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DISCLAIMER
The information given in this publication is as accurate as possible the time of writing. Yves Remondeulaz makes no warranty, representation or guarantee that the information in this article is error free or that the information may be relied upon for any reason. The character of wine is perceived in different ways by different people and the sensory descriptions and the examples given in this article are a general guide to describing and choosing wines. It is acknowledged that descriptions of chosen wines may change depending on vintage variation. It is also acknowledged that the geographical indications of the wine regions will evolve and that some of the names in this article may change and there may be deletions or inclusions in the future. Production statistics and names of wines will or may also change.
Florence (Firenze) is the administrative center of Tuscany, whose provinces include Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. The region ranks 5th in size (22,997 square kilometers) and 9th in population (3,529,000).
For many, Tuscany embodies what Italy is all about: idyllic landscapes, pristine and rolling hills replete with small vineyards, dusty olive groves, cypresses stretching out to the horizon, towns with stunning views, great food and superlative wines. Tuscany’s countryside radiates an allure that has attracted foreign visitors for centuries.
If in the past this vibrant and verdant area inspired poets like Keats and Shelley, today rural Tuscany is more the territory of tree huggers and wine lovers, who come to enjoy the beauty of a relatively untainted landscape and to visit some of the world’s best family-run wineries.
The name Tuscany betrays the Etruscan origin of great many of the towns on the map today and these ancestors planted the first vineyards, giving birth to a thriving wine making industry. In just about every case, The Romans built on the foundation of their Etruscan predecessors, further expanding the vineyards. By the late Middle Ages, Florence, Sienna and Pisa had emerged as the principal powers under the tutelage of the ruling Medici family whose passion for the arts heralded the Renaissance.
Needless to add that good food and excellent wines were the norm of the days. It was also during that period that the Antinori family started to venture into the wine growing and wine making business. As for Piedmont, Napoleon came and went and Florence succeeded briefly to Turin as the capital of Italy. That beautiful and ancient Italian city, capital city of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, is situated not far from the Apennines, in a fertile and flourishing plain surrounded by pleasant hills dotted with villas and castles. Undulating on the banks of the River Arno, which divides the city into two equal parts, Florence is also famous for its four bridges crossing the river, the most elegant being that of St.Trinity. The almost oval city walls join the castle of St. John the Baptist to the dominating fortress of St. George, known as Belvedere.
Tuscany, home of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Michelangelo’s David, evokes Italy and Italian wine as no other region does and today and the region continues to advance its position as the nation's most dynamic producer of premium wines, following decades of turning out popular Chianti in straw-covered flasks. Tuscany's modern renaissance in wine began in Chianti, in the central hills around Siena and Florence, but it rapidly spread to take in the strip along the Mediterranean coast that was not previously noted for vineyards. Much of the progress has come with classical reds based on the native Sangiovese vine, Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Carmignano, all DOCG. But growing success with other reds (especially the stylish non-DOC wines known as "Super Tuscans") has been augmented by new styles of whites to enhance the region's reputation.
Chianti, still the dominant force in Tuscan viniculture, has long rated as the most Italian of wines. This is partly because it is the most voluminous and widely sold classified wine, but also because it has a personality that cannot be pinned down. Its multifarious nature is quintessentially Italian. Chianti is produced in eight distinct zones and adjacent areas that cover a vast territory of central Tuscany, around the original core of Chianti Classico. In those gorgeously rugged hills variations in soil and climate contribute as much to the individuality of each authentic estate wine as do winemakers' quests for creative styles. Some Chianti is still fairly fresh, easy and quaffable, though a growing portion is rich and elaborate and capable of becoming aristocratic with age. Those variables can be confusing, but for consumers who persist, Chianti offers some of the best value in wine today. Much Chianti is identified by its sub districts, most prominently Classico, whose producers' consortium is symbolized by a black rooster.
Many estates also emphasize the name of a special vineyard as a mark of distinction. What Chianti has in common with all of the traditional red wines of Tuscany is its major grape variety Sangiovese.
In the past varieties were often blended, but today the emphasis is strongly on Sangiovese or Sangioveto, which deserves to be ranked with Italy's and the world's noblest vines. From good vintages, pure Sangiovese wines are rich in body and intricate in flavor with deep ruby-garnet colors. Some are smooth and round almost from the start, but others need years to develop the nuances of bouquet and flavor unique to well-aged Tuscan reds.
Tuscany's appellation of greatest stature is Brunello di Montalcino, a DOCG from a fortress town south of Siena where reds of legendary power and longevity have commanded lofty prices. Conceived by the Biondi Santi family a century ago, Brunello is now issued under more than a hundred labels, representing small farms, established estates and even international corporations. Brunello producers also make the DOCs of Rosso di Montalcino (a younger wine from Sangiovese), the sweet white Moscadello di Montalcino (from Moscato) and a range of wines that carry the appellation Sant'Antimo.
Not far from Montalcino is Montepulciano with its Vino Nobile, made from a type of Sangiovese known as Prugnolo Gentile. The Nobile entered the name centuries ago, apparently in homage to its status among the nobility. The poet Francesco Redi described Montepulciano's red as "king of all wines". After a lapse of decades, Vino Nobile has made an impressive comeback under DOCG and is once again living up to its name. Producers may also produce the DOC Rosso di Montepulciano as a younger alternative to Vino Nobile.
Carmignano rates special mention as a wine singled out for protection by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1716. Today this rare red from Sangiovese and Cabernet ranks as DOCG, though the red Barco Reale and other wines of Carmignano remain as DOC.
