Elegance & Power: Sassicaia and Saffredi Through the Years
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EN
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Boris Buliga
At a recent wine-tasting event focusing on the Sangiovese grape, courtesy of Vasyl Velykanskiy, I was struck by the scarcity of this varietal in my personal consumption – a reflection of my general ambivalence towards Toscana's offerings, with notable exceptions like Stella di Campalto and a handful of Super Tuscan producers. Credit where credit is due, Zorick Umansky has opened my eyes to these gems.
Despite what my ambivalence might suggest, I'm all ears for a compelling glass of wine, so the prospect of tasting several vintages of the illustrious Sassicaia alongside Saffredi was an enticing one. This opportunity felt like a natural progression from our last venture into the Premier Crus of Bordeaux, whose influence is markedly imprinted on the Super Tuscan wines.
The tale is somewhat legendary (and widely known): robust Bordeaux varietals taking root in the Sangiovese-centric soils of Toscana, leading to a dramatic shift in winemaking traditions and regulatory reforms. This revolution, while easily overlooked today with a dismissive wave of the hand, was groundbreaking at its inception.
Sassicaia's story begins in the rugged, stone-strewn terrains of a 42-hectare vineyard established by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in 1944. Its name, meaning 'place of many stones', speaks to the unique terroir that contributes to its distinct character. It stands apart as the sole Italian wine with its own appellation, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, a testament to its unparalleled history. Initially a private family affair, its rise to international prominence has been nothing short of meteoric, reshaping global perceptions of Italian wine.
Saffredi, born of Elisabetta Geppetti's pioneering spirit in 1987, emerges from the Maremma, just south of Bolgheri. Known as the 'Lady of Morellino', Elisabetta's venture has produced a wine that is a bold blend, typically of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Saffredi is synonymous with innovation and excellence in the Super Tuscan category, offering depth and complexity that command attention and respect.
Or so the prevailing narrative goes about these wines. My primary mission, however, is to relish these renowned bottles firsthand and form my own impressions. The lineup doesn't just stop at Sassicaia and Saffredi. As a nod to the more refined palates, a bottle of Stella di Campalto is included, offering a graceful counterbalance to the robust profiles of the Super Tuscans, proving that delicacy and strength can indeed coexist beautifully in the world of wine. And naturally, concluding with a touch of sweetness brings the entire experience complete.
| Wine | Place | rms Average score calculated using the root mean square method, reflecting the collective assessment of a wine by participants. | wavg Weighted average score for the wine, where each participant's rating is adjusted for their wine assessment expertise. | sdev Standard deviation measures the controversy of a wine's reception. A lower value signifies greater consensus among participants. | fav Count of participants who selected this wine as their evening's favourite. | out Number of participants who identified this wine as their least favourite of the evening. | price Price of the wine, if available. | QPR Quality-price ratio, indicating value for money. A higher number denotes better value. Available when price is known. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏅 8th | 4.4097 | 4.3933 | 0.0176 | 1 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 13th | 4.1946 | 4.1548 | 0.0192 | 0 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 12th | 4.2563 | 4.2183 | 0.0209 | 0 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 9th | 4.3549 | 4.3260 | 0.0090 | 1 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 10th | 4.3876 | 4.2870 | 0.0263 | 3 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🥉 3rd | 4.4967 | 4.4923 | 0.0048 | 8 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🥈 2nd | 4.5520 | 4.5755 | 0.0185 | 7 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 7th | 4.4912 | 4.4087 | 0.0247 | 2 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 4th | 4.4749 | 4.4620 | 0.0164 | 0 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 5th | 4.4977 | 4.4481 | 0.0140 | 4 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🥇 1st | 4.6169 | 4.6375 | 0.0136 | 0 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 6th | 4.5745 | 4.4423 | 0.0483 | 0 | 0 | – | – | |
| 🏅 11th | 4.3407 | 4.2325 | 0.0643 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 2006
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 2006
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 14
This wine secured the 🏅 8th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 2004
