens on its Cabernet signature: blackcurrant and cassis, lifted by cedar, tobacco and pencil-shaving graphite. Those cedar and graphite notes come from 24 months in small French oak barrels. Violet and a leafy, green-pepper edge come through from the 15% Cabernet Franc grown on the estate's limestone-rich, crumbly schist-and-clay soils. With air, leather and a smoky, balsamic note from the Bolgheri clay and limestone soil deepen the aromatics.
Violet
Black cherry
Blackberry
Blackcurrant
Plum
Green pepper
Tobacco
Leather
Oak
Black pepper
Liquorice
Palate
Medium to full bodied. The wine is built around the firm, fine-grained tannins that define this 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blend rather than weight or alcohol. The ABV is held around 13.5%. Blackberry, plum and black cherry sit against a savoury graphite and tobacco core. The bright coastal acidity of the West-facing vineyards above Bolgheri keeps it taut. Black pepper and a stony grip run through to the structured close.
Finish
Long and savoury. The cedar and graphite of the ageing in small oak barrels trail well past the dark fruit. The polished tannins dry gently on a Tuscan, marine-tinged note.
Overall
Italy's most recognised red and the only wine made under its own single-estate DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia. Drinkers like it year after year. Critics routinely place the top vintages in the high 90s, praising structure, elegance and decades of ageing potential. A collector's bottle that rewards a decant or several years more in the cellar.
Best by 2046
Live UK pricing
Buying Sassicaia, vintage and format
Sassicaia trades between roughly 280 and 510 pounds depending on vintage and condition, with around 200,000 bottles made each year. Live UK and EU listings and stock are tracked below.
Best price · 75 cl · 2022£249.99at House of Decant
Price spread · 75cl · 2022
£249.99 - £372.90 Across 4 UK retailers with 75cl · 2022 in stock
Per-litre (75cl · 2022 basis)£333.32Lowest current 75cl · 2022 offer
Last checked25 Oct 2026Refreshed once every 24 hours
Other vintages and formats: 40 price lines
Half bottle 37.5cl · 2023:
£160.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1976:
£1,450.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1980:
£500.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1982:
£620.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1988:
£775.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1989:
£560.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1990:
£570.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1993:
£380.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1994:
£440.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1995:
£470.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1996:
£455.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1997:
£450.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1998:
£475.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 1999:
£425.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2002:
£350.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2003:
£360.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2004:
£445.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2005:
£470.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2006:
£430.00 - £600.00,
2 UK retailers
75cl · 2007:
£375.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2008:
£425.00 - £439.00,
2 UK retailers
75cl · 2010:
£390.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2011:
£325.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2012:
£345.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2013:
£350.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2014:
£268.99 - £297.00,
2 UK retailers
75cl · 2015:
£425.00 - £500.00,
2 UK retailers
75cl · 2016:
£525.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2017:
£300.00 - £425.00,
2 UK retailers
75cl · 2018:
£315.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2019:
£310.00,
1 UK retailer
75cl · 2020:
£277.99 - £425.00,
3 UK retailers
75cl · 2023:
£255.00 - £314.00,
7 UK retailers
Magnum 150cl · 2017:
£975.00,
1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2020:
£975.00,
1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2022:
£670.00,
1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2023:
£658.00 - £825.00,
2 UK retailers
Double magnum 300cl · 1999:
£2,200.00,
1 UK retailer
Double magnum 300cl · 2019:
£2,206.00,
1 UK retailer
Double magnum 300cl · 2020:
£1,576.00 - £1,975.00,
2 UK retailers
Wine fit score
How Sassicaia scores for food, cellar and occasion
Six dimensions scored from the wine's structure, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC classification and live pricing. Strong on cellar and occasion, low on value and everyday by design.
Best for an occasion9.5/10
Italy's most recognised red, the only single-estate DOC and a fixture in critics' high-90s scores, Sassicaia is a definitive special-occasion and gifting bottle.
