VINE EXPECTATIONS

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, third generation of Tenuta San Guido, has a large legacy to fulfil beyond Sassicaia.

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta of Tenuta San Guido

Cypress trees take a minimum of 30 years to mature, but the Boulevard of Cypresses (Viale dei Cipressi) contains two rows of over 2,500 dense trees that are centuries old. As immortalised by the poet Giosuè Carducci, “The cypress trees stand straight and true from Bolgheri to San Guido in double rows, like giants at a race running to meet and gaze once more on me" – an enduring symbol of the region and especially of San Guido, where Sassicaia wine was born.

For Priscilla Incisa della Rochetta, these trees – which were planted by her ancestor Guidalberto della Gherardesca – are more than just an Instagram moment. They are interwoven into a fabric of family, legacy and philosophy that continues to inform and guide her as the descendent of nobility on both sides of her grandparents. “I had to overcome my shyness,” she tells me of her global ambassador role, during her brief stop in Singapore for a wine dinner at Aura restaurant. One of the most frequent questions she receives is when exactly to open a bottle of Sassicaia. “It’s nice if you have the patience to wait, to drink it in the company you enjoy,” she laughs. Here’s a tip though, Priscilla is partial to the “eights” – from the 1978 which was judged one of the best Cabernets, to the vintages of ’98 and ’08, these have been some of the stars of the winery.

A START IN STONE

Sassicaia is the most famous but not the only wine from Tenuta

San Guido, so much so that most consumers simply refer to the winery as Sassicaia. The first vineyard was established by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, Priscilla’s paternal grandfather, with the name Sassicaia meaning ‘stony ground’, inspired by the Graves region in Bordeaux, where graves or gravel referred to the famously rocky terrain.

The Incisa della Rocchetta family of Piedmont have a history dating back to the 11th century, and are still actively involved in winemaking there. Mario then married the Countess Clarice della Gherardesca from Tuscany and moved to Bolgheri in the 1940s, where he experimented with French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, a marked departure from the Sangiovese of Tuscany and Nebbiolo of Piedmont. From 1948 to 1967, his wines were kept for family consumption as they were not well received by local critics more versed in lighter-styled Tuscan wines. When the family realised that the Cabernet Sauvignon benefited from being laid down in the cellar for several years, they finally released the first 1968 vintage in 1971 – paving the road for today’s Super Tuscan phenomenon.

Priscilla, an only child born in 1975 to Mario’s son Nicolò, is very similar in temperament to her father, often described as introvert, modest and very reserved. She recalls being brought around by Nicolò to see the horses, olive trees, nature reserve and other agricultural activities of Tenuta San Guido, without realising just how successful the winery was becoming – not just a wine, but a symbol of change for Bolgheri and Italian wines. In fact, when the appellation Bolgheri DOC was granted in 1994, Sassicaia received a special appellation of Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, the only honour of its kind.

Meanwhile, Priscilla lived and studied in Rome until she finished the French Lycée Chateaubriand in 1993. Choosing to further her horizons in London, she obtained a Bachelor's in History of Art, followed by a Master's degree specialising in Italian Baroque Art. Just as she adores the old masters, she believes in Tenuta San Guido’s timeless philosophy, never chasing fashionable trends even in the 1990s era of big, jammy wines. While the title of marchese does not pass down to daughters, only sons, she became a princess in her own right when she married German Prince Heinrich Sayn-wittgenstein in 2003. They currently live in Milan with their children, Ludovico and Eleonora.

THE NEXT 50 YEARS

The winery reached its milestone 50th anniversary in 2018, while Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta – who’s turning 83 – will be celebrating his 50th vintage this year in 2020. “Né carne né pesce”, says Priscilla, who’s struggling to describe her father – ‘neither meat nor fish’, someone who’s not easily categorised. Yet the father-daughter duo are in sync when it comes to the future of the 1,000-hectare estate, which extends well beyond wines to include

her grandfather’s famous thoroughbred horse breeding facility and private nature reserve founded in 1959 (in 1966 Mario went on to co-found the Italian WWF), as well as facilities such as schools and homes for their estate staff.

With succession not far from everyone’s mind, a generational change is inevitable. “We won’t want to be the ones to mess it up,” she quips, speaking for herself and her five cousins who are the third generation. “Tenuta San Guido is a long-term, family project,” she affirms, with principles and philosophies based on the roots and wellbeing of the land they live on. “It’s like living in a bubble,” she describes, “We don’t have to fight for prices or placement of our wines, because everyone wants you. It’s a special situation and we have our feet on the ground and we appreciate it.” But take heart – the family wants Sassicaia to be a wine that’s drunk and not just collected, which is why her father has adopted a pricing policy with stable prices and no fluctuations. For instance, with the most recent release of 2016, which has already achieved a perfect 100 Parker points, prices were not bumped up. “Everyone in the chain will get something out of it, but eventually the customer will find that although the wine is expensive it is still reachable,” she promises.

For those who can’t get enough of Sassicaia, Nicolò had the foresight to launch two other wines – Guilalberto in 2000, and Le Difese in 2002. With the blending of softer, fresher Merlot and crisp Sangiovese respectively, these wines bring a different point of view and a different price to the conversation, while also opening up a different market to reach new generations of wine lovers. On top of that, she doesn’t rule out wine tourism, where fans of the labels can experience for themselves the magic of Bolgheri, one that goes beyond the bottle and deep into the roots of this generous land, tended to by the equally generous custodians.