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In this video I tasted two of the most iconic Super Tuscan wines – Sassicaia & Ornellaia
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Sassicaia and Ornellaia are among the most iconic so-called Super Tuscan wines. Both are made in the Bolgheri area of Tuscany and are predominantly crafted from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. These Italian red wines are known for their richness, complexity, and age-worthiness, and they have become highly regarded among wine enthusiasts worldwide.
**WINES FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO:
🍷 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/tenute+st+guido+sassicaia+bolgheri+tuscany+italy
🍷 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ornellaia+superior+bolgheri+tuscany+italy
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**CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO:
0:00 Sassicaia vs Ornellaia
1:27 About Sassicaia & Ornellaia
2:56 The Tasting
9:24 The Verdict and Scores
#tuscany #wineeducation #wine
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Hi everybody this is agnesa from no sediment and today let’s compare and taste side by side two of the most iconic super Tuscan wines sasaya and arnalaya it is truly interesting that Tuscany has long and Rich history with wine making it is home to such famous appellations
As Brunello dealino Vin no de monano and kianti Classico the latter being one of the oldest denominations in the world however Coastal area of marma and bulgary hasn’t had significant historical meaning with wine making and its Fame is relatively recent development especially if comparing to my previously mentioned wine making
Areas yet some of the names nowadays coming from bulgary including these very same sasaya and arnalaya are way louder famous and dictate much higher prices than many other wines from Tuscany in contrast to my last big gun tasting of D Peron and Crystal this time I actually
Managed to Source the same vintages 2020 which was the co year but who wants to remember that right 2020 in balg was relatively warm and sunny but with cool nights which should play to our advantage here by preserving the much needed acidity why did I choose these
Two specific wines well I started with sasaya because it is still believed to be one of the most influential wine from tanut Sango estate which is credited to create and boost this very hardto Define category of super Tuscan wines while both win sasaya and orala come from
Bulgary area sasaya actually has its own appellation bulgary sasaya do which originally was a sub region in bulgary but in 2013 was established as a separate appellation this designation states that the wine must be made from a minimum of 80% Cabernet sonion and aged at least 2 years before its release of which
Minimum of 18 months must be in Oak barrels orala is labeled as bulgary superiora Doc and is another wine primarily based on Cabernet s though with a lower percentage around 50% with rest being other bir grape varieties Merlo Cabernet Frank and PE Vero other famous super Tuscan names such as
Tinello and solaya are actually produced from grapes harvested in kianti Classico luche from Grapes of Montalcino and masetto is based on Mero grae variety and quite frankly is unattainable in both terms of price and availability but enough talking let’s do some tasting just poured myself wines super
Excited with which one I should start let’s start with both okay as expected both wines are really deep in color I mean those are based on Cabernet souun so they are Inky nothing new here by smelling it you know what was unique uh when I was reading about this
Specific vintage apparently why maker made a decision to harvest all the grapes at the same time including Mero Ando we usually know that Mero is one of the first ones to be harvested and Cabernet Su empty Vero is one of the last ones so they decided to do it all
At the same time so I think it’s quite unique and I wonder if we could get some herbal elements here more like herbs like like Rosemary or thyme garig but that could also come from the oak aging which is definitely not overpowering the fruit here to anyone who would say that this
Wine is coming from warm and sunny vintage and who would expect like luses and Jimmy type of fruit it’s not here it is very elegant the first thing you feel is quite High mouthwatering a acidity and it just kind of lingers on the pallet and you have these
Firm elevated tenants but fruit they’re not Jammy they’re really kind of fresh and crunchy you feel that they are ripe and it is truly what they said about the Vintage probably because of the breezes and the cooling effects of the nights these wines were able to retain their uh
Acidity it is starting to open up a little bit I mean now I feel a bit more that vanilla that toastiness that round that sometimes uh high quality Oak can give alcohol is a bit warming but it is not pushing wine out of the balance
However I think that fruit is a bit shy I think maybe this wine might benefit I will correct that not might will benefit from some age in the bottle and I mean 10 years probably nothing it has those firm those chalky those sticky type of tenants it’s mouth coating it’s
Covering all my palette they’re really ripe as well so let’s move to sesy Kaaya it is I mean you always read that orala is plusher rounder and often times more approachable in its use than Caya I haven’t tasted this wine yet but this was it seemed more open than
Orala it is like these black and red ripe fruit profile um some blueberries blackberries black cherries currant H beautiful it’s so inviting and of course you also feel that kind of Cedarwood that toastiness that sweet toast coming from Oak but it is definitely not overpowering the fruit
