Toscana

The first Cabernet vines were planted in the Tenuta San Guido di Bolgheri in the immediate second after war, with the sceptiscism and criticism of the of the vine cultivators of the area anf the intire Toscana. Today the Sassicaia is considered the top of the whole large and new family of Italian wines. The first to astonish and be affirmed abroad with great success. The exceptional quality of the Sassicaia is the result of, together, with particularly favouring factors; the area, the vinette, the type of refinement in the barrels and above all, the philosophy of wine. The result is a long lived wine, but drinkable with great satisfaction even when young, thanks to its elegant “souplesse”.

At the point where the Via Aurelia meets the Viale di Bolgheri is a circle of cypresses surrounding the obelisk that Giuseppe della Gherardesca erected for Nobel prize winner Giosue Carducci. Beyond the obelisk is the church of San Guido, built by Simone Maria della Gherardesca at the beginning of the 18th Century that lends its name to the Sassicaia estate. The Viale di Bolgheri is lined with cypresses, and runs through the heart of the Tenuta San Guido estate to the castle and village center of Bolgheri.

Tenuta San Guido is an estate of about 2500 hectares, whose most important feature is its diversity of purpose. Less than one fortieth of its surface is devoted to winemaking, while two-thirds of the total is woodland.

One hundred and fifty hectares comprise the Dormello-Olgiata thoroughbred training center, and the remaining six hundred and fifty hectares are cultivated with cereals or olive groves, used as pasture for horses and livestock or are part of Italy’s first private bird sanctuary – the Oasi of Bolgheri.

The estate rises from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the hills behind the castle of Castiglioncello, at a height of 396 meters – more than one thousand feet above sea level. This altitude makes for a very striking landscape, as well as a fabulous microclimate. Le vigne di Castiglioncello The vineyards of Tenuta San Guido which add up to about 75 hectars, are placed in different areas due to the special terroir's features.

The climate, influenced by the proximity of the sea and by the hills surrounding the vineyards, which protect them from winds, has a very strong influence on the correct and healthy maturation of the grapes. Le vigne di Quercione The vineyards planted as "cordone speronato", produce about 5000 kg of grapes per hectare. The grape varieties are divided into 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining 15% Cabernet Franc. Le vigne di San Martino The harvest normally begins in the first two weeks of September. The alcoholic fermentation goes on for 12-14 days, followed by the malolattic fermentation which is over by the end of October. The wine is aged in French oak barriques - in the case of Sassicaia for 24 months and in the case of Guidalberto for 12 months. It is then bottled and kept in our cellar for 6 months before its arrival on the market.