Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC

The Historical Origins of a Winemaking Calling

Although Bolgheri’s history is ancient—with settlements and the construction of a fortress, later replaced by the Castle, dating back to the Early Middle Ages—the land where most vineyards and estates stand today remained undeveloped for centuries. It was only at the end of the 1600s that the Counts of Gherardesca sought to revitalize the area, planting, among other things, the first flatland vineyards in the San Guido and Belvedere zones.

In particular, Count Guido Alberto della Gherardesca, in the first half of the 1800s, championed a new wine culture in Bolgheri, supported by vinification experts such as Giuseppe Mazzanti. In 1816, the first experimental vineyards were established at the Capanne di Castiglioncello, where the first Sassicaia vineyard would later be born.

In 1833, Guido Alberto was appointed “Chief Steward and Bottler to the Court” by Grand Duke Leopold II. His role enabled him to study French viticulture in depth. As a result, decisions were not only guided by terroir but also heavily influenced by French winemaking methods and grape varieties. Confirming this approach, the selections made by Guido Alberto and Mazzanti focused precisely on French varieties such as Gamay, Cabernet, and Syrah.

The destruction of vineyards due to the phylloxera outbreak at the beginning of the 20th century forced a rethinking of the overall vineyard structure and of the grape varieties most suitable for the territory.

The Visionary Approach of Mario Incisa della Rocchetta

After an interim period between the two wars, when Bolgheri’s viticulture was heavily shaped by the sharecropping system and oriented toward self-consumption, Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta moved to Bolgheri. In 1930, after marrying Clarice della Gherardesca, he received as dowry 2,500 hectares of land—the present-day Tenuta San Guido. He immediately recognized Bolgheri’s potential for French grape varieties and, thanks to the first cuttings obtained from the Dukes Salviati of Migliarino, in the early 1940s he planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard on the slopes descending from the Castiglioncello fortress in Bolgheri down toward the sea.

The Birth of Sassicaia: From Experimentation to Excellence

The research and experimentation that led to the creation of Sassicaia represented a pioneering gesture that went beyond Tuscany’s winemaking tradition of the time, laying the foundations of modern viticulture in Bolgheri. For many years, the wine remained a private product, reserved exclusively for the family.
It was only in 1971 that Sassicaia officially debuted on the market with the 1968 vintage. This was the first step in a journey that, within just a few decades, would bring Bolgheri into the ranks of the world’s most renowned red wines.

International Success

The official consecration of “Sassicaia” came in 1978, when Decanter magazine published a comparative tasting of Cabernets from around the world, and Sassicaia claimed first place. Later, the 1985 vintage competed in a tasting held by the Grand Jury Européen against Bordeaux’s Grands Crus, earning the highest recognition—further confirmed by the 100 points awarded by American critic Robert Parker.
Since then, its absolute excellence has been reaffirmed through a great number of national and international awards in periodic tastings organized by leading wine publications.

The Birth of the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia

In 1994, the Sassicaia production area was officially recognized as a subzone of the newly established DOC Bolgheri. In 2013, it gained full autonomy, becoming a denomination in its own right—a true unicum in the Italian wine landscape. In fact, the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia is the only Italian Denomination of Origin reserved for a single wine, produced by a single estate, within a strictly defined vineyard area.
A recognition that confirms the exceptional nature of its terroir.

A Terroir with Unique Characteristics

Although part of the broader and fairly homogeneous territory of Castagneto Carducci, the production zone of the DOC “Bolgheri Sassicaia” boasts pedoclimatic and morphological features in much of its vineyard soils that set it apart from the rest of Bolgheri and make it particularly suited for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Here, Cabernet benefits from a balanced vegetative growth and moderate yield per vine, resulting in higher sugar levels, favorable acidity, and a long-lasting sensory profile on the palate and nose, with evident notes of red fruit and spice. The high stoniness and shallow depth of the soils encourage controlled, limited vegetative development, resulting in excellent qualitative and aromatic outcomes.

The risk of water stress during the summer is not high, thanks to the particular soil texture, where clay is well represented, fostering a balanced vegetative–productive relationship in the vines. Alternate-row grassing, common in this area, is made possible by using rootstocks of moderate vigor. Late topping and excessive leaf removal are avoided, providing better protection for the grapes. These characteristics, combined with the estate’s agronomic practices, give the wine its distinctive elegance and freshness, along with an aromatic profile reminiscent of the Mediterranean maquis that surrounds the entire vineyard area.

Viticulture and Production Regulations

The vineyards destined for Sassicaia are divided into small parcels, each with different exposures, altitudes, and soil compositions. The production regulations are strict: at least 80% of the blend must consist of Cabernet Sauvignon, with a minimum aging period of 18 months in 225-liter barriques, a maximum yield of 7 tons per hectare, and an average production per vine not exceeding 2 kg.
The historic vineyards—such as Castiglioncello di Bolgheri, Aia Nuova, La Sughera, La Cerreta, San Martino, La Pineta, I Mandrioli, Il Frantoio, Sassicaia di Sopra, and Sassicaia di Sotto—are located between 100 and 360 meters above sea level, on soils rich in marl, gabbro, and pebbles, with the presence of limestone and clay.

Selection practices, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, preserve a production style that blends technical rigor with absolute respect for the territory. At the heart of every agronomic decision lies the awareness that quality derives from the vocation of each individual plot, not from its size or volume. The stylistic signature of Sassicaia is always recognizable, and its quality is the fruit of careful selection and meticulous work, both among the rows and in the winery—a perfect synthesis of technical discipline and the spirit of place.

A Timeless Identity

Over the years, the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia has upheld—and even strengthened—the premises on which it was founded, offering the world not only a wine with a recognizable stylistic hallmark but also an enduring example of balance, elegance, and fidelity to its place of origin.