SASSICAIA vs ORNELLAIA: Are These $300 SUPER TUSCAN Wines Really Worth the Hype?
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- Опубликовано: 4 июн 2024
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In this video I tasted two of the most iconic Super Tuscan wines - Sassicaia & Ornellaia
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Sassicaia and Ornellaia are among the most iconic so-called Super Tuscan wines. Both are made in the Bolgheri area of Tuscany and are predominantly crafted from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. These Italian red wines are known for their richness, complexity, and age-worthiness, and they have become highly regarded among wine enthusiasts worldwide.
**WINES FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO:
🍷 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy
www.wine-searcher.com/find/te...
🍷 Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
www.wine-searcher.com/find/or...
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**CONTENTS OF THIS VIDEO:
0:00 Sassicaia vs Ornellaia
1:27 About Sassicaia & Ornellaia
2:56 The Tasting
9:24 The Verdict and Scores
#tuscany #wineeducation #wine
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![TRASH or PASS! Eminem ( Houdini ) [REACTION!!!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cB1WrZcMwMc/mqdefault.jpg)
Passion and brilliant expression! Thank you!
Love the way you describe wines!
Thank You, very sweet of You! 🍷
I'm looking forward to your Dopamine versus Serotonin comparison.
Love the new direction the channel is going! Cheers to the future success!
I didn’t have a specific direction in mind, but I am happy You enjoy it! 🥂🍾Cheers!
Tough decision Agnes, are both "heavy" wines those two!!! Lucky you!!!! Anyway the Bolgheri appellation has a very very high quality profile..the Superiore stands without a problem against any big appellation of the planet. well done and cheers🍷🍷
Thank You! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 and thank You for the support! 🍷 Cheers!
Awesome video yet again. And nice to see the updated scoring system! Great content lately!
Sorry about the scoring system, it was an error from my side. 🤦♀️ I was fighting so bad about it, and ended up using it without noticing even. 😅😂
@@NoSedimentno this was perfect very relatable and easy to understand in context to both wines and overall quality. Keep it 😃
I love your Channel
You know what you talking about
The wine
I m Impress so much you have knowledge about the wine
🤩🤩🤩
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🌹🌹🌹🌹
Thank You! 🙏🏻 I actually feel that I constantly learn something new and that the knowledge about wine is expanding and expanding, and I cannot keep up to it.
Great episode. Lucky you!!!. I have some 2019 & 2018 of both and can’t wait to try them (in another 4-5 years) but it’s great to get your insight. Great job!!
Thank You! 🙏🏻 Happy You enjoyed it! Wines were great, but a but tight! In another world I would have loved them to spend some time in my wine fridge!
Thanks for another great video! Sassicaia is one of my all time favourite. Last month I opened the 2016 vintage and regretted it for opening too soon…. Guidalberto, its second wine is of good value as a food wine, despite that it’s less intense and short finish 😅
I agree, Guidalberto is a great wine, it has earlier appeal though. Which is fine, we can enjoy it, while we wait for Sassicaia to mature! 😅
In my opinion, thats all they are. Iconic. Nothing more, nothing less.
😂😂😂😂 that is already a lot! 😉
Thoroughly entertaining watching and listening to you drink these $$$ gems! I’m sitting on lots of wines that needed 15 or 20 years, and can peel a few dozen or more off each year. As I get older I don’t buy wines that require aging anymore. But this was so fun to watch your excitement.
That said I especially appreciate when your topics involve great young wines that are drinkable everyday.
Thank You. 🙏🏻 I was excited, indeed. I don’t get to taste these kind of wines regularly, therefore, it was a tasting I was really looking forward to. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Thank You for watching and Your support.
