Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2001

Magnum. The first bottle had slight TCA. Wonderful lustrous ruby. Beautiful. Perfect balance. Very clean and stunningly fresh. Yes! Some tannin. Neat. Same sort of build as 2006. Tea leaves and life. Racy and fresh. Almost minty. Great stuff. Jancis Robinson

The weather was particularly favorable, with very little rainfall during the summer. The temperatures are very similar to those of 2000, have remained above the seasonal average, thus promoting a comprehensive and early ripening of the grapes.

(85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc): Deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines raspberry, dark cherry, smoke, coffee, minerals and sexy coconutty oak. Then rich and very complex without any undue weight on the palate, offering deep, concentrated flavors of dark cherry, blackberry, cassis, balsamic herbs and cedar. This still very young wine offers a rare combination of density, intensity of flavor and vinosity, finishing with fine-grained tannins and subtle notes of pepper and herbs.

Along with the 2004, this is my choice for the best Sassicaia of the last 20 years, in a classic, ultra-clean and refined style. The 2001 vintage in Bolgheri was characterized by a deep freeze at Easter time (with temperatures down to -6°C), which greatly reduced eventual vine yields and caused a 10%-15% decrease in overall production. A cooler than average September prolonged the ripening and brought more hang time for the fruit, allowing for optimal ripeness and the potential for complex, long-lived wines.