The Pre-sale Has Started: Sassicaia 2018 - The Super Tuscan In An Anniversary Vintage

Pre-sale On The Italian Favorite

Super Tuscans have in recent years stolen the limelight on the global wine scene and Sassicaia, in particular, has been the driver of profits in the Rest of World index, which is the index RareWine Invest uses to measure the performance of, for example, whiskey as well as American and Italian wines.

Although Sassicaia is an Italian super-brand, the wine world really caught the eye of the Italian range of wines when the 2015 vintage in November 2018 was named Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator. Shortly thereafter, as early as January 2019, vintage 2016 was awarded 100 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - the first time since vintage 1985.

With increasing popularity, attention, and not least, quality, the investment potential blooms on top of two top vintages (2015 and 2016) and an average vintage (2017), all of which have been highly sought after. We can now happily offer pre-sale for 2018 Sassicaia - a vintage that represents the 50th anniversary of Sassicaia's first commercial release.

Read more about Sassicaia here: Supertuscans Reach New Heights: The Whole World has its Eye on Sassicaia

The Stronghold Of Speculation: Will 2018 Be A Special-edition?

Should the 50th anniversary of Sassicaia's first commercial release be marked in any way, and if so, will it matter to the wine or bottle? Presumably, there is no one but the good folks at Tenuta San Guido, the producer behind Sassicaia, who knows what's going to happen and whether this anniversary will be marked at all? The opportunity and occasion for vintage 2018 to become a special-edition of the famous Sassicaia is certainly there.

Can this affect investment potential? Absolutely. There are many good examples of the fact that interest and demand for anniversary editions and special-editions, in general, have been extra high, and at the same time have had a positive effect on price developments.

For example, Chateau Margaux released their vintage 2015 in a special black bottle with gold prints in honor of Paul Pontallier who was managing director of the castle from 1990 until his death in 2016.

The average price of the other surrounding vintages (2010-2019 ex. 2015) is today € 380^*. The vintage 2015 now costs € 898^*, which is 138% more than the average of the other surrounding vintages. The average score^** among these 10 vintages is 96.6. The year 2015 has 99 points just like the year 2016. The average score is especially held down by the vintages 2011 and 2013 with 93 and 91 points respectively.

If we look at another Bordeaux anniversary celebrity, things have gotten even better. Mouton Rothschild released their vintage 2000 in a special black bottle with a distinctive gold sheep imprinted. Here, the average price of the surrounding vintages (1996-2005 ex. 2000) is € 412^* with only approx. € 100 between the cheapest and the most expensive vintage. The famous vintage 2000 now costs approx. € 1,734^* which is more than 320% more than the average price of the others. The vintage 2000 is among the best with 97 points^** which is the same as the year 1996 and 1998 but surpassed by the year 2005.

If 2018 Sassicaia is released in some form of anniversary edition is pure speculation, yet plausible. However, it represents a massive potential upside. Even if vintage 2018 is “just” a normal edition like the previous ones, it is still one of the most sought-after Super Tuscans, which during the pre-sale can be added to the portfolio at an attractive price, which further contributes to the future potential.

* Liv-ex market price

** Robart Parkers Wine Advocate

Solid Potential In A Decent Secondary Vintage

Vintage 2018 can rightly be described as a secondary vintage that comes in the wake of the two extraordinary vintages 2015 and 2016. Yet, vintage 2018 is a greater secondary vintage, with the potential to become a particularly strong secondary vintage. Only Italy specialist Antonio Galloni of Vinous has so far, amongst the most important critics, reviewed the vintage 2018 and has given it a barrel score of 93-96 points. The average of this is 94.5 while the average of the last 10 Sassicaia vintages is 94.1. If we put on the optimistic glasses and should Galloni's enthusiasm rise after release and the score be manifested at the top of this range, the investment potential will increase significantly. Below is a visualization of the correlation between price and quality based on the scores we know today. The potential can not be overseen.

Read more about how American penalties on European wines can be an advantage for Italian wines here: Headwind From Record Vintages: Upswing From Record Vintages: Invest In The Latest Vintage Of Sassicaia ‘En Primeur’

RareWine Invest’s Opinion

It may seem that the world's wine drinkers are even more obsessed with Sassicaia, which is probably driven by the house's rising quality and increased attention - and manifested in rising prices.

Italian top wines are generally on the rise, which the British wine exchange Liv-ex supports as the sub-index, Italy 100, was the sub-index with the absolute best result last year.

With Sassicaia, you invest in one of the largest and most recognized Italian wine brands and with the vintage 2018, you get a good average vintage with a very attractive pre-sale price.

Sassicaia has simply become an Italian best-seller at RareWine Invest. If we take a look at how Sassicaia has performed in recent years and the future potential it is for very good reason.

With vintage 2018 you will therefore receive a strong Italian investment case and you will also have a strong potential upside if the 50^th-anniversary vintage is marked with a special-edition label and at no extra cost to you at this time.