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In this video, I am going to blind taste Sassicaia, Ornellaia and their second labels to see whether the smartest bottle from a famous estate might actually be the second one. Super Tuscan Edition!
**WINES TASTED IN THIS VIDEO:
🍷 2023 Ornellaia ‘Le Serre Nuove dell’Ornellaia’ Bolgheri Rosso. Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ornellaia+le+serre+nuove+dell+rosso+bolgheri+tuscany+italy/2023
🍷 2023 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/ornellaia+superior+bolgheri+tuscany+italy/2023
🍷 2023 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/tenute+st+guido+sassicaia+bolgheri+tuscany+italy/2023
🍷 2023 Tenuta San Guido ‘Guidalberto’ Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/tenute+st+guido+alberto+tuscany+igp+italy/2023
**LET’S CONNECT:
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**CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO:
0:00 Sassicaia & Ornellaia: Are the Second Wines the Smarter Buy?
3:06 The Tasting
13:55 The Reveal
#winetasting #wineeducation #wine
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29 Comments
Bordeaux edition: yes please. Or one producer, four different tiers.
Another great video. I think I would have preferred the Sassicaia as well. With a bit more age for sure.
Nice type of comparison. It would be fun if you said which ones you thought were similar enough or not to be from the same winery, In this case which ones you thought were the second to which.
Happy Sunday morning. A nice cup of coffee and my No Sediment video to start the day! Really enjoyed this video. Look forward to working towards obtaining some of these wines for my small collection and being able to taste the differences! First will be the second growths of course. Would love to see a comparison video for French Bordeaux first and second growths in comparison to the Italian first and second growths from a value standpoint and whether you feel that the difference is real quality or completely prestige? As always, your videos are so much fun and so informative. Thank you for your thoughtful content!!! Cheers!🍷
As a vintner, I am passionate about my wine, I would not put sub standard grapes in my cuvée, I would sell them to a negociant or vinegar producer. I would certainly not put my name on a second quality wine. The Bordeaux corporates and some Italians who use their brand to sell second class wines are damaging their brands, end of
🎉🥳 Excellent video!! Thanks so much for doing this comparison. I've had both of the seconds here (and a third, Le Volte dell'Ornellaia), but neither of the grands. To me the quality to price is hard to justify between the 1st and 2nd. For a few points more in score, I think I'd rather buy/enjoy more seconds instead. To each, his own; that's my 2 cents. Thanks again!
So glad you took them all from the same vintage – that is critical – but isn't high quality Italian wine from 2023 still several years away from its ideal drinking window? I've had a lot of experience with second wines, mainly out of financial necessity, mostly very good. I've enjoyed Guidalberto. Although it is no longer technically considered the second wine of Leoville Las Cases, I would say that Clos Du Marquis is the world's finest second wine. Wineries that make three wines tend to follow this pricing formula: the second wine costs a quarter of the grand vin and the third wine costs half the second wine. Sadly I have had no stellar experiences with third wines, and disappointments with those of Latour, Dominus and more, which is a shame.
Great Review…Thanks 🍇
First off: great video! Thanks. 😊
I don’t have much experience with second labels, but here are two examples:
– Rocas de Seña, little brother of Seña => didn’t like it. If I recall correctly, it’s not supposed to be a small version of Seña, but a different style. Anyway, we will not become friends. 😅
– Double Diamond, second wine from Schrader (by Thomas Rivers Brown) => this is a banger and a great deal if you are into Napa Cabs and don’t want to spend 400 €. My favorite wine shop currently sells the awesome 2021 vintage for 69 € and you should definitely try it! It’s the second time I recommend it to you Agnese. 😉
I'll stick with a good producer of Barbera, Chianti Classico, and Brunello. I've tasted Bolgheri once, wasn't blown away. As for Bordeaux , I love Cru Bourgeois
Great 2×2 comparison! When done well, 2nd wines (and even 3rd wines) deliver on their intended goal of previewing the house style.
For Bordeaux, I tried three 2nd wines to get an idea which house I wanted to try (Smith Haut Lafitte, Pichon Lalande, and Cos d'Estournel). While all three were very enjoyable (Pichon Lalande being quite atypical because of its massive Petit Verdot content), Cos's 2nd wine had the most personality (though it had an additional year or two compared to the others). This prompted me to get get its 1st wine.
However, my favorite comparison has been trying Robert Mondavi Winery's 3rd ("Napa Valley") and 2nd ("The Estates" from Oakville) wines among their 2019 Cabernet Sauvignons, while letting the flagship ("The Reserve" To Kalon Vineyard) cellar away to age a bit more. Around 3 years ago, the 3rd showed well (more reddish fruit profile), but the 2nd's was even better (darker fruits, better secondary notes) to more than justify the latter's price premium. However, this year, the 2nd showed similarly to before, while the 3rd (the only one to enjoyed from half bottle) showed significant and well-executed aging for tertiary notes. In fact, I enjoyed it equally side-by-side with a 2008 Côte Bonneville DuBrul Vineyard Red from Washington State–the 2019 Napa taste MORE aged than the 2008! All of this makes more even more excited to open Mondavi's flagship wine!!
