Sassicaia broke Italian wine law before it defined it. When Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Tenuta San Guido in the 1940s, Tuscany meant Sangiovese, and his Bordeaux-style experiment was legally a vino da tavola — table wine, the lowest rung. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC, the only single-estate appellation in Italy, and the Sassicaia price in Thailand is the benchmark question for anyone building an Italian cellar here. This guide covers the three vintages we hold, what the critics say, and what else from Bolgheri deserves the same attention.
From Table Wine to National Treasure
The Marchese made wine for his own table for twenty years — the family only released a commercial vintage in 1968. What happened next created modern Italian wine: critics rated the "table wine" above famous Bordeaux, the press invented the term Super Tuscan, and Italian law eventually surrendered, granting Sassicaia its own appellation rather than admit the classification system had missed the country's most celebrated red.
The vineyards sit near the coast at Bolgheri, on the stony ground that gives the wine its name — sassi means stones. Sea air moderates the Tuscan heat, and the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc: Bordeaux grapes, Tyrrhenian light.
Our Tuscany wine guide covers how Bolgheri fits into the wider region, from Chianti to Brunello.
The Vintages We Hold in Bangkok
Sassicaia 2021 — The Perfect Score
Wine Advocate awarded the 2021 vintage 100 points — a perfect score for a wine that was once legally unclassifiable. At around ฿16,000 in Bangkok, it is arguably the least expensive 100-point icon wine in Thailand, at less than half the price of an equivalent-scoring First Growth.
Sassicaia 2019 — The Critics' Darling
Wine Enthusiast rated the 2019 at 99 points, and many Italian critics place it among the estate's best of the decade. It carries a modest premium at around ฿20,000 — the vintage to hold if you are thinking in decades.
Sassicaia 2020 — The Drinking Window
At 97 points from Wine Enthusiast and around ฿16,000, the 2020 is a supple, earlier-drinking year — the bottle to open while the 2019 and 2021 sleep.
Beyond Sassicaia: What Else Bolgheri Does
Ornellaia is the other Bolgheri estate with a global name — founded by the Antinori family next door to Tenuta San Guido, Merlot-rich where Sassicaia is Cabernet-led. The current release scores 99 points and sells for around ฿13,000, and comparing the two side by side is the best single lesson in what Bolgheri can do.
Grappa di Sassicaia is the collector's curiosity: a barrel-aged grappa distilled from the estate's own pomace, around ฿4,700. Not a wine — but the only way to put the Sassicaia name on the table for under ฿5,000.
For how designations like DOC and DOCG actually work — and why Sassicaia getting its own was unprecedented — see wine designations explained. All our Italian coverage lives in the red wine journal.
Buying Sassicaia in Bangkok: Practical Notes
It is the value play among icons. A 100-point Sassicaia costs less than half a 100-point Bordeaux First Growth in Bangkok. That gap is history and habit, not quality — which makes it the icon wine to buy with your head rather than your heritage.
Provenance discipline applies in full. Coastal Tuscany to tropical Bangkok is a hard journey for a fine wine. Verify storage before buying, and once home follow our Bangkok heat storage guide — 30 minutes in a hot condo entryway does more damage than a year in a proper fridge.
Give it air, not years, if drinking now. The 2020 wants an hour in a decanter. The 2019 and 2021 want patience — five years minimum before they show what the scores describe.
Keep reading: The Best Wine to Drink With Seafood in Bangkok · Best Champagne & Sparkling Wine Under ฿3,000 in Bangkok · all Wine stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Sassicaia cost in Thailand?
Current Bangkok pricing: around ฿16,000 for the 100-point 2021 and the 2020, and around ฿20,000 for the 99-point 2019. The estate's barrel-aged grappa is around ฿4,700.
Where can I buy Sassicaia in Bangkok?
WNLQ9 stocks three vintages of Sassicaia (2019, 2020, 2021) plus Ornellaia and the estate grappa, with temperature-controlled storage and Bangkok delivery.
What is a Super Tuscan wine?
A Tuscan red made outside the traditional DOC rules — usually with Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Sassicaia created the category in 1968; the term covers wines like Ornellaia, Tignanello and Masseto.
Which Sassicaia vintage should I buy?
To drink within five years: the 2020 (97 points). To cellar: the 2021 (100 points from Wine Advocate) or 2019 (99 points from Wine Enthusiast). The 2021 is the collector's pick — a perfect score at a non-Bordeaux price.
Is Sassicaia worth the price compared to Bordeaux?
At around ฿16,000 for a 100-point vintage, Sassicaia costs less than half of an equivalently scored First Growth in Bangkok. If you buy on critic consensus per baht, it is one of the strongest fine-wine positions in Thailand.
