Berserkers,
The thread on Italian wine and food inspired me to take a crack at two of the most famous Super Tuscan wines the LCBO brings in for the holidays every year, the Sassicaia and Luce. Hoo boy. I could just sum up my review of both with a 
but I’ll elaborate.
TENUTA SAN GUIDO 2010 SASSICAIA – The only wine from a single estate to ever be granted its own DOC designation (wow), this blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon goes for $200 CDN every year it comes out. Really? Can an Italian imitation of French Bordeaux red actually be worth $200 CDN? Damn straight it is.
A rich ruby red-purple in the glass, heavenly nose of strawberries and currants, and fantastically rich tastes of strawberries, red currants, and a touch of cocoa aren’t what make this wine worth its every penny – I’m sure many other high-enders match it in quality like the 1989 Musar I had recently at Mike Grammer’s – but rather the incredible fact that it has the smoothness and silky soft mouthfeel of the finest well-aged French reds and Vintage Ports I have ever tried in my young Berserkerdom that are literally three times as old as the Sassicaia.
I’m dead serious. At just only 3 years of age, the Sassicaia has the exact same mouthfeel as the 1989 Chateau Musar and 1978 Jaboulet Aine CdP Les Cedres which have been aged for a lot longer. And in terms of flavor, it damn well nearly beat the Musar which I raved about. It didn’t because the Musar had much more fruit flavors (keep in mind it also had more grapes blended into it) and 23 years of aging on it but goddamn it was still pretty damn close.
The only reason it didn’t is that there was an ever so slight touch of tannin just on the finish of the Sassicaia that indicated it was actually a young wine and would benefit from some aging but honestly it was so slight that it would be damn hard not to drink the entire bottle up right now.
This wine is a freakin’ achievement on a par with Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe for fried chicken and the formula for Coca-Cola. How in God’s name did Tenuta San Guido manage to give to a 3 year old red wine the silky texture of a 30 year old one? Actually, maybe God had nothing to do with it and they struck a deal with the Devil himself because this is just freakin’ incredible.
I don’t want to sound like a total schill here but I can’t praise this enough or overstate the case here from a purely mercenary economic point of view – I know you Berserkers collect high quality Bordeaux and Burgundy reds and Vintage Ports that are worth as much and far more than the seemingly high-priced Sassicaia and you STILL have to wait freakin’ 20-30 years to get it to a Nirvana state where it’s worth drinking. THE SASSICAIA IS ALREADY THERE! ![[worship.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/99a8907a1d5b3c023582052741dc72dc9823c044.gif "worship"){kind=small}
You could drink this now and it would be totally worth it. You could age it for another 10-30 years and it would be totally worth it. I honestly cannot see it lasting that long. I would love to hear from you guys if you have any bottles you actually have let aged for any period of time and how it turned out. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and if I gave out scores this would actually break the 100 point barrier due to the incredible value proposition I feel it offers. Just unbelievable and this is coming from someone who doesn’t even drink dry red wine regularly. I am seriously considering giving it a WOTY award. Only the 1989 Chateau Musar and Argyros 20 Year Old Vinsanto have elicited this kind of reaction from me so far this year.
LUCE DELLA VITE LUCE 2010 – Well, this certainly had a tough act to follow but it did a very admirable job of doing so. It’s a blend of two underrated grapes, Merlot and Sangiovese, which I think is quite unique. A nice inky dark purple in the glass with a nose of currants, blueberries and pepper spice. Very rich blueberry, currant and cocoa flavors. It is literally like swapping out strawberries for blueberries compared to the Sassicaia above which I presume comes from the Sangiovese as I don’t really associate blueberry flavors with Merlot. Tannins are much softer than those of a 2011 Vintage Port but they are still very present and not fully receded yet.
Unlike the Sassicaia, the Luce will require laying down because the tannins are still somewhat strong just as one would normally expect in a high-end red wine. No big deal at all as you’re probably used to doing so already. You can tell from tasting this that it will likely be just as good as the Musar in much less time, say 2-4 years from now? I’m no expert, but I certainly don’t think you’ll have to wait 23 years for it. It’s pretty close already. Worth every penny of its $100 CDN. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
So here’s the tantalizing dilemma presented to Super Tuscan lovers here in Ontario, Canada. Do you spend $200 on the fine Sassicaia which you can open immediately and enjoy right now instead of waiting 20-30 years to have to open it at peak perfection? Or do you get yourself a steal in the Luce for half the price which you would have to lay down but likely not for very long? Again, I’d love to hear from any of who have laid a bottle down and aged it before trying it.
My personal choice would be the Sassicaia if I knew I was drinking immediately and the Luce if I chose to lay it down. Honestly, I’d ideally want two bottles of each so that one can laid down. Either way, there is no way a Berserker can go wrong with either of these wines. Not sure if the prices I mentioned would be considered expensive for some of you high rollers out there but then again if you’re regularly buying Yquem, Petrus and Latour these two wines are within your purchasing budget.
