Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta
TENUTA SAN GUIDO – BOLGHERI, TUSCANY (BORN 1975)
Sassicaia’s staggering success surely comes down to decades of consistently outstanding quality. However, the Incisa della Rocchetta family’s efforts to disseminate the unique story of its revered San Guido estate cannot be underestimated.
The modern-day face of Sassicaia is Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A bona fide princess (she married German prince Heinrich zu SaynWittgenstein-Sayn in 2003), she studied art history in London before joining the family business. ‘I wanted to gain experience abroad, improve my English and study something that had always fascinated me,’ she explains.
In 2006, she started accompanying her father Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta on his travels abroad. The commercial guru behind Sassicaia, Nicolò was Tenuta San Guido’s brand ambassador until he handed over the reins to his daughter in 2012. ‘We rely heavily on continuity across generations,’ she says. The task now is properly preparing the next generation to take over.
Incisa della Rocchetta also works alongside Albiera Antinori of Guado al Tasso and Cinzia Merli, owner of Le Macchiole, in managing Bolgheri’s wine consortium. Of this female powerhouse, she suggests: ‘Women offer a different point of view than men. And perhaps we are better at working as a team.’
Tenuta San Guido, Sassicaia, Bolgheri Sassicaia, Tuscany 2016 98
£ 200 (ib)-£ 391.67 Christopher Keiller,
City Wine Collection, Cru, Davy’s, Fine & Rare, Four Walls, Handford, Latimer Vintners,
Lea & Sandeman, Millésima, Nemo Wine Cellars, Private Cellar, The Holland Park Wine Co Bolgheri’s 2016 summer was warm but rarely excessive, with cool night-time breezes in August. A protracted harvest meant grapes were picked at optimal ripeness. The result for Sassicaia (85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc) is spectacular: elegantly muscular and bright rather than brooding. With coaxing, it reveals fragrant tobacco, blackcurrant, black cherry, tarragon, bay leaf, cedar and subtle toast, with sweet earth and waves of smooth polished tannins on the palate, and a non-stop finish. Drink 2023-2043 Alc 14%