17-05-2025
Last: Who's putting the 'super' in Tuscan wines these days
You don't hear the term 'super Tuscan' bandied about as much in the wine world as you once did, largely because there are now officially recognized denominations for the category of wines that were once outlaws of sorts. It all began with one wine, the legendary Sassicaia, created at Tenuta San Guido in Bolgheri by its owner, Marchesi Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, in 1968. He planted his first cabernet sauvignon grapes in 1948, after tasting some Bordeaux wines that left more than a long finish on his palate. He enlisted Antinori's famed oenologist, Giacomo Tachis, to create a cabernet-based wine that could rival the first-growth wines of Bordeaux, and he was not alone. Around the same time, his nephews, Piero and Lodivico Antinori, were working on a blend of their own, a mix of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon that they named Tignanello. Then, in 1985, Lodivico Antinori left to start his own project, a sangiovese/cabernet blend called Ornellaia, followed by a merlot, Masseto. These wines are now icons in the wine world and opened the door for change in a region that, like many old-world wine regions, did not embrace that concept easily.
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As these wines rose to fame, producers in Chianti lobbied for change to allow the inclusion of Bordeaux grapes in their traditional blends. At the time, if you wanted to produce a wine based entirely on sangiovese, as many are now, you couldn't call it Chianti, but they made them anyway, creating yet another version of a super Tuscan. Merlot became the dominant choice to blend with sangiovese, usurping canaiolo and colorino as blending partners, mainly because it's easier to grow and with better yields. As a blending grape, merlot contributes a lush fruit profile that can take the edge off tannins and acidity, components of many of the world's great red wines.
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The term Super Tuscan is largely credited to American wine critic Robert Parker, he of the 100-point rating system, and as much as I detest scoring wines in this manner, it was an apt name for a group of wines and winemakers that dared to defy long-held conventions. Somewhat ironically, the wines of Montalcino (Brunello and rosso), considered by many to be the flagship for Tuscan sangiovese, have steadfastly held to the rule that no other varietals are permitted. Scandal erupted in 2008 when several producers were accused of blending in outside grapes to beef up the poor vintage (dubbed Brunellogate or Brunellopoli). Charges were laid, although, in the end, not much came of it, not unlike current-day political scandals.
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Now there are official categories for virtually all the wines made in Tuscany, starting with DOCG, DOC, IGP and IGT, and if that's not confusing enough, consider that there are seven sub-zones within Chianti that include Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Aretini, Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Colline Pisane, Chianti Montalbano, and Chianti Montespertoli. In the regional zones for Chianti, it starts with the broad Chianti appellation, followed by Chianti Classico (the sub-zones are listed above). Confused yet? Wait, there's more. Chianti Classico also carries a riserva designation along with the recently added Gran Selezione. Riserva wines require a minimum aging of 24 months, with a minimum of three months in bottle. Gran Selezione wines require 30 months of cask aging, also with a minimum of three months in bottle. In addition, they must be produced from estate-grown grapes, whereas riserva wines can be made from grapes sourced from outside the producer's own estate. Many producers argued against the addition of the Gran Selezione category, as the feeling was that the existing laws and zones were confusing enough for consumers, and I think they might have had a point.
