Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia

Out of France and into Italy where plenty of world-famous wines are produced. I could have gone with a producer like Altesino and their award winning Brunello di Montalcino, or Antinori's Solaia, or anything by Gaja, or even Tenuta San Guido's second famous Super Tuscan, Ornellaia. But I chose Sassicaia, often called Sass, for its innovation and trend-setting fame. Sassicaia is considered the original "Super Tuscan," but unfortunately it doesn't get a cape.

The Super Tuscan saga begins in Bolgheri, Toscana (Tuscany). In 1948, winemaker Mario Incisa della Rochetta of the Antinori family set out to produce a world-class wine, Sassicaia, using Cabernet Sauvignon vines taken from the Bordeaux first growth, Chateau Lafite-Rothschild. Sassicaia's success gave birth to a new category of Italian wine where producers use Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Some even blend these Bordeaux varietals in with their Sangiovese, Chianti's principal grape variety.

Today Tenuta San Guido produces about 180,000 bottles of Sassicaia annually from their scattered plots, totaling 190 acres, in Bolgheri. The blend for this world-famous wine is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. While the prices of these wines are not as extreme as those of France, if you wanted to pick up a 750ml bottle of 1998 Sass (stellar vintage) you would still be looking at dropping $180 or more a bottle