The 2014 Sassicaia is polished and expressive for the year. But it is also quite a bit darker and more concentrated than when it was a young wine. That search for a level of depth in aging that the vintage did not provide on its own also concentrated the tannins, which are a bit out of balance for the structure of the wine. It will be interesting to see if the 2014 gains aromatic expressiveness and layers. Today the wine is at once light in body and also tannic.

A pretty and fresh red with berry and cherry character. Hints of walnut. Medium body, fine tannins and a crisp finish. Fine and delicate. Lighter than past vintages. Drink now.

This is just starting to get into its stride. From a cool year, with a late start to spring and an early end to summer which generally produced lighter, earlier drinking wines, Sassicaia 2014 nonetheless rises above the noise with a fresh and juicy expression of fragrant dried fruits and moreish black berries with spicy, meaty and balsamic touches. It displays a streak of blackcurrant coulis and an aromatic note of toasted fenugreek seed on the long, gentle finish. Perhaps lacks some complexity and concentration compared to more esteemed vintages, but don't be fooled into thinking this is anything other than very good. Poured from magnum.

This is just starting to get into its stride. From a cool year, with a late start to spring and an early end to summer which generally produced lighter, earlier drinking wines, Sassicaia 2014 nonetheless rises above the noise with a fresh and juicy expression of fragrant dried fruits and moreish black berries with spicy, meaty and balsamic touches. It displays a streak of blackcurrant coulis and an aromatic note of toasted fenugreek seed on the long, gentle finish. Perhaps lacks some complexity and concentration compared to more esteemed vintages, but don't be fooled into thinking this is anything other than very good. Poured from magnum. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2043
Tasted by: James Button (at London, 07 Feb 2023)
Part of First taste: Sassicaia 2020

Quality 922 | Brand 997 | Economics 929 |

buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 14 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group, which averages 9 years Brand: Strong restaurant presence, featuring on 49 of the world's top wine lists, including Marea Economics: More traded at auction than its peers, its top 5 vintages having seen 815 75cl equivalent bottles traded in the past year Production:

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017

Aromas of red berry, blue flower, menthol, exotic spice and a whiff of French oak take shape on this impeccably balanced radiant red. The palate is vibrant and focused—almost ethereal—delivering raspberry compote, Marasca cherry, star anise and cinnamon framed in elegant tannins. Weightless and loaded with finesse, it's an incredible result for what was a cool wet vintage in most of Italy. Kerin O'Keefe

This is my official review of the 2014 Bolgheri Sassicaia after having been graciously invited to the estate for various barrel samples spanning back several years. I have watched the evolution of this wine with a close eye and am impressed by how its real quality is diametrically opposed to the poor expectations of this difficult vintage. The nose is redolent of bright fruit and blackberry. Spice, tar and leather appear subtly at the back. The wine took on considerable weight each year I came back to taste it and this vintage was bottled earlier than average, precisely to give it more time to unwind and relax in the small confines of the bottle. This is a solid effort for sure and the wine is a stunning example of what it takes to make great wine, even when weather conditions are not in your favor. (Monica Larner)

Tasted from barrel, the 2014 Bolgheri Sassicaia is shaping up very nicely since I tasted it last year. In fact, it has made reassuring gains in terms of color density, aromatic definition and specifically textural richness. This wine will be released in 2017, but is scheduled to be bottled in November of this year (instead of January 2017) in order to allow it more time to flesh out and integrate in glass. The bouquet shows slightly rustic tones of tilled earth and spice that come on the heels of blackberry and dried cherry. The 2014 vintage is characterized by a late growing cycle. The last day of harvest was October 31. Despite the vintage challenges, primary fermentation and malolactic fermentation were executed without a hitch.

A difficult vintage that required more green harvest than normal and leaf plucking round the fruit in June because of disease pressure. 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc. Fermented in tank with indigenous yeasts. 11-15 days' vatting (longer than usual). Aged 24 months in French oak. Bottled in the last week. I had the impression that owner Priscilla Incisa Della Rocchetta and importer Armit were being a little bit defensive about this vintage – pre-empting suggestions that it was a poor vintage. But I don't think they needed to be. Deep garnet. Smoky, dark and restrained on the nose. Lots of cassis but also a lightly savoury/meaty Italianate quality. Rounded and just a little chewy. Very approachable on the palate but not very expressive on the nose. Lively, elegant and long. Firm but not resistant tannins, finely textured. Rich fruit on the finish. Moderate length. Very fresh. Coming back to this after tasting the 2002 from magnum (the winemaker thought it was a good comparison to show the way a vintage similar to 2014 had aged), this seemed refined and elegant. Juicy and still dry on the finish. Very mouth-watering and makes you want to drink more. It may be a less powerful style than in some years but a significant achievement in 2014 in an attractive, balanced style. (JH)