Best for cellar9.3/10
Single-estate Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC aged 24 months in small French oak barrels, with firm tannins. Its 20 to 30 year potential in strong vintages such as 2009 and 2021 makes it a benchmark cellar wine.
Best with food8.6/10
Firm but fine Cabernet tannins plus the bright coastal acidity of Bolgheri make Sassicaia an excellent table red for chargrilled beef, braises and game. It is too structured for delicate or spicy plates.
Best value3.4/10
At roughly 280 to 510 pounds a bottle, Sassicaia sits far above any Tuscan red benchmark. The price reflects single-estate DOC prestige and limited 200,000-bottle production rather than everyday value.
Best intro to this style3.0/10
A structured, oak-aged Cabernet blend that needs cellaring or a decant and carries a collector price. It is a poor first Italian red despite its fame.
Best everyday bottle0.9/10
Built for the cellar and priced as an icon, Sassicaia is the opposite of an everyday pour. The structure and the cost both rule out casual midweek drinking.
A compact view of what the Bolgheri Sassicaia denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Tenuta San Guido publishes a technical sheet for each release. Standout years such as 2009 and 2021 carry 20 to 30 years of cellar potential. The 2022 and 2023 are firmer, younger releases for laying down.
2023Current release
Best price
£255.00
Retailers
10 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Ready from 2027
to 2043
The current Tenuta San Guido release, showing fresh, crunchy fruit and still in its early opening phase, with the cellar potential to develop over the next 15 to 20 years. One for laying down rather than drinking on release.
2022Previous release
Best price
£249.99
Retailers
5 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Ready from 2027
to 2045
A hot 2022 tempered by Bolgheri's hilltop sites and a significant mid-August rain that restored balance between acidity and freshness. Hand-harvested into late September, finishing with the Vigna di Castiglioncello fruit above 300 metres, then aged about 23 months in wood. Critics rated it highly, from 94 at Vinous to 97-plus at Wine Advocate.
2021Sold through
Best price
not listed
Retailers
0 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2046
Widely rated one of the great Sassicaia vintages of the past decade. A cold Burian winter and cool spring cut yields to smaller bunches and berries, then a dry summer brought a perfect balance between technical and phenolic maturity. Aged 24 months in French oak barriques, around 40% new, with solid structure and precise fruit built for two decades of cellaring.
2020Previous release
Best price
£277.99
Retailers
7 in stock
Window
Drink now
through 2045
A damp autumn and an unsettled spring filled the water table, then steady sun from mid June ripened the grapes a week early. A generous, open Sassicaia to drink from the mid 2020s.
2020Previous release
Best price
£277.99
Retailers
7 in stock
Window
Drink now
through 2045
A damp autumn and an unsettled spring filled the water table, then steady sun from mid June ripened the grapes a week early. A generous, open Sassicaia to drink from the mid 2020s.
2021Sold through
Best price
not listed
Retailers
0 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now
through 2046
Widely rated one of the great Sassicaia vintages of the past decade. A cold Burian winter and cool spring cut yields to smaller bunches and berries, then a dry summer brought a perfect balance between technical and phenolic maturity. Aged 24 months in French oak barriques, around 40% new, with solid structure and precise fruit built for two decades of cellaring.
2022Previous release
Best price
£249.99
Retailers
5 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Ready from 2027
to 2045
A hot 2022 tempered by Bolgheri's hilltop sites and a significant mid-August rain that restored balance between acidity and freshness. Hand-harvested into late September, finishing with the Vigna di Castiglioncello fruit above 300 metres, then aged about 23 months in wood. Critics rated it highly, from 94 at Vinous to 97-plus at Wine Advocate.
2023Current release
Best price
£255.00
Retailers
10 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Ready from 2027
to 2043
The current Tenuta San Guido release, showing fresh, crunchy fruit and still in its early opening phase, with the cellar potential to develop over the next 15 to 20 years. One for laying down rather than drinking on release.
