1999 Sassicaia

Tasting through several consecutive vintages of Sassicaia with winemaker Sebastiano Rosa (formerly at Argiano in Montalcino), one can't help noticing the indelible sense of terroir that emanates from the 25-to-30-year-old vines that run deep in the stony soils of the San Guido estate (sasso means stone in Italian). Finesse, not power, is the hallmark of these wines. As Rosa put it to me, "We look for balance and suppleness - the Bordeaux model. We don't look for deeply colored and extracted, palate-staining wines." A second wine, Guidalberto, was introduced with the 2000 vintage, and the first release is an impressive debut for this considerably less costly bottling. Barrel samples of the 2001 vintages of both San Guido wines appear to be on a par with, or perhaps even better than, the two earlier vintages, showing even more sweetness and aromatic complexity.