You are amazing!😁🍷🍷
Thank You! 🍾🥂
Nice comparison 👌
Ive heard that sassicaia 2019 had a drinking window early at the release but the wine closed after that and needs to be left for some years now
Sometimes wines do close down, I have heard that Nebbiolo can often do that, and once actually experienced it. Thankfully that was the only time! 🙌
I love it!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank You! 🙌🙌🙌
Look how happy you got when you smelled the Sassicaia! 😄
I sometimes get that same bubbly feeling, but admittedly it doesn't happen very often. I figure that's what we're chasing. It's crazy how much happiness there can be in simply smelling something.
I have the same experience with other things as well, like coffee for example. I recently bought a Columbian blend that my supplier called "Easter blend" and wouldn't you know it, it _actually_ smelled like Easter! Orange zest and milk chocolate, which is an association I have for that time of year. I ran out of those beans today, and even though they lost a little of that profile after they started oxidising, every cup gave me happiness every day :)
PS: If you would take a stab at a percentage of the price of that Sassicaia that's purely due to its fame, how much would you say?
PPS: Wait! You abandoned your weird scoring system? 😂
Indeed, I couldn’t hide my excitement. 😓
I understand completely about the coffee, I am not a coffee expert though, but I know when I am drinking the good stuff.
About the scoring system, it was actually a mistake - I was just reading extensively on the 100p system, and in my excitement just let out these scores. I would have given similar scores, but in 10p system. 🤷♀️🤷♀️🤷♀️ When we ended filming, my camera man asked me the same question, but both of us didn’t want to record again. And it wouldn’t be the same. ☹️
@@NoSediment The 100p system is taking over, but your ego-mind just isn't ready to accept it yet 😅 Let go Agnese. Let go of your silly 10p system.
Ciao, very interesting video, thanks
Thank You! 🙏🏻
For these and other wine icons, there’s always a curiosity to try them. Even when many say the price is disproportionate to the quality, they keep luring at you. Either bite the bullet and stretch ur wallet or join some US$200-400 tasting event featuring a wider variety of there wines. I am in much internal debate from time to time 😅
I agree! As a professional, You read about these wines and naturally grow a curiosity to taste them. And for ourselves what’s the fuss about.
I agree, usually as the price increases, You get better wine. Meaning that 20$ wine will usually be better that 7.99$ wine, and 100$ wine will be better than 20$ wine. However, once we hit that 100$ mark, I cannot say that 200$ will usually be better than 100$ wine. At that level, we are already paying for the limited availability, brand and whatever else. And when tasting these wines, it of course should be taken into consideration.
There seem to be some purist comments about this pair of wines that I understand, but also don't agree with. I agree that there is an 'international' aspect to these wines - non-Italian varieties, lots of oak and it was international writers that 'broke these wines' to the Anglo-sphere. However, these wines show indisputable regional character and they are a pleasure to drink. They are not even especially expensive by the standards of Bordeaux and Burgundy, for example.
I also love Chianti Classico and various IGT and Brunello, as well as Barolo but the brace you looked at are just wonderful wines and they do showcase the breadth and quality and character of Italian wine. They are absolutely worth the hype, though I think they are at their best after at least a decade. Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo is a lovely example of Sangiovese that is widely available and also of very high quality, but it also loves time in bottle. You can get very good wine without spending this sort of money, but you can't get anything like what these offer without buying, stealing or embezzling these particular wines.
I think you mounted a good defence in your replies. I am a little surprised you respond becuse social media is a somewhat baleful thing.
When I think of 'international wine' I think of styles that lack regionality, that tend to be ripe fruit forward, with loads of oak, usually imparting a creamy mouthfeel. Tertre Roteboeuf and Penfolds are two examples that come to mind. Fine in some circumstances but...
2020 is a good vintage for allowing earlier drinking, as is 2019. But both are made to last. Cheers/chin-chin/bottoms up etc.