It is just giving like an extra layer to the fruit let’s taste it wow here as well the acidity is one of the prominent features and it is so long wow all you feel is is is crunchy Cherry crunchy fruit and uh and the acidity it
Is quite high and it kind of helps to gather the fruit and stick it to your palette and it and it still lingers it’s so persistant beautiful actually the alcohol for this one it just didn’t bother me at all like when I tasted orala I I felt a bit
Warming sensation but with Caya it it was just wasn’t there it wasn’t an issue h a slight pine wood as well on the nose wow what a beautiful and long long longl lasting wine I mean on the nose I told it was mostly ripe black and red fruits
But on the palette it is ultra fresh I mean it’s like sour cherry explosion on the palette and the tennon level again it is high it is mouth coating but they are just so finely grained tiny but they’re everywhere and I mean this wine will age beautifully that acidity I keep
Swallowing my saliva it is just epic and another thing both of those wines they’re huge they’re big wines but because of that elevated acidity they seem very light they seem almost like ballerinas type you know dancing elevated above the ground really lovely hey wine enthusiasts today I’ve got something really exciting for you
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Your wine passion fruitful hop over to vania. comom to turn your love for wine into your next smart Investment if I had to choose which wine to drink right now ah I don’t know they’re both beautiful and I would drink them both right now they are essentially opened I will not be aging them I think that Caya has finer tenant structure and higher acidity and that
Acidity kind of locks a bit it closed on the palette so you kind of want to put it in the fridge or wine Celler and forget about it for 10 15 20 years but then orala it is also very fresh but the tannin structure is is a bit firmer a
Bit kind of punchier so you want to lock that wine in the cellar and forget about it for 1015 or 20 years you kind of want those wines to go through that child teenager into the grownup or beauty of the grownup uh wine uh yeah so it it is
A hard decision I don’t know I don’t know should we wrap it up and add some points orala such a beautiful wine I mean and it opened up with time and it makes sense like these are Big wines these are rich wines concentrated wines they need time and I would give this
Wine a 94 points completely deserved beautiful wine age it you know me I rarely say don’t drink your wine now and this is definitely the case don’t drink your wine now if you have 2020 or Naya forget about it in your sellers and then sikaya the same vintage 2020 again
Forget about it in your sellers but I will give it a bit more points uh 96 um maybe 97 I mean it is absolutely beautiful wine it is just a bit nervy a bit energetic um but it just plays so beautifully currently on the palette at
This very moment I I really liked it I do have a small celebration today and I am cooking steak and I will be choosing s Kaya for tonight’s steak and by the way if you want to learn a bit more about this iconic wine I also made
A video about what’s so special about siss Zaya where I was tasting a completely different vintage so make sure to check it out Next

38 Comments
Awesome video yet again. And nice to see the updated scoring system! Great content lately!
They stopped being super for at least fifteen years, the rest is poetry. 😂
I love it!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks for another great video! Sassicaia is one of my all time favourite. Last month I opened the 2016 vintage and regretted it for opening too soon…. Guidalberto, its second wine is of good value as a food wine, despite that it’s less intense and short finish 😅
Look how happy you got when you smelled the Sassicaia! 😄
I sometimes get that same bubbly feeling, but admittedly it doesn't happen very often. I figure that's what we're chasing. It's crazy how much happiness there can be in simply smelling something.
I have the same experience with other things as well, like coffee for example. I recently bought a Columbian blend that my supplier called "Easter blend" and wouldn't you know it, it actually smelled like Easter! Orange zest and milk chocolate, which is an association I have for that time of year. I ran out of those beans today, and even though they lost a little of that profile after they started oxidising, every cup gave me happiness every day 🙂
PS: If you would take a stab at a percentage of the price of that Sassicaia that's purely due to its fame, how much would you say?
PPS: Wait! You abandoned your weird scoring system? 😂
Both are great wines! Which glass are you using? Riedel Syrah?
I want to know how to age steak for my wines.
I have drunk both Sassicaia and Tignanello (but not Ornellaia) in the distant past but I have no record of the details: year, tasting notes etc. Sadly, these wines are now beyond my financial reach. However, I have recently bought three bottles of Ornellaia's second wine from 2021.
Btw, I opened one of my 2011 Barolos this weekend, following your video on B v B. It is a Giacomo Fenocchio, Villero from Monforte d'Alba. Superb. I don't have enough experience to say whether it would have improved (my only bottle) but it is a fabulous wine. Do you know this producer?
Ideally, when would you open these? And how do you know?
Nice comparison 👌
Ive heard that sassicaia 2019 had a drinking window early at the release but the wine closed after that and needs to be left for some years now
I've never been a fan of the "Super Tuscan" name and I'm really happy that the zenith of their fame has now passed
All we have to do across the Adriatic, in Albania, is to find areas that have characteristic rocky ground very similar to the Graves area near Bordeaux and make wine out of Cab Franc, Merlot and Cab Sauvignon in the same way
And let's call em Super Albanian 😆
Love the new direction the channel is going! Cheers to the future success!
