2018 Sassicaia Edizione Speciale

The 2018 Sassicaia is fabulous. Bright and beautifully poised, the 2018 opens with brilliant aromatics that make a strong first impression. Delicate and light on its feet, the 2018 is a regal wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Sassicaia is the most finessed of Bolgheri’s top wines. That is very much the case in 2018 as well. I loved it. A cold winter led to a late spring and delayed start to the year. May and June saw some heat, but only moderate temperatures. Only July was truly warm, with minimal diurnal shifts. Cool winds arrived again in August, and temperatures dropped quickly, especially at night. Mid-August saw some rain. Harvest started on September 7 with the Franc and wrapped up on the 29th with the last of Cabernet Sauvignon. The year favored the estate’s oldest vineyards, those on hillside sites. The 2018 spent 19 months in oak, two-thirds new, a bit more new oak than the norm. The blend is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Franc, a bit less Franc than is often the case, as Franc suffered more under the conditions of the season.

Beautiful, serene aromas of sweet berries and wild flowers with light lavender and fresh sage. Really aromatic. A firm, silky red with medium to full body and ultra fine tannins that are polished and beautiful. Lots of blue fruit and blackberries follow through to a beautiful finish. Really tight and polished. Bright acidity. Will be lovely to drink in a few years. The 2017 and 2016 were about power, but the 2018 is about finesse and subtlety. Try after 2024.

Full bottle 1,365 g. (Perhaps the letters spelling Sassicaia moulded on to the bottle account for this one weighing slightly more than the Ornellaia bottle.) pH 3.45, TA 5.98 g/l, RS 0.17 g/l. The assemblage is the usual 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, which was picked in the first ten days of September, while Cabernet Sauvignon was picked from 6 or 16 September (tech spec cites both) to 4 October. After hand-picking and sorting, the wine was fermented in tank at 26–27 °C and macerations lasted around 15 days. Malolactic conversion took place mainly in tank, before transfer to oak (65% new, the rest second and third use) in December 2018. Final blend assembled after about 2 years in oak; bottled January 2021. Day one: Pale to mid crimson with quite a pale rim. Very light nose initially which opened out very gradually into something vaguely balsamic. And pretty marked acidity. Far from generous initially though it may gain weight and interest with time in bottle. But at the moment it's a little bit of a disappointment. Bone-dry finish with chalky tannins on the end but it does open out a bit on the finish, which promises well for the future. I would definitely decant this before serving as it does seem to respond well to aeration. Day two: This really gained body, interest and stature and was much more refreshing than the Ornellaia when both were tasted from the opened bottles. Really racy and lively – though no blockbuster. It then over the next two or three days shrivelled somewhat compared with the Ornellaia. (JR)