Thank You for Your comment! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 to answer Your question, I love a good argument, one of the greatest things is to have a passionate discussion about topics people love and understand deeply. Like between two movie or theatre critics, for example. And I have received some comments (that I didn’t enjoy) but that are absolutely valid and helps me to spot my mistakes. However, here these are more aggressive attacks to me personally, and I really don’t understand why people would take their time and type them. 🤷♀️
Yes, I agree, both of these wines needed those 10 years in the bottle. I rarely will say that, as I think that winemaking has changed and wines are usually more available in their youth than decades before. But these two would have definitely benefited from cellaring. 🙏🏻🙏🏻
My local Costco in the US, was selling Tignanello for $115. I bought a bottle right away and regret not getting at least 6. The price went up to $140 as it got close to Christmas and now its nowhere to be found.
When was that? That is a very good price! 💪
I guess decanting would open them up a bit, or double decanting maybe?
I am actually strongly against decanting, except only when it is needed to remove sediment. 🥲
Ideally, when would you open these? And how do you know?
I would have been happy to open them with at least 10 years of age. The “knowing” part, I guess comes as You taste and taste, and taste wines. You feel the quality, but they are tight, locked. Plus, the tertiary aromas can add so much more depth and layers to the wine, and these were pure fruit. 🍷
Both are great wines! Which glass are you using? Riedel Syrah?
Yes, Riedel Veritas Syrah. It is currently my favourite shape. Such an elegant glass! 🥂
I have drunk both Sassicaia and Tignanello (but not Ornellaia) in the distant past but I have no record of the details: year, tasting notes etc. Sadly, these wines are now beyond my financial reach. However, I have recently bought three bottles of Ornellaia's second wine from 2021.
Btw, I opened one of my 2011 Barolos this weekend, following your video on B v B. It is a Giacomo Fenocchio, Villero from Monforte d'Alba. Superb. I don't have enough experience to say whether it would have improved (my only bottle) but it is a fabulous wine. Do you know this producer?
This is why I always suggest people to keep their notes on wines. It is always fun to go back and see what You have tasted and what You thought of these wines. I sometimes am surprised, what an amazing wines I have enjoyed over the years, many of them unattainable for me now.
Yes, I do know this producer, they are also one of the producers offering great value! 🙌
@@NoSediment Wise words. Ironically, I usually do keep notes. I have just read through my hand-written book of notes, which is dated from 1983 until moving to computer spreadsheets about 20 years ago - but no Super Tuscans. Either I forgot to make a note or, more likely, I tasted them before 1983. My notes before that year were more haphazard and on looseleaf notepads, which have been lost in one of my many house moves. All I remember is that they were both wonderful experiences but with no further details.
Tasted 2019 sassicaia in 23 . Not sure y is rated 100 points by some critics. Found it too close maybe need around at least 10+ years. Personally for the price points u can get some awesome barolo like conterno , or vietti …..
Yes, my bottles both seemed locking in some of the beauty they could offer. I agree, that age would be beneficial. I am quite sure that Conterno is more expensive than Sassicaia, but Vietti for sure! 🍷
Be interested to know why you are using the 100 point system now not the 10 point scale?
Hahaha, it was a mistake. 🤦♀️ I was reading at that moment a lot about 100p scoring system, and when tasting these wines somehow naturally just ended up using this system. Re-filming it wouldn’t be natural anymore. 😅
So, when is a right time to drink these two 2020 vintages?
Aprox
Whenever You want to! 🙏🏻😅 But I would be happy to cellar them at least 10 years before I open, probably more.
I have tried several vintages from very old to very new of both. Honestly makes me think when you do not believe in aging wine, I strongly disagree. Such wines are "normal" in the first 10-15 years of their life just after that you understand what you paid. Last Christmas I had sassicaia 87 and ornellaia 88 both still so alive, of course fully developed with a complexity you couldn't even imagine when young. In my opinion great cabernet based wine needs time to be appreciated, if you don't have time buy different wine style which are ready for optimal consumption much before like Sangiovese or Pinot Noir.
