Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006

To be honest I gave the Sassicaia 1985 a 100 points at the same tasting, but those notes have already been published, and it’s a vintage that has been celebrated plenty of times. Both bottles were from one of the standout tastings of the year – in Rome, a vertical of Sassicaia dating back over five decades. This 2006 has guts and glory, there is stuffing here. The exotic heat comes through like a pan-seared filet steak, nothing more than a flash fire that gives way to succulence. More exoticism with the dancing array of flavours, from plums, damson and spices to forest fruits and heather then the menthol kicks comes in. You just want to linger over this glass, pick apart the individual flavours and get to understand what it is saying.

Sweet tobacco and berry with hints of currants. Full, soft and silky. Lots of fruit and a long finish. It's subtle, dense and sophisticated. Please give this another five years to really show what it has.

The Tenuta San Guido 2006 Bolgheri Sassicaia is a timeless classic. This might just be the vintage to photograph in an encyclopedia entry for Sassicaia. This is especially true at this exact moment in its long and promising drinking window. The wine shows less volume compared to some of the more opulent vintages, but it absolutely excels in terms of length and finish. It offers amazing drive and momentum that are fueled by the extremely fine nature of the wine's texture and the seamless unity of its flavors. It treads in light and delicate footsteps that will carry it far into the future. As they say in Italian: "Piano piano si va lontano" (slowly slowly you go far).