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
The disciplinare, the place, the label
Why Il Sassicaia is priced where it is
The only Italian DOC reserved for a single estate, built on a unique limestone-rich, crumbly shale site at Bolgheri. Add a 50-year critic track record. The card below breaks down what sits behind the price.
01
DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Bolgheri Sassicaia is in the DOC tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
02
The denomination rules, in detail
Allowed grapes. 4 varieties listed in the disciplinare
Bolgheri Sassicaia DOCGeographic indication and quality tier
2023Vintage (year of harvest)
13.5% vol · 75 clAlcohol by volume and bottle size
Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05
What sits behind the price of Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
Tracked from
£249.99
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
5 up / 1 down
Main factor
Scarcity against global demand
01
Scarcity against global demand
Cost up
Tenuta San Guido makes only about 200,000 bottles of Sassicaia a year, and global demand consistently outstrips supply. That holds the UK price structurally high at 280 to 510 pounds.
02
Unique single-estate DOC and terroir
Cost up
Bolgheri Sassicaia is the only Italian DOC reserved for one estate. It sits on limestone-rich, crumbly shale soils at 100 to 400 metres, with constant ventilation that concentrates aromas. This site cannot be copied, and that is a core part of the price.
03
Fifty-year critic track record
Cost up
A sustained record with the Wine Advocate and the other leading critics, with top vintages scoring in the high 90s. That commands an icon premium few Italian reds can match.
04
Barrique ageing and slow release
Cost up
Each vintage is aged around 24 months in small French oak barrels, roughly 40% new in 2021, then bottle-aged before release. That ties up capital and barrel cost for years before any sale.
05
UK duty and VAT
Cost up
At 2026 rates UK excise duty adds 2.67 pounds per still bottle under 15% ABV. Then 20% VAT on a 300-pound bottle adds about 50 pounds, lifting the shelf price above the ex-cellar cost.
06
Younger current vintages drink earlier
Cost down
The in-market 2022 and 2023 releases trade below mature years like 2009. Buyers must cellar them for a decade or more before peak, which softens their relative price.
01
Scarcity against global demand
Cost up
Tenuta San Guido makes only about 200,000 bottles of Sassicaia a year, and global demand consistently outstrips supply. That holds the UK price structurally high at 280 to 510 pounds.
02
Unique single-estate DOC and terroir
Cost up
Bolgheri Sassicaia is the only Italian DOC reserved for one estate. It sits on limestone-rich, crumbly shale soils at 100 to 400 metres, with constant ventilation that concentrates aromas. This site cannot be copied, and that is a core part of the price.
03
Fifty-year critic track record
Cost up
A sustained record with the Wine Advocate and the other leading critics, with top vintages scoring in the high 90s. That commands an icon premium few Italian reds can match.
04
Barrique ageing and slow release
Cost up
Each vintage is aged around 24 months in small French oak barrels, roughly 40% new in 2021, then bottle-aged before release. That ties up capital and barrel cost for years before any sale.
05
UK duty and VAT
Cost up
At 2026 rates UK excise duty adds 2.67 pounds per still bottle under 15% ABV. Then 20% VAT on a 300-pound bottle adds about 50 pounds, lifting the shelf price above the ex-cellar cost.
06
Younger current vintages drink earlier
Cost down
The in-market 2022 and 2023 releases trade below mature years like 2009. Buyers must cellar them for a decade or more before peak, which softens their relative price.
Food Pairing
Cabernet tannin and Bolgheri acidity: dishes that fit Sassicaia
Firm, fine Cabernet tannins and bright coastal acidity make Sassicaia a red-meat and game wine. Each pairing below is matched on a structural reason, from fat-cutting to aromatic bridges.