You misunderstood what I meant. I meant that great wines are GREAT when young and when old. Of course they can age, my idea is that You do not always need to age them to enjoy them. In this particular situation, they definitely would have offered way more with age! 🍷
@@NoSediment I disagree but that's the beauty of life. I think it's money waisted to open a young first growth Bordeaux for example. And definitely they don't show their greatness at the early stages of their life. Of course they are still great but I think for the price tag you pay it's money waisted
Sassicaia is my favourite Italian red wine. I think it's easy to put down the best known wines. They aren't ridiculously priced. Saying it costs too much sbd and not worth it is unfair. I dont think uts like saying Petrus or DRC costs too much.
It truly is a great wine, no questions there! 🥰🍷
I want to know how to age steak for my wines.
Unfortunately that will not be field of expertise. :) I only know how to cook it! 😅
Ornellaia always trumps Sassicaia in every blind tasting I have been at.
I think it depends on people’s preference and vintage. As I noted in the video, Ornellaia is usually more approachable in youth - that would be a very logical reason. In this specific tasting, Sassicaia was the one that I preferred better, but both wines are truly great! 🍷
I have been able to drink most of the great wines of the Worlds over the years, including all the famed Bordeaux Wines, Champagne, many great Burgundy's, and all the Great Italian Wines, including all the famed Super Tuscan Wines, all of the famous Barolo Crus, Barbaresco, Brunello, Taurasi, Chianti, and all Italian wines for 45 years now. Taking this into consideration, my answer to your question in the title, "Are these Wines Really Worth the Hype." I definitely have to say "No they are Not Worth the Hype" Not by a long shot. First off, I'm not really into Super Tuscans for the most, as I feel though they are made in Italy, they are not really Italian Wines. I much prefer and Love wines made with only Italian native grape varietals, like : Chianti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Brunello, Tarurasi, and other Aglianico based wines, as well as Teroldego, Montepulciano, and some of the better Italian Sparkling wines, Vin Santo, and other Italian dessert wines. Besides prefering mostly Italian Wine, I must say that I Love good Champagne, like : Billecart Salmon, KRUG, Tattinger, Rinuart and others.
Just wanted to say, I Love your Wine Channel, and your whole take on wine. Your videos are wonderful. Thanks !
Take Care,
Daniel
.
Where can I buy sassicaia for 300$? Can you put some links?
I usually take the average price from winesearcher.com when stating prices. I actually bought it for much better price myself, but as an industry professional, I got it for a wholesale price. 😅
Team O!
🍷🍷🍷
I believe every word you say but my wife will most certainly kill me for buying these wines
Yes, they are very expensive, I completely understand Your wife! 💪
Nice video. I wish I was more confident I’d get to try these wines in the foreseeable future! They are icons…but for the price of one bottle, I can get three or four bottles of an equivalent quality wine, and the math doesn’t work for me. I wish I had a generous, wealthy, wine loving friend…a wine sugardaddy or mommy, basically! Until then, I get a bit of vicarious thrill from videos like yours.
I completely agree with You. These are also out of my price range, and I have purchased them only for my channel. And it might sound ridiculous from my side, but I have complete confidence that these wines are going to increase in price with every vintage!
I’m trying to form a buying collective with a few friends to occasionally purchase one of these “trophy” wines and do a group tasting. Splitting a bottle like this with 9 others makes it reasonable in cost and we’d each get a small glass to taste. Plus a nice party!
I have a Masseto 2011 & 2012.. anyone interested?
Me, me, me, pick me! 😂😂😂😂
@@NoSediment done, share address!
Hahaha, wow, but I was joking. I cannot accept such a gift. 😓
I’ve only had chance to try an Ornellaia once.. never a Sassacaia
If You have a chance, I really do enjoy that wine a lot! 🙏🏻
@@NoSediment Agnesa... I may need to steal a bottle! 😁😁
Having tried numerous vintages of both, I'd say "NO". They're overhyped and overpriced, found in all these fancy Italian fine-dining restaurants, like poking their ugly head out and always reminding you of their presence. These wines are not the gateway into proper Italian wines (most people just hear super tuscan and automatically think theyre equally good as Bordeaux). There's ONE super tuscan thats worth the hype - and its made from 100% sangiovese. Perhaps the best Italian wines should be made from their own indigenous grapes - those are the REAL super tuscans.