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 2004
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 14
This wine secured the 🏅 13th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 2003
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 2003
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 14
This wine secured the 🏅 12th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 2002
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 2002
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🏅 9th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 1999
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 1999
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🏅 10th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Fattoria le Pupille Saffredi 1997
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Maremma Toscana IGT
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Fattoria le Pupille
- Wine
- Saffredi
- Vintage
- 1997
- Grapes
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🥉 3rd place in our wine tasting lineup.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2016
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Tenuta San Guido
- Wine
- Sassicaia
- Vintage
- 2016
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol
- 14
This wine secured the 🥈 2nd place in our wine tasting lineup.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2007
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Tenuta San Guido
- Wine
- Sassicaia
- Vintage
- 2007
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🏅 7th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Tenuta San Guido
- Wine
- Sassicaia
- Vintage
- 2006
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🏅 4th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2005
- Region
- Italy » Tuscany » Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Tenuta San Guido
- Wine
- Sassicaia
- Vintage
- 2005
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Alcohol
- 13.5
This wine secured the 🏅 5th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Stella di Campalto Brunello di Montalcino Piccoli Contenitori 2016
- Region
- Italy » Toscana » Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Stella di Campalto
- Vintage
- 2016
- Grapes
- Sangiovese
- Alcohol
- 14.5
This wine secured the 🥇 1st place in our wine tasting lineup.
Weingut Joh Jos Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2009
- Region
- Germany » Mosel » Prädikatswein
- Type
- white still, sweet
- Producer
- Weingut Joh Jos Prüm
- Vintage
- 2009
- Grapes
- Riesling
- Alcohol
- 7.5
This wine secured the 🏅 6th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Château Rieussec Sauternes 2005
- Region
- France » Bordeaux » Sauternes AOC
- Type
- white still, sweet
- Producer
- Château Rieussec
- Wine
- Sauternes
- Vintage
- 2005
- Grapes
- Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle
- Alcohol
- 14
This wine secured the 🏅 11th place in our wine tasting lineup.
Raw scores
| Wine | Inna | Max D | Zorick U | Mariia L | Vitalii M | Mykola | Volodymyr A | Natasha | Kostyantyn | Anna Z | Boris B | A | Anton T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.20 | 4.50 | 4.40 | 4.80 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.30 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.30 | |
| 4.30 | 4.40 | 3.90 | 4.40 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 4.00 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 4.30 | 4.10 | 4.10 | |
| 4.10 | 4.40 | 4.00 | 4.60 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.20 | 4.30 | 4.10 | 4.20 | 4.20 | |
| 4.40 | 4.30 | 4.30 | 4.20 | 4.40 | 4.45 | 4.35 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.30 | 4.20 | 4.30 | 4.40 | |
| 4.60 | 4.20 | 4.20 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.45 | 4.20 | 4.30 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.10 | 4.60 | 4.35 | |
| 4.40 | 4.50 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.60 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.45 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.50 | |
| 4.40 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 4.40 | 4.70 | 4.50 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.70 | 4.60 | 4.65 | 4.80 | |
| 4.50 | 4.40 | 4.10 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 4.55 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 4.20 | 4.60 | 4.60 | |
| 4.20 | 4.50 | 4.30 | 4.50 | 4.50 | 4.65 | 4.45 | 4.55 | 4.55 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.45 | 4.70 | |
| 4.50 | 4.40 | 4.30 | 4.40 | 4.50 | 4.65 | 4.50 | 4.60 | 4.70 | 4.50 | 4.30 | 4.50 | 4.60 | |
| 4.50 | 4.70 | 4.60 | 4.70 | 4.80 | 4.60 | 4.60 | 4.40 | 4.50 | 4.70 | 4.80 | 4.50 | 4.60 | |
| 4.80 | 4.50 | 4.30 | 5.00 | 4.60 | 4.80 | 4.40 | 4.40 | 4.80 | 4.60 | 4.20 | 4.50 | 4.50 | |
| 4.50 | 4.30 | 4.00 | 4.85 | 4.30 | 4.70 | 4.35 | 4.00 | – | 4.30 | 4.00 | 4.40 | 4.30 |