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The 2021 Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso is a very beautiful wine, but also quite a departure from the style that made it famous years ago. Readers will find an especially polished Guado al Tasso, a wine that emphasizes finesse more than power. Silky tannins wrap around a core of black cherry fruit, licorice, spice, mocha and new leather. Bright, saline undertones extend the exquisite finish. There’s more Cabernet Franc in the blend these days, and that very much comes through in the wine’s crazy aromatic presence and feel. The 2021 spent 16 months in wood, three months in used French oak barrels during the malolactic fermentation and then 14 months in barrel (80% new) for the rest of its aging. Gorgeous.Vinous Media | 98 VM

Another incredibly concentrated, focused, insanely impressive wine in the lineup is the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain, which offers a powerful nose of darker currants, scorched earth, graphite, and savory herb aromas and flavors. This full-bodied, dense, concentrated, powerful, inward beauty needs 4-6 years in the cellar but will age forever.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDThis 2021 La Jota combines 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 4% Merlot, and 2.5% Petit Verdot. Grapes are sourced from the 8ha La Jota vineyard and 24ha Keyes Estate Vineyard, both atop Howell Mountain. Winemaker Chris Carpenter begins with native yeast fermentations after optical sorting, then pump-overs by hand and pressing at alcohol dryness. The wine goes into a barrel where malolactic fermentation takes place—aged 22 months in 75% new French oak. All of La Jota’s barrels are culled from the centre of France and Navarre, and eight different coopers provide barrels that have mostly medium-plus toasts, with some medium-range toasts for Merlot. After every pressing, Carpenter fills in whatever gaps he feels need filling by leveraging the various oak characters in his barrel toolkit. Readers should note that by the time I tasted the 2021 wines with Carpenter (including the Mt. Brave, Lokoya, and Cardinale wines), they had been decanting for about 5.5 hours. A necessary step if you’re popping corks on this within five years of their release. In 2021, with yields down 30-35%, the La Jota was very precise and focused, with saturated layers of extremely dark fruit nuanced by very expressive ironstone minerality and fresh garrigue. Full-bodied with robust, broad-shouldered tannins that are chocolaty. More of that iron minerality is layered throughout, and for all the fruit density here, there is a balance of freshness that is almost hard to imagine. So, don’t imagine it; snap these up and see for yourself. When I visited with winemaker Chris Carpenter, who oversees production for La Jota, Mt. Brave, Lokoya, and Cardinale, he took the time to explain the distinct difference in his approach to crafting the La Jota and Mt. Brave wines in comparison to the Lokoya single vineyard Cabernets. ’The single-vineyard Lokoya wines are mountain wines that have a good amount of tannin and are in pursuit of the expression of their individual AVA. The tannin is concentrated and differentiates each mountain expression of Cabernet. With La Jota and Mt. Brave, I’m aiming to give the drinker of these wines an understanding of how the mountain expresses itself from an acid, weight, and fruit standpoint without those powerful and ponderous tannins. These wines are culled from blocks in each of the single vineyards that typically have softer tannins, so these are ideal for restaurants or earlier drinking wines. La Jota is owned by the Jackson Family.Decanter | 97 DECSo much black currant, dark fruit, pine cone, bark and pine needle aromas that show a depth and intensity with round, polished and creamy tannins. Medium to full body, with a complex and gorgeously flavored finish. A blend of 82% cabernet sauvignon, 6.5% cabernet franc, 5% malbec, 4% merlot and 2.5% petit verdot. Over 3050 cases produced. Give this three to four more years to come around.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon has 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 4% Merlot, and 2.5% Petit Verdot in the blend. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of shaking to wake up scents of blackcurrant preserves, plum pudding, and mulberries giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of licorice, charcoal, violets, and menthol. The big, rich, full-bodied palate is completely packed with black fruit layers supported by very firm yet ripe grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a spicy kick.