The only other horizontal tasting I have enjoyed is of Chateau Minuty's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th wines. The 4th has been my go-to favorite pink wine because it is incredibly consistent (highly enjoyable across all 5 vintages I tried: 2018, 2020-2022, 2024) with lovely fruit, delicate minerality, and optimal dryness compared to others Côtes de Provence pinks I have tried. The 3rd was a bit disappointing in 2022, but as enjoyable (a far more minerally/less fruity style that makes it pair more like a crisp white wine) as the 4th in 2024. I tried the 2nd wine for 2024, but while probably the "prettiest" (floral, delicate) of the three wines, it did not justify its difference in retail pricing because it was the least enjoyable (a bit too low in acidity and no where close as a companion for food) while being the most expensive.
I'm not drinking $200+ bottles at home alone, so more often the decision for me is something like the Guidalberto vs another SuperTuscan in the same price range, which I wish you included since the focus here was on value. I also wish you tried to guess the wines before the reveal. I like this format, so maybe you can try this and do it again in a different region. Overall, I do think 2nd labels are good value.
@1:46 you don't blur the horse's face too??
Excellent topic again, thanks! I've been wondering if I should buy Guidalberto or La Serre Nuove for cellaring. Any thought after your tasting about the 2nd wines longevity comparing to their more expensive siblings (e.g. for these vintage 2023)?
Very interesting video from a Kiwi perspective as one of the pioneer growers/winemakers from our region (Canterbury), Danny Schuster, worked at Ornellaia. Unfortunately, he passed on to that great vineyard in the sky a couple of weeks ago, but he left behind an amazing legacy of wonderful vineyards and enthusiastic knowledge.
I used to be a regular buyer of second wines and they used to be widely available – I remember buying Forts de Latour from Tesco (a UK supermarket) in the late 1990's for 15 pounds a bottle (equivalent of 30 pounds today – but try finding Forts for that amount today). Second wine prices shot up in the mid 2000's, mainly on the back of the (very good) 2000 vintage when Pavillon Rouge (& Blanc) of Ch. Margaux sold for around 400 pounds a case. After that prices increased year on year, primarily due to Chinese consumers chasing the labels to reach the price levels where they are today. Today I still buy second wines but from 'lesser' estates , saying that Pagodes de Cos and Le Petite Eglise are my most recent purchases from the 2015/16 vintages and very good they are too..
I've worked in n the Italian wine industry for ten years. Sassacaia is way too expensive for what it is. Overrated… It's the range rover of wine
Guidalberto is one of the best bang for your buck wines for me.. it’s so good and so cheap.. however, it is not a Sassicaia and I think the difference is obvious
2023 vintage… this is a crime
Sveiki, Agnese! Great video, very insightful. I think the same conclusions can be made about López de Heredia's red offerings – I see Bosconia as the sweet spot, and Cubillo, even in a different style, has an insane QPR.
talking about Italian Bordeaux blends, for as much as super Tuscans can be enjoyable, I'd stick with Capo di Stato – a delicious first wine with no absurd price tags 🙃
No shame coming in multiple points below a James Suckling rating.
Hi Agnes. Great episode! I especially liked what you discovered about your own preferences for winemaker's style. In that same vein, I would also add La Difese, the third wine from Sassicaia and would expect that you already like this wine, too. I drink La Difese every year and find it reminiscent of the Grand Vin and it doesn't break the bank. My best memory of drinking Sassicaia is in Tuscany where I could buy it and drink it for about a third of the price of the USA (in 2018). Do the Bordeaux seconds next!
I had the chance to taste the 2020 & 2021 Sassicaia and the 2017 & the 2022 Guidalberto last year.
The Sassicaia was the more "tight"/restrained one with the 2020 a bit more ready to drink, but the 2021 showing more freshness and potential in the long run.
The 2022 Guidalberto was exactly as you described it. The laid-back and ready to talk, expressive, and multidimensional. The 2017 had aged well but somehow felt less dimensional.
All wines showed great freshness and would drink well. I would prefer to let the Sassicaia age a few more years before enjoying it.
Cheers, and thanks for another great episode. 🥂
96 for Sassicaia, like Durfort Vivens that you tasted if I recall well, and 4x cheaper…confirming what you was said regarding Bordeaux with quite unjustified hatred
The "grand vins", at least, are much too young!
By the way: an excellent second vine from Bolgheri is the Pino di Biserno, which I often prefer to the "grand vin" Biserno.
The name does not matter. I’m a wine lover a wset 3.. always taste blind. The name does not matter if you are a lover. Going Tuscany in 2 weeks. But more south east and the marchen then supertuscan regions.
The name only counts of you went to a small or a or larger vineyard personally.. but that you can say afterwards. Never before tasting where it comes from or name.
In white for example – – L I adore Jura wines… almost nobody knows them 😂. Vin Jaune… or just the savagnin ouillé or just not ouillé.. also, the Viognier because of fullness combined with minerality ,Oaked aged – from,condrieu not Jura. Most of them flabbergasted by the richness of. The viognier. Blind they can adore it, maybe some like more freshness but the complexity makes it sooo good even if they only like sharp non bodied white wines… Right after that initial richness, a firm, gravel-like, savory dryness cuts through the weight. It grounds the perfume and cleanses your palate in champagne the arbanne.
A very informative and fun video. Always looking for expanding my wine knowledge, Agnes makes it easy…
Wine 2 is 96 points!!??? First time I see that score with you!!!
I just had La Serra last week. I noticed, dont swirl just sip. It taste damn good!!! I agree with u, second wine italian is not crazy to buy