A DOC that is the pride of all Italy, synonymous with absolute excellence. We are talking about Sassicaia, by right one of the greatest expressions of winemaking, the result of the far-sighted vision of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta.

There are various things for which Italians are “envied” in the World, such as our history, our literature, our immeasurable artistic works, the uniqueness of our food, our wine. Yes, our Wine. How the French have managed to make the word universal Champagne which has now become a daily synonym (we say this with a certain sadness) to indicate "bubbles" (whatever they are and whatever type they are... and sadness assails us again), so the country Italy has seen the affirmation, and then rooting up to the present day, of a name that has become synonymous with absolute excellence in the world of wine: Sassicaia .

Once this word is pronounced, there is nothing more to add in a conversation about Wine. Because it is like talking about Michelangelo Buonarroti in Sculpture, Giotto in Painting or Maradona in Football: there is no possibility of misunderstanding, we are talking about maximum expressions objectively and universally recognized. This does not mean that there are no other great sculptors, other great painters or other great footballers, it does mean that in a world of great "signatures", there are also those who rightfully enter the Olympus of those who have gone beyond, of those who are untouchable.

If Italy has, among the many jewels in its crown in various "sectors", also a very prestigious one in the wine field, this is due to the great character, the great passion and the vision outside the box of the Marquis Mario Incisa of Rocchetta who, making use of collaborators who also rightfully belong to the Olympus of their sector (above all, the late Maestro Giacomo Tachis ) managed to create a wine that, for the first time in Italian history, was even awarded the a DOC reserved specifically for this purpose .

The DOC Bolgheri

In fact, the denomination “Bolgheri Sassicaia” can only be used by San Guido Estate (owned by the Incisa della Rocchetta family) for its corresponding wine, because Sassicaia is a “cru” in Bolgheri entirely owned by Tenuta San Guido: it is, to date, the only wine in Italy to have its own production specification.

Mario Incisa della Rocchetta's passion and interest for wine and viticulture was born and developed in his youth, in Rocchetta Tanaro, Piedmont, through the writings of his great-uncle Leopoldo Incisa. Later, as an agricultural student at the University of Pisa, Mario was often a guest of the Salviati Dukes who had an estate near Pisa, in Migliarino.

Here is how he describes, in a letter dated June 11, 1974 to his friend Luigi Veronelli, a famous journalist and wine critic, the genesis of his interest in Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon:

“[…] The origin of the experiment dates back to the years between 1921 and 1925, when, as a student in Pisa and often a guest of the Salviati Dukes in Migliarino, I drank a wine produced from one of their vineyards that had the same unmistakable bouquet as an old Bordeaux”.

In 1930, after marrying Clarice della Gherardesca, Mario Incisa moved to Bolgheri, about 60 km south of Pisa along the Tyrrhenian coast, in Maremma. San Guido Estate has belonged to the Della Gherardesca family for many centuries. It is here that Mario Incisa, in 1944, began his experiments with Cabernet Sauvignon vines from the Estate of the Dukes Salviati of Migliarino.

The Sassicaia

The name Sassicaia means, in the local dialect, 'stony terrain': such soil, combined with a very particular microclimate given the proximity to the sea, give life to the terroir that Mario Incisa considers ideal for the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sassicaia was initially produced as a family wine, strictly private, drunk only on the estate, and the first vintage to appear on the market was 1968 .

In 1978, during a Decanter Magazine tasting in London, Sassicaia 1972 was judged the best Cabernet Sauvignon among 33 samples submitted from 11 countries. Since then it has become famous among international critics and is renowned for having made Bolgheri a world-class winemaking excellence.

The new generations

Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta , son of Mario, for 40 years it has been the lighthouse of Tenuta San Guido following tradition with a watchful eye on innovation and excellence. Since the 70s, when Nicolò took over the production and marketing, the philosophy and production principles have remained true to their roots.

At the same time, Nicolò has been able to give Sassicaia great visibility both nationally and internationally and has created two other labels: Guidalberto, whose first vintage was 2000, and Le Difese, born in 2002.

A champion of the so-called “Bordeaux cut”, Sassicaia, since the first year of its commercialization, has obtained an endless series of awards at the highest levels both nationally and internationally and today, some vintages in particular, have become real cult for collectors and great wine lovers who are willing to hunt down even at the ends of the earth, just one bottle.

Since then, there has not been a single vintage that has not been glorified throughout the world, thus clearing not only Tenuta San Guido, but Tuscany first and Italy in general later, as the homeland of top quality wines.

Staying in Olympus, we decided to close this journey in the myth , letting ourselves be lulled by the indelible words of the greatest Italian food and wine journalist, Luigi Veronelli, used to describe Sassicaia:

“… dark ruby ​​red, garnet reflections, well dressed and brilliant, dense bouquet, self-contained, of uncommonly surly elegance, harmonious and elegant taste, complete, high and warm with an insistent hint of truffle, consistent backbone in the well-structured fabric, sweet and soft tannins that leave a persistent and unforgettable aftertaste”.

Unforgettable, like the lucky taste of this heritage of humanity that becomes personal pride and pure pride to share.

Written by Carlo Attisano for mangiaebevi.it