The 2016 Anglianico Riserva Sassius is dark and brooding, requiring coaxing to reveal its haunting bouquet. Mentholated herbs and hints of white smoke evolve into black raspberries and cloves. This is velvety in feel yet not weighty, with citrus-laced red and black fruits riding a core of cooling acidity. Saline minerals add a more tactile feel toward the close. Still tannic despite its late release, this leave an air of tobacco and inner rose tones on the long finish. This is my second time tasting the 2016 Sassius, and I’m happy to report that the oak is integrating beautifully. — Vinous, Mar 2025

“The 2016 Sassius is impossible to ignore, with a dark and brooding mix of black currants, rum cake, mocha and spice lifted by a whiff of mentholated herbs. This is seamlessly silky, almost creamy in feel, with a cacao and cinnamon tinge to its tart red and black fruits. The Sassius finishes dramatically long and staining with ginger cookies and dried black cherries notes. Grippy tannins tug at the cheeks. The 2016 is a beast of an Aglianico that is deeply inflected by oak sensations. That said, I can’t fault the wine's balance, if it's your style.” — Vinous, Jul 2023