Sassicaia – A Wine And Dinner To Remember

Sometimes there are evenings where the food and wine are simply perfect, both on their own and especially when paired together. Those nights are unforgettable.

One such evening I was fortunate enough to participate in was a special Sassicaia dinner at Vivere restaurant at the Italian Village in Chicago. The Italian Village is celebrating its 92nd year in Chicago with the same family ownership, which is a remarkable fact, as you’d be hard pressed to find a similar situation in Italy. So what better place to host a dinner with eight different vintages of Sassicaia, conducted by Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, a member of the family that owns Tenuta San Guido, where this legendary Tuscan wine is produced.

Sassicaia, for anyone who has been living under a rock for the past 4o or 50 years, is one of the world’s most famous wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon/ Cabernet Franc blend from the Bolgheri district of western Tuscany. It was initially produced in the mid 1940s by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta as a special wine for his friends. The wine was well liked, and he ultimately decided to produce the wine for the commercial market, beginning with the 1968 vintage, a wine that has become legendary. In the 50 subsequent years, Sassicaia has become known as one of the most famous wines in all the world.

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta spoke about the estate and the specific vintages, pointing out the differences between the cool and warm vintages and how the wines vary in style according to the climate from a particular year. No matter the vintage, the wines have all aged beautifully, which should be especially true for the latest two releases, the 2015 (named the wine of the year in 2018 by the Wine Spectator) and the 2016, which is arguably an even better wine.

Before the dinner, I sat down with Priscilla for a brief interview about her duties for Tenuta San Guido as well as her thoughts about Sassicaia. Noting that she has officially been involved with the winery since 2012, she remarked, “My role for the last few years is what is called a ‘grand ambassador,’ but it’s more like representing the family and the company across the world in different markets, depending on where we operate. So I travel often. Traveling is a big part of my job.”

I also asked her a question I’m certain she had heard countless times – this is a wine made with French grapes in Tuscany. Is is indeed a Tuscan or Italian wine? “The fact that the grapes have a French name, doesn’t mean they can’t develop nicely in Italy,” she commented. “Surely in Bolgheri, grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and with some producers Petit Verdot, are developing well in this part of Tuscany because of the geographical position close to the sea.

“I think that these grape varieties have become the grape varieties of Bolgheri to the point of creating a separate set of rules for these varieties. For example, Sassicaia Bolgheri DOC has as a rule that you have to have a minimum of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon. So they have become local grapes, and over the years, it’s going to be more of a given fact that these are the grapes of the Tuscan coast, so why not use them?

My tasting notes on the wines, along with the food pairings from that evening.

ANTIPASTO

Portobello Mushroom, Guanciale, White Polenta, Mascarpone, Tomini 

1998 – Deep ruby red, aromas of dried red cherry and currant. Rich mid-palate, lengthy finish with excellent persistence, and distinct herbal notes in the finish. Very good acidity and superb complexity. This has aged gracefully and has at least another 12-15 years of life ahead of it. Outstanding

1999 – Deep ruby red; aromas of black cherry, black currant, and black orchid, with hints of plum. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Beautifully ripe fruit with amazing freshness – this wine seems more like a 5-year old wine instead of 20 years of age; it’s almost as if the wine hasn’t aged a bit. Great persistence and balance, very good acidity, outstanding complexity. This is a sublime wine and a truly great example of Sassicaia. Hard to predict how many years this wine will be in great drinking condition – at least 20, but perhaps 30 or 4o years. Just amazing! Superb

PRIMI

Braised Lamb Shoulder Ragu, Saffron Tagliorini, Charred Tomatoes, Shallots, Parmesan-Reggiano 

2000 – Ripe black cherry, blackberry and fruits of the forest aromas. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Good acidity, impressive persistence and complexity, with distinct herbal notes in the finish. Very well made, but a little less impressive than the finest vintages of Sassicaia. 12-15 years. Excellent

2001 – Ripe, high tone fruit- aromas of black cherry and blackberry. Medium-full with excellent concentration and complexity. Outstanding persistence, lengthy finish, rich tannins that are well balanced, very good acidity. Just a baby. 15-20 years. Outstanding

SECONDI

Rib-Eye Fiorentina, Purple Peruvian Potato Puree, Salsa Verde, Guidalberto Jus 

2004 – Lovely perfumes of black cherry, black plum and lavender. Excellent persistence, excellent complexity, very good acidity, rich, supple tannins. Not as powerful as some releases, but quite elegant. 15-20 years. Outstanding

2005 – Aromas of lavender and black currant. Medium-full, excellent persistence, very good acidity. A bit lean in the finish, but otherwise, an impressive wine. 12-15 years. Excellent

FORMAGGI

Pecorino, Caprino, Fig Jam, Crostini

2015 – Red cherry, red currant and red poppy aromas. Full-bodied with excellent ripeness, somewhat forward. Good acidity, outstanding persistence and harmony. Seamless – with great complexity. 20 years plus. Outstanding

2016 – Currant, red cherry and red crocus aromas. Full-bodied, with a generous mid-palate with exquisite fruit flavors. Long, long finish, pinpoint acidity, firm, youthful tannins that are impeccably balanced. Great persistence. Both the 2015 and 2016 are terrific wines, with the 2016 offering a little less ripeness, but greater persistence, with beautiful grace and charm. 25 years plus. Superb

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A big thank you to Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta for sharing her thoughts.

A special shout out to several individuals, especially Vivere wine director Jared Gelband, Vivere manager Gerardo Castillo and Gina Capitanini, 3rd generation owner of The Italian Village Restaurants.

And to Kobrand, the importer of Tenuta San Guido, for their work in making this dinner happen.