Tenuta San Guido is the winery that revolutionized the world of Italian wine with the creation of Sassicaia. “If Bolgheri wines exist today, the numerous wineries that offer them and all the related industries, the credit is largely due to the Incisa della Rocchetta family. They are the ones who literally invented this territory, at least in terms of wine, giving it strength with the Tenuta San Guido “ (Cit. Gambero Rosso Vini d'Italia 2021).
Mario Incisa della Rocchetta came from Piedmont (Northern Italy) and was a student in Pisa in 1929 when he met Clarice della Gherardesca, who will become his wife. Wedding dowry was the land from which in the following years Incisa was able to realize his dream: a Bordeaux-style wine. This was the origin of Tenuta San Guido, now managed by the second and third generation of Incisa della Rocchetta’s family. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon in place of the local grapes (especially Sangiovese) and began his winemaking experiments. Sassicaia was the name of a vineyard along the famous Viale dei Cipressi and became the name of his wine. However, that wine remained a private product, to be consumed with the family, to be given to relatives and friends. Among the relatives there was also Niccolò Antinori - Mario Incisa's brother-in-law - and it was the Antinori family who pushed the Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta to put that wine on the market. The young enologist Giacomo Tachis cared for this process; he also came from Piedmont and he trained in Bordeaux. That wine, so different from traditional Tuscan wines, so innovative and so fascinating, was first released with the 1968 vintage, which came out in 1971 and in a few years became a symbol of an innovation process that influenced all of Tuscany wine making.
The Sassicaia of Tenuta San Guido overtook the greatest wines of Bordeaux and California in international competitions and became one of the most famous Italian wines ever. The experience of Tenuta San Guido was followed by other enterprising winemakers from Bolgheri and by others who came from outside. Within a few decades, Bolgheri has become one of the most popular wine appellations in Italy.
Tenuta San Guido in addition to Sassicaia produces two other labels: Le Difese and Guidalberto; it also produces extra virgin olive oil and grappa.