The 2022 vintage of Sassicaia wine from Tenuta San Guido di Bolgheri surprised me in a positive way because, as we know, this vintage was not at the level of 2021. Later I will write how 2022 went from a meteorological point of view.
I tasted this 2022 by opening the bottle 24 hours before tasting it, I put it in a decanter in which it remained for about twenty minutes, I turned the decanter around a bit and then put it back in the bottle without corking it, until the next day.
Sassicaia in particular needs to oxygenate in order to best express itself olfactorily. So it was, this 2022 brought out all its typical scents such as sea water, lavender soap, nutmeg and graphite.
After 24 hours of oxygenation, the wine did not show the slightest deterioration.
The peculiarities of this 2022 are the acidity and marked freshness. As you know, minerality and freshness, when they are generously present, as in this case, make clear the longevity of the wine. This 2022, in my opinion, will need to stay in the bottle for a bit, unlike 2015 and 2019 which were ready to be enjoyed straight away. I never imagined that the 2022 could be of this level. The nose is very rich, particularly expressive, and on the palate you would expect a more rounded wine, but instead you find a fairly balanced wine between alcohol and freshness, in the sense that the alcoholic mass is not even perceived in the imagination. The acidity is strong and is not a negative note as some might instinctively say but it is its beauty because it makes you understand how long its aging capacity will be.
What can we say about the final taste which has a pleasantly overwhelming flavor of lavender.
Let’s now talk about the meteorological conditions of the 2022 vintage.
The 2022 vintage was hot but the favorable microclimate of Bolgheri allowed us to maintain a good balance between acidity and freshness. Autumn initially recorded temperatures below average, with abundant rainfall and a drop in temperature at the end of November which favored the vegetative growth of the plants and the natural elimination of parasites. The rains continued even in winter, ensuring a good water reserve. Spring began with above average temperatures, interrupted by a short and sharp drop in temperature which resulted in bud selection in early vineyards. This reduced the load on the plants and allowed correct pigmentation and ripening of the grapes. The summer was characterized by intense heat, but thanks to the microclimate of Bolgheri and the hillside location of the vineyards, there were no signs of suffering in the vineyards. A significant rainfall in mid-August led to a drop in temperatures and consequently favored the correct ripening of the grapes.
The harvest of the grapes, carried out by hand, began in the first days of September with the grapes from the youngest vineyards and then continued with the Cabernet Sauvignons from the vineyards located at lower altitudes, until ending with those on the hills at over 300 meters above sea level (Vigna di Castiglioncello). The collection operations concluded at the end of September.
Now I’m going to describe the wine.
Tasting notes:
TENUTA SAN GUIDO
SASSICAIA D.O.C.G., 2022 vintage
(grape variety: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc)
It dresses ruby red with purple highlights.
The olfactory stage is rich and varied with aromas of sea water (internal white part of the watermelon peel), intense of mint and lavender soap (reminds me of Atkinson), graphite, star anise, blackberry, eucalyptus, hard raspberry candy, coffee grounds, rosemary, sage, medicinal herbs, nutmeg, licorice, blueberry, Morositas candy, broken cyclamen stem, slightly candied cherry to finish with sensations of boiled chestnut with dried wild fennel.
On the palate it has a very strong freshness that completely covers the alcoholic mass.
The body is medium and the tannins are sweet and broad (6/6-), initially silky and then slightly drying the upper gum. Its taste persistence is long with a very intense lavender finish.
(98/100)