Super Tuscan? more like Globalization Tuscan😅
You are amazing!😁🍷🍷
Tough decision Agnes, are both "heavy" wines those two!!! Lucky you!!!! Anyway the Bolgheri appellation has a very very high quality profile..the Superiore stands without a problem against any big appellation of the planet. well done and cheers🍷🍷
Love the way you describe wines!
I wish I had the money 🤣
Where can I buy sassicaia for 300$? Can you put some links?
Nice video. I wish I was more confident I’d get to try these wines in the foreseeable future! They are icons…but for the price of one bottle, I can get three or four bottles of an equivalent quality wine, and the math doesn’t work for me. I wish I had a generous, wealthy, wine loving friend…a wine sugardaddy or mommy, basically! Until then, I get a bit of vicarious thrill from videos like yours.
For these and other wine icons, there’s always a curiosity to try them. Even when many say the price is disproportionate to the quality, they keep luring at you. Either bite the bullet and stretch ur wallet or join some US$200-400 tasting event featuring a wider variety of there wines. I am in much internal debate from time to time 😅
Having tried numerous vintages of both, I'd say "NO". They're overhyped and overpriced, found in all these fancy Italian fine-dining restaurants, like poking their ugly head out and always reminding you of their presence. These wines are not the gateway into proper Italian wines (most people just hear super tuscan and automatically think theyre equally good as Bordeaux). There's ONE super tuscan thats worth the hype – and its made from 100% sangiovese. Perhaps the best Italian wines should be made from their own indigenous grapes – those are the REAL super tuscans.
Be interested to know why you are using the 100 point system now not the 10 point scale?
Thoroughly entertaining watching and listening to you drink these $$$ gems! I’m sitting on lots of wines that needed 15 or 20 years, and can peel a few dozen or more off each year. As I get older I don’t buy wines that require aging anymore. But this was so fun to watch your excitement.
That said I especially appreciate when your topics involve great young wines that are drinkable everyday.
In my opinion, thats all they are. Iconic. Nothing more, nothing less.
I believe every word you say but my wife will most certainly kill me for buying these wines
Seriously…if you watch your own video, you will know you prefer sass hands down. Why bother faking your clear preference?
I’ve only had chance to try an Ornellaia once.. never a Sassacaia
I have a Masseto 2011 & 2012.. anyone interested?
Great episode. Lucky you!!!. I have some 2019 & 2018 of both and can’t wait to try them (in another 4-5 years) but it’s great to get your insight. Great job!!
There seem to be some purist comments about this pair of wines that I understand, but also don't agree with. I agree that there is an 'international' aspect to these wines – non-Italian varieties, lots of oak and it was international writers that 'broke these wines' to the Anglo-sphere. However, these wines show indisputable regional character and they are a pleasure to drink. They are not even especially expensive by the standards of Bordeaux and Burgundy, for example.
I also love Chianti Classico and various IGT and Brunello, as well as Barolo but the brace you looked at are just wonderful wines and they do showcase the breadth and quality and character of Italian wine. They are absolutely worth the hype, though I think they are at their best after at least a decade. Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo is a lovely example of Sangiovese that is widely available and also of very high quality, but it also loves time in bottle. You can get very good wine without spending this sort of money, but you can't get anything like what these offer without buying, stealing or embezzling these particular wines.
I think you mounted a good defence in your replies. I am a little surprised you respond becuse social media is a somewhat baleful thing.
When I think of 'international wine' I think of styles that lack regionality, that tend to be ripe fruit forward, with loads of oak, usually imparting a creamy mouthfeel. Tertre Roteboeuf and Penfolds are two examples that come to mind. Fine in some circumstances but…
2020 is a good vintage for allowing earlier drinking, as is 2019. But both are made to last. Cheers/chin-chin/bottoms up etc.
My local Costco in the US, was selling Tignanello for $115. I bought a bottle right away and regret not getting at least 6. The price went up to $140 as it got close to Christmas and now its nowhere to be found.
Sassicaia is my favourite Italian red wine. I think it's easy to put down the best known wines. They aren't ridiculously priced. Saying it costs too much sbd and not worth it is unfair. I dont think uts like saying Petrus or DRC costs too much.
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Ciao, very interesting video, thanks
I have tried several vintages from very old to very new of both. Honestly makes me think when you do not believe in aging wine, I strongly disagree. Such wines are "normal" in the first 10-15 years of their life just after that you understand what you paid. Last Christmas I had sassicaia 87 and ornellaia 88 both still so alive, of course fully developed with a complexity you couldn't even imagine when young. In my opinion great cabernet based wine needs time to be appreciated, if you don't have time buy different wine style which are ready for optimal consumption much before like Sangiovese or Pinot Noir.
Tasted 2019 sassicaia in 23 . Not sure y is rated 100 points by some critics. Found it too close maybe need around at least 10+ years. Personally for the price points u can get some awesome barolo like conterno , or vietti …..
I'm looking forward to your Dopamine versus Serotonin comparison.