Ornellaia - one of the most renowned wineries in Bolgheri, Tuscany.
Sassicaia means "place of stones". The excellent drainage of the vineyard promotes deep root growth and concentration in the wine.
Exciting cult wines in a year of extremes
2022 was an extreme year in Bolgheri. From February to June, it was the driest year and from May to September one of the warmest of the past four years. Balanced rainfall during the harvest helped to ease the tension in the vineyard, resulting in a very good vintage in the end. The vines also benefited from the fact that the winter of 2021/2022 was very rainy, which meant that the deep, often loamy and clayey soils built up good reserves for the dry period.
The warm spring ensured good budding and favored an excellent completion of flowering and fruit set. Summer was hot and dry as usual, but towards the end of the season temperatures dropped thanks to the rain and cooler nights with good fluctuations between day and night allowed for perfect phenolic ripening of the grapes and longer harvest times.
The drought slowed growth and led to lower yields and smaller, more concentrated bunches, while the rains towards the end of the growing cycle brought the vineyards back into balance.
Ornellaia carried out a careful selection in the vineyards and a double selection when the grapes arrived in the cellar. "This vintage is characterized by the right concentration and a distinct character," commented Marco Balsimelli, Ornellaia's new technical director, at the presentation of the new vintage in Zurich. "You can perceive all the positive influences of the sun together with a convincing freshness. The Petit Verdot, which is represented with a slightly higher proportion in the assemblage this year, is the best interpretation of this climate," he continues.
The 2022 Ornellaia still comes from the old team around Axel Heinz, who moved to Château Lascombes shortly afterwards. Today, Lamberto Frescobaldi manages the two estates, while Marco Balsimelli is the new production director. The vintage is charmingly open with a generous, rich and soft texture that spreads generously in the mouth with rounded, silky tannins. The typical Ornellaia spiciness, reminiscent of Mediterranean scrub and balsamic-herbal notes, sets the style.
The vintage demanded everything from the team and nature. No wonder the 2022 vintage is entitled "La Determinazione" (Determination). For Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta from Tenuta San Guido, 2022 was certainly a hot year, "but thanks to a series of circumstances that occurred throughout the vine's biological cycle, it was less stressful than previous hot years, such as 2012 or 2003."
When asked which vintage she would compare the 2022 to, she says: "I would say to a 2020, albeit with more freshness, and looking further back perhaps to a 1999 or 1997, but also to a 1987 in terms of freshness, aromatic complexity and structure. In many ways, it has similarities with the 2020, 2009 and 2007 vintages."
The Sassicaia 2022 shows once again why it is considered an icon among the Super Tuscans - elegant, profound and with impressive ageing potential.
The 2022 Sassicaia enchants with its aromatic richness, wonderful, silky structure and noble harmony, without any overripeness. The fruit is rich and ripe, but remains precise and pure, the tannins are juicy and silky.
As so often, it exudes noble Bordeaux flair with classic elegance, in the spirit of its creator Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. In contrast to Ornellaia, Sassicaia traditionally does not contain a drop of Merlot, but is made exclusively from the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varieties. Its juiciness and aromatic richness actually reminds me of 2020, too - an unagitated class, even though it already comes across with seductive fruit and immense grace. I am firmly convinced that this wine has a great future.
The Guidalberto is from the 2023 vintage, which is completely different. It was a challenging, wet year in which the peronospora pressure had to be kept in check.
"It was exceptional for grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, while it was perhaps less positive for early varieties such as Merlot than 2022," says Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta.
Tignanello - The super Tuscan legend
The Marchesi Antinori's Tenuta Tignanello is located in the heart of Chianti Classico on the gentle hills between the Greve and Pesa valleys and comprises 319 hectares of land, 165 of which are planted with vines. With an impressive history dating back to the 16th century, Tignanello has made wine history and is one of the most prestigious and historic wineries in Tuscany. It was the first Sangiovese to be aged in barriques, the first modern red wine made from non-traditional grape varieties (including Cabernet) and one of the first red wines in Chianti to which no white grape varieties were added. Tignanello is a milestone in the history of wine. It is made from a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Among the vineyards are two jewels: the Tignanello vineyard and the Solaia vineyard. The soils are rocky and calcareous with Alberese and Galestro rock.
Between history and pleasure: Villa Tignanello in quiet grandeur.
In the barrel cellar of Tenuta Tignanello - this is where one of Italy's most important wines matures to perfection.
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