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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.
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Cassis and blackcurrant framed by cedar, tobacco and graphite from 24 months in French oak barriques, with a violet, leafy edge from the 15% Cabernet Franc. Drawn from Tenuta San Guido's notes and a 132,000-rating Vivino consensus.
Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia opens on the Cabernet signature that its Vivino following keeps returning to. That signature is blackcurrant and cassis, lifted by cedar, tobacco and pencil-shaving graphite 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
LiquoriceMedium 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, mineral grip run through to the structured close.
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.
Italy's most recognised red and the only wine made under its own single-estate DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.6 from over 132,000 ratings, and 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.
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.
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.
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.
Single-estate Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC aged 24 months in French oak barriques, with firm tannins and 20 to 30 year potential in strong vintages such as 2009 and 2021, makes it a benchmark cellar wine.
Firm but fine Cabernet tannins plus the bright coastal acidity of Bolgheri make Sassicaia an excellent table red for chargrilled beef, braises and game, though too structured for delicate or spicy plates.
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.
A structured, oak-aged Cabernet blend that needs cellaring or a decant and carries a collector price, so it is a poor first Italian red despite its fame.
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.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
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 scheda tecnica for each release. Standout years such as 2009 and 2021 carry 20 to 30 years of cellar potential; 2022 and 2023 are firmer, younger releases for laying down.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 only Italian DOC reserved for a single estate, built on a unique calcareous galestro terroir at Bolgheri and a 50-year critic track record. The card below breaks down what sits behind the price.
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.
Bolgheri Sassicaia falls within Tuscany, covering Castagneto Carducci · Livorno · Toscana.
Wine route
1-2 days · 4 stops
Open the drive
Winery
Bolgheri
Made at Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri. Directions
Wine route in the zone: Strada del Vino Costa degli Etruschi.
Tenuta San Guido makes only about 200,000 bottles of Sassicaia a year and global demand consistently outstrips supply, which holds the UK price structurally high at 280 to 510 pounds.
Bolgheri Sassicaia is the only Italian DOC reserved for one estate, on calcareous galestro soils at 100 to 400 metres with constant ventilation that concentrates aromas. This non-replicable terroir is a core part of the price.
A sustained record in Wine Advocate, Vinous and James Suckling, with top vintages scoring in the high 90s, commands an icon premium few Italian reds can match.
Each vintage is aged around 24 months in French oak barriques, roughly 40% new in 2021, then bottle-aged before release, tying up capital and barrel cost for years before any sale.
At 2026 rates UK excise duty adds 2.67 pounds per still bottle under 15% ABV, and 20% VAT on a 300-pound bottle adds about 50 pounds, lifting the shelf price above the ex-cellar cost.
The in-market 2022 and 2023 releases trade below mature years like 2009, as buyers must cellar them for a decade or more before peak, softening their relative price.
Dishes that go with this wine
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.
The firm, fine-grained Cabernet tannins of Sassicaia bind to the fat and char of a rare bistecca, softening 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Rosemary and thyme on roast lamb echo the violet and balsamic, leafy Cabernet Franc edge in Sassicaia, building 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 →
The firm tannins and oak of Sassicaia amplify capsaicin 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.
Skip with: vindaloo · sweet-and-sour pork · spicy Sichuan · sushi · grilled sole · Pairing guide →
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.
Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Single-estate Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC aged 24 months in French oak barriques, with firm tannins and 20 to 30 year potential in strong vintages such as 2009 and 2021, makes it a benchmark cellar wine.
£127.00 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 10 Sep 2026, 01:43 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur 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 · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumSassicaia 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 calcareous galestro soils between 100 and 400 metres above sea level.
No. Sassicaia carries its own appellation, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, 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 French oak barriques, 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, slow braises such as ossobuco, wild boar and game, herb-roasted lamb, and aged pecorino. Its firm Cabernet tannins and acidity cut through fat and char.
Three things set the price: limited production of around 200,000 bottles a year against global demand, a unique calcareous Bolgheri terroir, 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. Vivino drinkers rate it 4.6 from over 132,000 ratings, consistently flagging its structure, elegance and savoury depth.
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