2017 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri 750 ml

This is the big one—the granddaddy of the whole Super Tuscan category, a wine so monumental and exceptional, it is the only bottling in Italy to have a DOC all to itself: Sassicaia.

That sibilant name, meaning “the place of many stones,” is like the incantation of a spell, summoning up a history of Tuscan majesty and mastery that stretches back to the mid-20th century. It is Italy’s greatest wine, some would argue.

Originally conceived by a horse-breeding Italian aristocrat to be the Château Haut-Brion of Italy, today it transcends comparison, a benchmark of classicism that stands across categories and countries.

Nearly every vintage of Sassicaia becomes a collector’s item—“an iconic wine, as blue-chip as first-growth Bordeaux, grand cru Burgundy or Napa Valley cult Cabernet,” declares Wine Spectator, which named the 2015 release as its  #1 Wine of 2018.

But many are pointing to the chiseled, densely textured 2017 in particular as evidence that Tenuta San Guido is on a hot streak that no one else can touch. It’s a wine of consummate craftsmanship, born of a scorcher of a vintage, one of the driest in decades. Tasting the wine, though, you’d never guess that—it’s as balanced, precise, and elegant as ever, as though just freshly showered by the green Atlantic Ocean waters and cleansed by strong northern winds.

Perfumed with an intoxicating bouquet of sweet spice, tobacco, and blue fruit, this incredible effort won 97 points and “Cellar Selection” honors from Wine Enthusiast. “This boasts extraordinary elegance and freshness,” exclaimed the publication. Decanter matched that 97-point score, writing with equal passion: “The wine shows a great intensity and elegance on the super-restrained nose… Surprisingly velvety, silky tannins and brilliant acidity are supported by creamy mid-palate weight with an amazingly savory finish of cedar and tobacco.”

In spite of the estate’s impressive success at interpreting the vintage, there was one element they couldn’t control: volume. Yields were cut to levels rarely seen, slicing many allocations in half. We’re thrilled to have hung onto our few cases. We’ll leave the debate of whether Sassicaia is in fact Italy’s greatest single wine to late-night dinner table discussion. What’s not up for question is that everyone should sample the giant of Bolgheri at least once in their lives.

This might be your best chance, available at a discounted Wine Access price. A legendary wine boasting perfect provenance, this is a great opportunity to grace your cellar with a bottling that changed the course of Italian winemaking.

In the 1920s, noble families across Europe considered Bordeaux to be the source of the world’s finest wines. The Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, an expert breeder of thoroughbred horses and the man responsible for creating Sassicaia, was determined to see if he could match the First Growths of France on his native soil.

The dowry from his wife, a countess, had included 7,500 acres belonging to the Tenuta San Guido estate across the Tyrrhenian Coast. The resemblance of the stony soil to the Bordeaux appellation of Graves inspired him to plant cuttings of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Initially, the wine was derided in Italy, its brusque power contradicting the light-bodied red wines in style at the time. But with aging, stunning nuances sprung to the fore—elegance and power married in a sumptuous package. The next leap in quality came with the help of the Marchese’s nephew, winemaker Piero Antinori, and the famous enologist Giacomo Tachis, who encouraged planting vineyards closer to the sea. Within years, Sassicaia was recognized as a king among peers, inspiring countless imitations.

The wisdom of that early move towards the coast paid off decades later in 2017. Proximity to refreshing ocean breezes and fresh nighttime air warded off the heat of the vintage. The winemaking team sourced the majority of the wines from the historic Castiglioncello, Quercione, and Doccino vineyards that boast higher elevations and older vines whose deep roots allowed them to continue to gather moisture even while days stretched long and hot.

The outer limits of this wine’s aging potential is anyone’s guess. The 1985 Sassicaia is still regarded today as perfection embodied. If you can stay away from it, a grandkid might be uncorking the 2017 at their wedding. However long you wait, this is a golden opportunity to acquire a bucket list bottle, with perfect provenance guaranteed.