Volpolo di Sapaio 2023: young Bolgheri with bite

A good house’s entry wine often tells you more than the flagship. Volpolo di Sapaio 2023 is one of those: the youngest vintage at La Grande Bellezza, fresh and fruit-driven, but with the typical Bolgheri intensity that makes you take it seriously. I tasted it in Amsterdam.

Volpolo di Sapaio 2023 in brief

The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Petit Verdot, from 27 hectares of vineyard trained as a double spur-pruned cordon (doppio cordone speronato). Fermentation happens in stainless steel at controlled temperature with long maceration, followed by malolactic conversion and 14 months in French oak barriques. 2023 was a hard year on the Tuscan coast because of downy mildew, though Bolgheri came through it better than the rest of Tuscany. Sapaio managed it with real skill, and that is the context in which you have to read this wine.

Tasting Note

Tasting Note

Appearance

A purple rim over ruby red, youthful and lively.

Nose

Black fruit up front, with orange and a whisper of Earl Grey. There is a Bordeaux vibe from the Merlot, but much warmer and Mediterranean.

Palate

Tight acids and lively tannins, nicely crisp. The structure shifts along the way, from smooth to increasingly grippy. Clove, rosemary and sage add light spice.

Finish

Full and gastronomic, with a structure that asks for the next bite.

Quality

A full, young wine with character and bite. Skilfully made in a difficult year, but it belongs at the table, not solo in the armchair.

Two honest caveats. First, the vintage: 2023 was not an easy year in Bolgheri either, and though the wine is made with skill, it lacks the depth of a top year. That is not a reproach, but an expectation to adjust. Second, the structure: those high, grippy tannins ask for food. Drink it solo now and you taste mostly the edge, not the core.

Drink or keep? Drink now, at the table. Volpolo is made to enjoy relatively young, and with a hearty dish it comes into its own.

Producer

Podere Sapaio

Wine

Volpolo di Sapaio 2023

Vintage

2023

Region

Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 15%, Petit Verdot 15%

Vinification

Stainless steel, long maceration; malolactic and 14 months in French barriques

Appellation

Bolgheri DOC

Alcohol

14.5%

Sources

• Technical sheet Volpolo 2023, Podere Sapaio: sapaio.com
• Podere Sapaio (official): sapaio.it
• Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Bolgheri: bolgheridoc.com
• La Grande Bellezza (tasting): lagrandebellezza.com

Tasted at La Grande Bellezza 2026 in Amsterdam. No partnership, independent assessment.