Bolgheri Sassicaia

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Soils of Pleistocene sediments, shallow, with a very pronounced stony skeleton, argillaceous-silty texture, ranging from slightly to highly calcareous, with iron oxide present.
• The toponym «Sassicaia» derives literally from the exceptionally high quantity of stones in the soil, reflecting the skeletal nature of the terrain.
• Terraced morphology and rectilinear slopes, with a temperate climate: mean temperature 14.5 °C, rainfall 584 mm/year, water deficit 205 mm.
• The production regulations attribute beneficial effects on ripening to the maritime climate: foothill and lowland soils prove the most suited to viticulture.
• The morphological resemblance to the Graves zone of Bordeaux guided the choice of Bordeaux varieties for this territory.

• The first experimental vineyards date from 1816; in 1944 the first modern plantings were established using Bordeaux varieties selected for their affinity with the terroir.
• The choice of Bordeaux varieties dates back to Count Guido Alberto (19th century) and was confirmed by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta in the interwar period.

• Intense ruby-red colour, tending toward garnet with aging. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• On the palate: dry, full, robust and harmonious, with a fine, elegant structure. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Soils of Pleistocene sediments, stony skeleton, argillaceous-silty texture, imperfect drainage and variable calcareous content: conditions that the production regulations explicitly link to the vocation for Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1671
• Official trade body site — Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Bolgheri e Bolgheri Sassicaia