I would really like to study this phenomenon, why people think that greatest Italian wine should only be made by Italian grape varieties? That is, in a way a wine snobbery. I am happy to enjoy and explore wines from indigenous grapes, and from French grapes grown in other countries, and Italian grapes grown in other counties.
Vines and plants don’t know the boundaries made by men, and yet we want to somehow force them within these self made frames. Vine is much older than Italy as a country. 🍇
Yep, and that‘s Flaccianello 🎉
@@NoSediment i have nothing against wine/grape experimentation without boundaries. what im taking offence with, are the exorbitant blue-chip wines such as Sassicaia which give the impression that they represent the pinnacle of Italian wines. Because one cannot totally shut out the biases that human beings have of price on quality, and I have tasted Sassicaia against class growth bordeaux for half the price but with equal the drinking pleasure AND age-worthiness. Look, I respect your enthusiasm for educating folks about good wine - but very often its the critics who reinforce such ideas that these wines are inherently superior, and that whether they are worth it depends on the consumer's budget. That will only create more hype around certain trendy brands, just as in fashion, etc. I rather critics focus more on under-represented brands than continue to contribute parroting the status quo.
@@JRTnew What I call Dark sangiovese, just what I need when the mood calls for it. Or even better super tuscan, Le Pergole Torte. Ethereal and regally poised, exactly my kind of sangiovese expression that I even prefer to drink immediately if it were to be presented together with the greatest Barolos.
@@JRTnewLPT imo
I wish I had the money 🤣
You are not alone!!! I also cannot afford these wines myself. Exceeded all my budget for this video, but it was still a lot of fun to make!
Isnt 2020 considered covid year?
It is when the covid started, yes!
They stopped being super for at least fifteen years, the rest is poetry. 😂
I haven’t seen You for the longest time, where did You go to?
@@NoSediment Every now and then I appreciate your "implicit faith".
I've never been a fan of the "Super Tuscan" name and I'm really happy that the zenith of their fame has now passed
All we have to do across the Adriatic, in Albania, is to find areas that have characteristic rocky ground very similar to the Graves area near Bordeaux and make wine out of Cab Franc, Merlot and Cab Sauvignon in the same way
And let's call em Super Albanian 😆
Unfortunately soil alone doesn’t translate into a premium wine, that is one of the many myths of the wine world. There are many elements that contribute to a quality wine. 🍷 cheers!
Seriously...if you watch your own video, you will know you prefer sass hands down. Why bother faking your clear preference?
Where was I fake?
Sorry that came across aggressive on my part. I really enjoy your videos. It felt like you loved the Sass but were trying to be nice to Orn by making it seem closer than it was. Your face said it all when you tasted the sass. Fake was unfair.
Super Tuscan? more like Globalization Tuscan😅
You do not like the fact that it is made from international grape varieties?
@@NoSediment its less about French varieties and more about the fact that Italians had to make a familiar, smoother and more approachable, oaky reds for people to finally consider Italian reds in top echelon of wines of the world. been unique is not an asset you got rewarded for back in the day. thankfully nowadays wine world that sets trends for tomorrow makes fun of wines like Supertuscans😅
@Ruirspirul I actually disagree, Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely not the smoothest grape variety. This area was not known for its wine before (not bad, not good) it was explored by Italians themselves. There are many cases, when I think You are correct, and even then there could be some discussions, but in this specific case, I don’t think it is so. Furthermore, some amazing Super Tuscans were made from 100% Sangiovese (I just didn’t discussed it here), because in Chianti Classico at that time it couldn’t be labelled as such if it was 100% Sangiovese. So it was named as Super Tuscan! 🤷♀️
@@NoSediment I know history of Super Tuscans but you are still arguing from Italian perspective which I have zero problem with. what I am having issues, just like I said in my previous comment, is with a wine world outside. everybody loves Masseto😅