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIA blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec, 4% Merlot and 2.5% Petit Verdot, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain delivers scents of cedar, pine, black cherries, blueberries and cassis. According to winemaker Chris Carpenter, the blend was necessary to ameliorate the tannins for the restaurant trade, a major market for the wine. It’s medium to full-bodied, fresh, smooth and silky on the mid-palate, then firmer and more structured, with dusty tannins on the lingering finish. While it should age well for 20 years or more, I suspect much of it will be consumed on the young side, with a thick, well-marbled steak.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA fruit-laden red, with glistening mulberry, cassis and plum puree notes that drive through gleefully, flanked by violet and iris hints, plus a light sheen of anise and apple wood on the finish. Offers latent grip for the cellar. Drink now through 2040. 3,051 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Plenty of red currant, cedar, iron and terra cotta aromas follow through to a medium to full body with graphite, sandalwood, red currants and fresh Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary. The tannins are chewy but polished in texture. This is a Sassicaia that needs three or four years of bottle age to come together and soften. A structured wine for the cellar. Try after 2029.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2022 Sassicaia is simply brilliant in this vintage, showing a remarkable level of poise and freshness. It opens with a captivating bouquet of ripe blackberries, plum, florals and subtle herbs, underscored by a touch of spice, tobacco and minerals. On the palate, it is medium to full-bodied and well-structured, with velvety tannins and a lively acidity that provides perfect balance. Rich flavors of red/dark fruits, tobacco and spices unfold beautifully, leading to a long, persistent finish that is both refined and elegant. A stunning example of Sassicaia’s pedigree and resilience to thrive year after year.International Wine Report | 98 IWRThe Tenuta San Guido 2022 Bolgheri Sassicaia reveals a beautiful fruit profile with fresh blackberry, tart cherry and Mediterranean tones of blue rosemary blooms and lavender sachet. I tasted this wine several times over the course of a few months, and it has already shown a happy evolution coming into slow focus like the faint colors that emerge from a Polaroid photograph. Indeed, the bouquet appeared more closed just a short while ago. The wine’s strongest suit is its elegantly streamlined mouthfeel and its contained 13.5% alcohol content. These qualities add to the silky cleanness of the mouthfeel and the accessible freshness of this vintage. I am confident that this bottle will improve with time. It requires patience.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPThe wine is tightly coiled and concentrated. It feels almost cinched at the waist, with a fascinating tension between the weight of raspberry, blackberry and strawberry coulis fruit and the wine’s verticality, as if it’s trying to burst out. Lovely mid-palate sapidity is allied to fresh acidity and fine but dense tannins, making for a dark horse of a Sassicaia that isn’t giving much away today but will greatly reward those who can cellar it for 12 years and more. ‘What is sure is that 2022 will need a lot of time, but will also have a long life,’ said Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta. A hot vintage, 2022 caused the team to work in the newly completed refrigerated warehouses in San Guido, even moving the sorting table inside. Shorter macerations and 23 rather than the more typical 24 or 25 months of ageing in wood helped to maximise the freshness.Decanter Magazine | 97 DECOpening with aromas of menthol, dark spice, blue flower and dark-skinned berry, the 2022 Sassicaia is impressive and defied my expectations. Hailing from what was a notoriously hot, dry year, the estate’s location, including its hillside vineyards, vicinity to the woods plus much-needed rain in August preserved freshness and aromas as did harvesting somewhat earlier than usual, shorter skin maceration and slightly less time in oak. Showing elegant restraint, it’s balanced and tense, delivering flavors of ripe blackberry, wild cherry, licorice and mint. It’s still quite tight and youthfully austere, with a backbone of firm, refined tannins and fresh acidity. Give it time to fully unwind. Drink 2030–2042. Abv: 13.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 97 KOThe 2022 Sassicaia is a very pretty, expressive wine. There’s a bit more Cabernet Sauvignon (and less Franc) in this year’s blend, and that really comes through in the wine’s flavor profile and slightly bruising tannins. Dark cherry, plum, leather, licorice, graphite and incense give the 2022 striking aromatic presence to match its rather brooding personality. There’s a bit of tension in the tannins that needs time to resolve. Yields were down about 20% because of intensely cold weather in spring, variable conditions during flowering and set, and then searing heat and drought throughout the summer.Vinous Media | 94+ VM