Sassicaia Ten Vintage Vertical Tasting & Wine Dinner
On November 5th 2008, we hosted a ten vintage vertical tasting of Sassicaia (1996 - 2005) which was hosted by Piero Incisa Della Rocchetta and special guest, Jacopo Poli. Following the tasting was an impressive dinner created by Dick Varano. Listed below is the dinner menu and the wines that accompanied each course, as well as information on Sassicaia and our hosts.
The Menu
Reception
Asparagus and Ricotta Strudel, Vegetable Crespelles, Lobster stuffed Calamari with Lemon Basil Sauce, Shrimp and Smoked Salmon Gratin, Assorted crostini and parmesan cheese with fresh fruit. Accompanied by Salviano Orvietto Classico
Chestnut Gnocchi
Homemade Gnocchi, tossed in a light brown sauce, with Veal, Roasted Chestnuts and Fresh Chives. Accompanied by Solideo di Salviano
Wild Mushroom Medley
Sauteed wild Mushrooms with a reduction of Red wine and Demi-glace, Served in a puff pastry shell with Roasted Garlic and Basil Puree, and finished with a rich Creamy Truffle Butter. Accompanied by Argicola Punica Barrua
Grilled Filet Mignon
Over a Pool of Creamy whipped Potatoes with Porcini Mushrooms, layered with Pan Seared Fois Gros and Truffle Sauce, Served with a wedge of grilled fennel, buttered and toasted Parmesan Cheese. Accompanied by Tenuta San Guido "Sassicaia" 1996
Pumpkin Almond Torte
Individual Pumpkin Tortes, filled with Chocolate Mousse, Draped with a Warm Chocolate Ganache Sauce and Finished with a Dollop of Cinnamon Whip Cream. Accompanied by Sassicaia Grappa
Sassicaia - The History
The Tenuta San Guido is a 7,500-acre estate located in the province of livorno on the western coastal outskirts of Tuscany near the village of Bolgheri. Brought into the holdings of Marchese Mario Incisa Della Rocchetta through his marriage to Clarice Della Gherardesca in 1940, it is the origin of a wine which has shaped a generation of wines which have in turn revolutionized Italy's image in the world of wine.
The legacy of Sassicaia begins in 1944, when mario Incisa aquired a number of Cabernet Saugignon and Granc vine cuttings and planted them on a sloping hillside of the San Guido estate, called Castiglioncello after the 11th-centruy castle at the Vineyard's upper edge. This tiny, 3.75 acre vinyard stood alone until 1965, when a second cabernet vineyard was planted with cuttings from the Castiglioncello parcel; the gravelly, 30 acre plot would give the wine its name: Sassicaia, "the place of many stones". This and a slightly more elevated microclimate of 20 acres, called Aianova, were planted in phases between 1965 and 1985, bringing plantings to the present extent of 90 acres in vines averaging 20 to 25 years of age.
Since the late 1960's, Sassicaia has represented a standard of production that is without compromise. The grapes are handpicked, destemmed, crushed and fermentation is set off by natural yeasts in Stainless Steel tanks. For the first week pumping over of the must takes place three times daily; durring the second week, this is reduced to once daily until the end of the 14 day fermentation period. The wine is pressed from the skins and undergoes full malolactic fermentation. Aging takes place in 225 Litre Allier and Troncais oak Barriques, approximately 30 percent of which are new, for 18 to 22 months depending on vintage.
Sassicaia is a unique interpretation of the cabernet variety, a wine of great breadth, complexity and longevity. The intense blackberry and cassis armoas, offest by notes of smoke and spice, are confirmed on a palate of lush conentration underscored by firm, ripe tannins carrying into a long, elegant finish.
Piero incisa Della Rocchetta
A third-generation winemaker, who hails from an acclaimed family lineage, is currently working with his family's Tenuta San Guido wine estate located in Bolgheri, Italy. Mr. Incisa manages and oversees the commercial distribuition of the family's primary brands - Sassicaia, Guidalberto and Umbrian estates - in the domestic U.S. market.
The grandson of Mario Incisa Della Rochetta, the creator and proprietor of Sassicaia, one of the most renowned italian wineries, and nephew of Niccolo'Incisa Della Rocchetta, who currently manages the family's winemaking enterprises, Mr. Incisa spent his childhood on the family estate in the Maremma district of Tuscany, privy to the exclusive centuries-old winemaking and vineyard management traditions to which he now claims his own expertise.
Upon completing his undergraduate studies at the prestigious florimont school in switzerland, Mr. Incisa worked briefly as an account associate at UBS in Geneva before setting out on the fulfillment of his lifelong dream to be a winemaker himself.
In 1999, Mr. Incisa moved to California to pursue a degree in Economics at Pepperdine University, then later returned to Italy where he managed the day-to-day operations of two family wine estates in Umbria - Titignano and Salviano - which are owned by his mother, Nerina Corsini Incisa Della Rochetta.
Shortly afterwards, in January of 2000, Mr Incisa again returned to the United States to pursue a masters from New York University which he completed in June of 2003.
Now a resident of the United States, Mr. Incisa divides his time between New York City, Italy and Patagonia, where he has begun a very limited production of his own Pinot Noir. This very high quality vintage, rendered from vines planted in the rich Patagonian Terroir in the early 1950's, is expected to yeild no more than 1200 bottles its first production, coincidently the same yeild his grandfather made in the first vintage of Sassicaia. The new label, called Bodega Chacra, became available in early 2005.
Jacopo Poli
"Since 1898 ... Almost 100 years ago, this is a very long time that our family has been totally dedicated to distillation. In the beginning of the century in Italy there were 200,000 functioning stills while today only 113 remain. I ask myself why we haven't disappeared from the market like so many others. Perhaps because quality is always our first concern. Or is it the faithful copper still that we continue to use today? It may be only that we love our craft ... and it could simply be good fortune. One thing remains certain. You above all deserve credit. For an entire century you have appreciated the fruit of our labor." - Jacopo Poli
The Poli family have been operating their distillery for over a century since Jacopo's great grandfather, Titta, a maker of straw hats by trade yet a lover of grappa by passion, built a small illegal still on a cart and went door to door distilling the pomace of grapes. They have specialized in the production of the finest grappas and distillates for four generations. The excellent quality of their products is a result of selecting only the best fruit to undergo distillation in a traditional pot still. The gentle process captures the very essence of the fruit. Production only occurs during harvest, from the middle of September to the end of November, when the distillation materials are at their freshest. It is with great passion that the master artisans of the family create unique products which have earned them a world wide reputation for top quality.
Grappa is alchemy's daughter, as ancient as the process of distilling aromatice herbs, this activity was probably born in southern Asia and then traveled to Egypt and Greece until it was apprenticed by the Romans. Distillation spread and grappa was born and largely appreciated in those Italian regions characterized by colder winters. Tradition speaks of a "Hard liquor for stron, poor, earthbound people."
The new wave of grappa, however, tends to be less aggressive, shows more fruit and is altogether more elegant on the palate. The grappas of Jacopo Poli embody this new found elegance. Poli may have, in fact, defined it.
