Sebastiano Rosa, Winemaker and Sales Guru at Tenuta San Guido

Sebastiano Rosa, winemaker and sales guru at Tenuta San Guido, looks like a movie star. He is tall, dark, and handsome, with longish, wavy hair combed back; he looks statuesque. Sebastiano is, nonetheless, twice blessed because he’s married to Elena, who is a great beauty. She’s tall, dark, gorgeous and splendidly sculpted. Together, they look like they stepped out from the pages of Vogue. Word has it, moreover, that they were the envy of the well-heeled attending Manhattan’s biggest wine bash last winter.

Winemaker Rosa has led a life of good fortune. His Italian education made him erudite, poised, and well spoken. His graduate work at University of Davis made him a specialist, with degrees in Agriculture and Managerial Economics with emphasis in Oenology and Viticulture. He did a Napa stint, working at Jordan and at Stag’s Leap. He returned to Europe in 1990 and worked at Château Lafite Rothschild. More fortuna followed: in 1992 the Countess Cinzano of Montalcino asked him to join Argiano (a top Brunello estate), where he spent the next 12 years working with one of the world’s great oenologists, Giacomo Tachis, and together they produced the legendary Super Tuscan, Solengo. A decade later, he was appointed technical director and head of international sales at Tenuta San Guido overseeing, with his stepfather Marchese Nicolo Incisa della Rochetta, the production of one of the world’s best known wines — Sassicaia. He also works with wine consultant Tachis on a southern Sardinian wine, Agricola Punica, a Carignano based vino.

Sassicaia’s history is well documented. Briefly, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rochetta was a Bordeaux wine lover. When he married Marchesa Clarice della Gherardesca, part of her dowry was Tenuta San Guido near Bolgheri, at which he attempted to produce Bordeaux wines. The vineyards, however, were too close to the salt marshes and the wine was not good. World War II made it difficult to purchase Bordeaux wines, so in 1944 the Marchese decided to replant his vineyards, this time well above sea level, with cuttings from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. He put the wines in Slavonian oak, and later the wines were declared too tannic, hard, and undrinkable. In 1960 he abandoned the project, only to revive it in 1965 when fellow wine lovers tasted the wines and liked them. Marchese had 30 acres of very stony vineyards (Sassicaia means rocky or stony place) and asked Giacomo Tachis to consult about the wines. He made important technical changes. The wines were moved to temperature controlled climate cellars. Stainless steel vats were brought in, as were new French Tronçais and Allier oak barriques. The wines were aged for nearly two years, and the first vintage emerged in 1968. By 1982, however, Sassicaia became well known — it was also a fabulous Tuscan vintage. In 1994, changes in DOC (Denomination of Control wine laws controlled by the Italian government) appeared, and Sassicaia became so famous that it received its own appellation — it’s the only estate in Italy to have its own designation. Initially, it was an “eccentric wine,” as Hugh John-son called it, but it soon became a wine that could beat the great Growths of Bordeaux, and Johnson signals out the 1975 as an example. Sassicaia (85 percent Cabernet and 15 percent Cabernet Franc) ultimately became the great “Bordeaux” that the Marchese wanted; part of its fame, moreover, was that it became the first Super Tuscan wine to go beyond Tuscan tradition in search of better quality.

Over the last few years, a Super Tuscan question arose. What seized the imagination and the tastes of wine people over the last decade or more is no longer quite the case. Questions grew over just how good the Super Tuscans are, and whether they warrant the expense. Was the enthusiasm initially so high because the image of Chianti was so low? Was the wine world merely grateful that someone killed the old four-grape Chianti law created by Brolio’s “Iron Baron Ricasoli” ? Much of the Chianti was awful — hard, unflavorful, and acidic. Lettie Teague addressed this in Food and Wine in 2006, asking: Are Super Tuscans wanted? Was it just good marketing? Super Tuscans are also expensive and prices routinely reach $125 to $400 a bottle, another turn off for Teague and other consumers.

At QRW, the Super Tuscan problem is not one that has affected Sassicaia. Price notwithstanding, we are still enamored of several Super Tuscans, and Tignanello and Ornellaia, like Sassicaia, are at the top of our list — and of nearly any wine lover’s list. Put Sassicaia in a blind tasting against the best Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon or Red Blends and it proves itself again and again as a wine that deserves to be at the very top. Complaints against the price are entirely relative: some consumers complain about the high cost but don’t mind spending comparable (often more) for Bordeaux. Fine California Cabs are getting more costly every year: just look at the prices for Shafer, Caymus, and Insignia. For collectors, Sassicaia will age far better than much of its competition — depending upon vintage, 10 to 20 years easily. Recently, we tasted the 1999, 2004, and 2006 Sassicaia, three classic vintages and the wines were immense and all priced at $200+. The 1999 ($200) was still young, with earthy aromas of stone and minerals, mild tannins, soft oak, silky texture, dark chocolate — delicious. The young 2004 ($250) had an earthy, spicy nose, cherry and raspberry in the bouquet and in the flavor, with soft oak, rich chocolate, tannic, possessing enormous depth with elegance. The 2006 ($400) is an extraordinary wine with super structure, evolving tannins, earthy notes in the nose, with a complexity of flavors still trying to unravel themselves. This may well be the noblest Sassicaia of them all. Understandably, not everyone is pleased with Sassicaia, especially because they produced a 2002 vintage, a dud of a wine that should never have been bottled, and which may very well have started the questioning about it and about Super Tuscans generally. Further, the auction market is still a Bordeaux one, and many collectors feel that the heavy weight Super Tuscans are not delivering the financial return they want.

Sebastiano Rosa, the winemaker, has another wine, Guidalberto, more sensibly priced (approximately $50) and ready to drink. He refers to it as “Sassicaia’s little brother.” Perhaps. The 2006 vintage is a lovely example of this wine, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon (60 percent) and Merlot (40 percent) blend and aged for 12 months in French and American oak. The wine is softly textured, with engaging violet notes, chocolate and spice aromas, with raspberry and cherry in the flavors, commingling with mocha, oak, and more cherry. Super stuff! The 2006 is available, as is the 2007 vintage; the 2007 is a fairly good one which we have yet to taste, but which early press reports are encouraging. Speaking of reports, Rosa’s Sardinian wine, Agricola Punica (approximately $50), is a winner. Rosa says that consultant Giacomo Tachis turned him on to Sardinia, and the wine is ground-breaking for the area. Rosa makes it in conjunction with a local Sardinian cooperative. It consists of Carignane (a black grape that likes hot weather, making it perfect for Sardinia; the grape is starting to get some respect) and some Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The 2005 is deeply crimson, lush, gently tannic, hefty, with notable finish. Give it time.

Tenuta San Guido Estate