Tannin softeningStrong match
Chargrilled Tuscan beef
The firm, fine-grained Cabernet tannins of Sassicaia bind to the fat and char of a rare bistecca. They soften on the palate while the meat tames their grip. Coastal Bolgheri acidity cuts the richness so each bite resets the palate.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · tagliata di manzo · peposo · grilled porterhouse · More pairings →
Fat cuttingStrong match
Slow-braised and roasted meats
Long-cooked beef and pork bring gelatinous richness that the tannin and graphite spine of this 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blend slices through cleanly. The wine's savoury, leathery depth mirrors the browned, reduced flavours of a braise.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · Ossobuco alla Milanese · Porchetta · arrosto di vitello · More pairings →
Body matchingGood match
Game and wild boar
The medium to full body and dark cassis-and-tobacco fruit of Sassicaia stand up to the gamey intensity of boar and venison without being overwhelmed. Its structure matches the dense, sinewy texture of slow-cooked game.
Try with: wild boar pappardelle · cinghiale in umido · venison stew · Spezzatino di pecora · More pairings →
Salt balanceGood match
Aged hard cheese
A mature pecorino or aged caciocavallo brings salt and umami that settle the wine's tannins and lift its dark fruit. The bright acidity of the West-facing Bolgheri vineyards keeps a rich, crystalline cheese from cloying.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged Pecorino Toscano · Caciocavallo farcito · Parmigiano stagionato · More pairings →
Aromatic bridgeGood match
Herb-roasted lamb
Rosemary and thyme on roast lamb echo the violet and balsamic, leafy Cabernet Franc edge in Sassicaia. That builds an aromatic bridge between dish and glass. The lamb's fat is met by the wine's polished tannic grip.
Try with: Agnello Ragu Lucano · herb-crusted rack of lamb · Arrosticini · agnello al forno · More pairings →
AvoidClash
Avoid chilli heat and delicate fish
The firm tannins and oak of Sassicaia amplify chilli heat, turning spicy dishes harsh and metallic, and the wine's weight flattens delicate seafood. Save it for red meat, not for chilli-driven plates or light fish.
A blue-chip Tuscan red with deep secondary-market demand and large-format releases. The best Tenuta San Guido vintages reward 15 to 30 years of patient cellaring.
Drinking window
2027 → 2043
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
Decanting
1 hour
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Serving temperature
16-18°C
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Cellar potential
High
Single-estate Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC aged 24 months in small French oak barrels, with firm tannins. Its 20 to 30 year potential in strong vintages such as 2009 and 2021 makes it a benchmark cellar wine.
Buy now or wait?
Buy now
£249.99 for a 75cl bottle of the 2022, at House of Decant, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Sources & trust
Sources behind this Sassicaia page
Prices & stock
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day.
Last refresh: 25 Oct 2026, 03:12 BST.
We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · High
Tasting notes
Drawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing
From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs
Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential
Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Sassicaia is a Bordeaux-style blend of roughly 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. Tenuta San Guido grows both in estate plots at Bolgheri, including Castiglioncello, on limestone-rich galestro soils between 100 and 400 metres above sea level.
No. Sassicaia carries its own DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia, which became a standalone denomination in December 2013. It is the only Italian DOC reserved for a single estate, Tenuta San Guido.
Strong vintages such as 2009 and 2021 will cellar for 20 to 30 years. Aged 24 months in small French oak barrels, young Sassicaia is firmly tannic and benefits from a decant or several more years in bottle.
Pair it with chargrilled Tuscan beef like a bistecca alla fiorentina, or slow braises such as ossobuco. Wild boar and game, herb-roasted lamb and aged pecorino work too. Its firm Cabernet tannins and acidity cut through fat and char.
Three things set the price. First, limited production of around 200,000 bottles a year against global demand. Then a unique limestone-rich Bolgheri site, and a 50-year track record in international critic guides. Bottles typically sell between 280 and 510 pounds.
Expect blackcurrant and cassis with cedar, tobacco, graphite and a violet, leafy Cabernet Franc edge. Drinkers like it year after year for its structure, elegance and savoury depth.
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Tuscany > Bolgheri Sassicaia Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
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