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Wine Description
The Story
After almost 30 years of experimentation and solid work the Marquis decided to release Sassicaia´s 1968 vintage to the open market using his cousin´s, Antinori´s distribution network in the early 1970s, with instant sensation. At a Decanter tasting of Cabernet wines in London, 1978, Sassicaia from vintage 1972 beat all the other 33 wines of France and California, and since then Sassicaia has been one of the leading wines in the world and in great demand among wine collectors and investors. The marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta passed away in 1983. His son, Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, now oversees all estate operations.
Sassicaia means “the place of many stones,” and refers to the region’s gravel soil. The original vineyards have a southwest exposure with extensive sun and maritime breezes that create robust vegetation. The grapes were handpicked, destemmed and crushed before fermenting with natural yeasts for 15 days in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine was aged in French oak barriques (40% new) for 24 months, then refined for 6 months in bottle before release.
Wine Information
The climate was very good and regular in 1978.
Wine making: A shorter than usual 12 - day maceration took place in steel vats because of the exhuberance of noble tannins present in the skins.
Ageing: The wine aged 22 months in Slavonian oak barrels (60 % new, and 40% used once or twice before), for the remaining 60%, French oak was used (the percentage of new to used barriques is the same as above).
Tasting notes: Deep, saturated red colour, with purple and black reflections, showing great youth. Intense and extremely concentrated bouquet, that is also warm, deep and of impressive breadth. The tertiaries are developing, giving an excellent aromatic profile still do be completed, where we see the varietal primaries and the fermentation secondaries leaving the ground for more complex and noble bouquet blends: spices and fruit jam combinations, on a toasted base. The entrance in the mouth is marked by the pleasant, savoury sweet/ripe whole of the
fruit; the alcohol grade is important, the acidity adequate; impressive on the other hand the tannic patrimony, almost completely to be polymerized, this is shown by the tangyness. his is surprising at twelve years from the harvest.(Tasting notes from 1990)
