Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC "Sassicaia" 2017 Magnum 1.5l - Tenuta San Guido

1.5l Magnum bottle.

Denomination: DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia (DOC Sassicaia)

First vintage: 1968

Grapes: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc

Analytical data: Alcohol content: 14.00%, PH: 3.46, Total acidity: 5.85, Residual sugars: 0.20 g/l

Type of land: The land on which the vineyards suitable for the production of this wine stand are included in the territorial delimitation of the SASSICAIA DOC. They show different and composite morphological characteristics, with a strong presence of calcareous areas rich in marl, as well as rocks and stones (from which the wine takes its name) and partially clayey. The production plants are located at an altitude between 100 and 300 meters above sea level, with exposure to the West/South-West.

Training system: Spurred cordon

Planting density: From 3,600 plants/ha to 5,550 plants/ha for older plants and 6,200 plants/Ha for more recent plants.

Climatic trend and characteristics of the vintage: The 2017 vintage was quite hot but in many respects substantially different from previous vintages, such as 2003 or 2012. Although with a spring and summer season characterized by temperatures often above the norm, the vegetative conditions of the plants and the results in organoleptic terms of the grapes and musts to which they originated in the Bolgheri area are highly respectable. Autumn and the first part of winter were characterized by cold temperatures, conditioned by northerly winds and medium rainfall. Conditions that allowed vegetative growth to stop, contained the main vine parasites and kept the water reserves of the land in balance.

The bizarre climate at the beginning of spring, with temperatures that were already well above average at the end of March, affected the good progress of flowering but also of fruit setting, giving rise to smaller bunches and fewer grapes. That is, the consequence of an average production reduction of 18-20%.

If this led to a lower production, otherwise it further favored the quality of the grapes and created a more sustainable condition for the vines which brought their load of grapes to maturity regularly, albeit with a very hot summer .

The summer continued with sunny days, warm temperatures and no rain until the end of July. In mid-August, with the beginning of the phenolic ripening of the grapes, the arrival of a disturbance of Atlantic origin which brought rain for 2 or 3 days and caused the temperatures to drop significantly, created the ideal conditions to favor the completion of the phenolic ripening of the grapes, rather than the technical one.

The vegetative conditions of the vines and above all the vital functions have never suffered interruptions or stress conditions and this has allowed the plants to continue to regularly carry out their photosynthetic capacity to the benefit of the phenolic action which is decisive in the ripening of the grapes.

The rains that fell at the most crucial moment of this action also allowed the grapes to increase in weight and size thanks to cellular distension, diluting the concentration of sugars (glucose and fructose) while maintaining the good supply of polyphenols in perfect balance. The alternation of night and day temperatures that occurred from mid-August to the end of September favored the development of primary and secondary aromas, and equally determined the increase in acidity which was truly essential to give freshness and elegance to the musts.

Harvest period: The harvest. entirely manual, it began about 8 days in advance starting from August 30th with the harvest of the Cabernet Franc grapes and then continuing with the harvest of the Cabernet Sauvignon, first from the plants located at lower altitudes and completing at the end of September with those located on the high hills, about 360 meters above sea level (Vigna di Castiglioncello and Vigna del Quercione) between the end of September and the beginning of October.

Winemaking notes: Selection of grapes via sorting table, to eliminate impurities and any presence of millerandage. Soft and delicate pressing and destemming of the grapes, taking care not to break the integrity of the grapes. Subsequent spontaneous alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel at a controlled temperature of around 28°/30°C (without any yeast inoculation). The macerations were continued for approximately 11-12 days for the Cabernet Franc and 13-14 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Frequent pumping over outdoors and repeated délestage operations during alcoholic fermentation have allowed the obtaining of elegant musts, with good structure and excellent aromatic component. Subsequently, the malolactic fermentation was completed, again in steel and completely spontaneously, which was completed at the end of November , in order to then continue with the introduction of the must in wood .

Aging: At the end of the malolactic fermentation the wine was placed in French oak barriques (one third new wood and the rest, first and second passage) where it spent a period of aging of 24 months, always keeping the masses separate by origin of vineyard and monitored in the long selection of the masses. The assembly of the selected mass was carried out at the end of December, i.e. a month and a half before the start of bottling and subsequent refinement phase in glass before marketing.