Pomino, which was also cited in the decree of 1716, is a high altitude DOC zone with a red that blends Sangiovese with Cabernet and Merlot and a special white, which includes Chardonnay and Pinot. Among numerous other DOC reds, Morellino di Scansano, grown in the coastal hills of the Maremma, is strongly on the rise. The production of upscale alternative, which began as a trend in the 1970s, became an essential factor in the general improvement of Tuscan reds. Cult wines which have become known as "Super Tuscans" continue to prosper. Yet Sassicaia, the pure Cabernet that in the 1970s convinced the world that Italy could make modern reds of international appeal, now has a DOC of its own under the Bolgheri appellation. The Sangiovese-Cabernet blend of Tignanello served as the model for Tuscany's new style of red wine aged in small oak barrels or barriques instead of ancient casks. Then came Cabernet-Sangiovese blends and, later, reds from Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Nero. The "Super Tuscans" rank among the most esteemed and expensive red wines of Italy. Today those that remain outside of DOC/DOCG are generally entitled to the region wide Toscana IGT.
Inspired by the success of Cabernet and Merlot in Bolgheri, wines from the coastal sector of Tuscany have risen rapidly in prestige to challenge the central hills for supremacy. In the heart of the Maremma, as the coastal hills of southwestern Tuscany are known, lies the Morellino di Scansano zone, source of a red based on Sangiovese. Other DOC zones of promise include Val di Cornia, Montecucco, Monteregio di Massa Marittima, Montescudaio, Capalbio and Sovana. The pride of many a Tuscan winemaker is the rich Vin Santo, which has become DOC in many zones around the region. Pressed from partly dried grapes and aged in small wooden barrels, Vin Santo can be an exquisite dessert or aperitif wine. Most Vin Santo is made from white varieties, mainly Malvasia and Trebbiano, though the type called Occhio di Pernice comes from red wine grapes.
Until recently, Tuscan whites rarely enjoyed much prestige, probably because most of them consisted of the pedestrian varieties of Trebbiano and Malvasia. Exceptions to the rule stand out from the crowd. Vernaccia di San Gimignano, from the ancient Vernaccia vine, has enjoyed a revival that led to its promotion as the region's first white DOCG. Vermentino has spread through the coastal hills as a white variety of outstanding promise. Recently, whites of depth and complexity have been produced in Tuscany, made from such international varieties as Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Bianco and Grigio, all of which are finding comfortable environments in cooler parts of the region's hills.
Tuscany, home of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Michelangelo’s David, evokes Italy and Italian wine as no other region does and today Tuscany leads the way in promoting the new image of Italian wines. Its many DOC/DOCGs are led by Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano based on the Sangiovese grape. But the modern spectrum of Tuscany's best includes many wines that fall outside the mainstream appellations and include those made in part or entirely from international varieties.
THE RED THAT EMBODY TUSCANY
CHIANTI, the blessed wine…
On the rocky marl and limestone hills of Tuscany, the warm sun in the clear blue sky shining down on the undulating rows of vineyards brings to ripe maturity the grapes, which mingle to give birth to this timeless classic of the Italian cellar with its unmistakable personality, the Chianti. One cannot imagine Chianti without Tuscany, but it would be equally difficult to imagine Tuscany without Chianti. It is rare that a wine and the country it springs should be so ideally fused into a complete and flawless whole. The vines grow proud and free basking in the sun amidst the perfect climate, relatively mild all year round of the Tuscan countryside amazing in its variety.
A BIT OF HISTORY
It is well nearly impossible to uncover the secrets and mysteries of pre-history but we are on safe grounds when we say that the Etruscans were most probably the true ancestors of the present day Tuscan wine growers and vine tenders. Although little is known about the mysterious Etruscan people, it would be not far fetch to assert that they came from the Near East, birthplace of the original vines which, the legends report, were tended and whose grapes were picked by Noah high on the slopes of Mount Ararat, in Armenia. Having honed the secrets and techniques of wine making, handed down to them probably by the descendants of Noah… let's believe in the legend, the Etruscans brought the skills to Tuscany where they settled after centuries of migratory travels through the vast plains of east and central Europe. All this took place some nine centuries before Christ, in a rough and rocky landscape heavily covered by thick woods where cypresses and oaks dominated. The name Chianti in fact comes from the Latin "clangor", meaning the high-pitched squeal of a trumpet or the cry of a bird: a name, indeed, derived from the ancient untamed state of the country, covered in forests.
Having emerged unscathed from the uncertainty of the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Chianti regions were fairly flourishing with wine one of its most important product and the cultivation of the vine a dominant feature. As early as the 14th century, Florence, the capital, was framed by a sort of "green belt" of vineyards, dotted here and there with olive groves and orchards. The amount of wine on which city taxes were levied alone during that time was somewhere in excess of 7 ½ million gallons! Obviously in those days, no one paid much attention to the sort of fire-and-brimstone admonishment that issued from the lips of such holy men as St. John Chrisostom, for whom the boundary between good and evil could be defined by: "Vinum opus Dei; ebrietas opus diabuli" or “wine is the work of God, drunkenness that of the devil”. Since good food is never far from where good wines are produced, it was all but natural that the first Academy of Italian Cookery first saw light in Florence in the XVth century and proved to be a fertile ground for gastronomic talents. Florence became soon overflowing with famous inns, hostelries and taverns.
It was also during the Middle Ages that Chianti began to be identified by the name of the geographical area in which it was produced. The first evidence of that transfer of name is contained in the letters of a noted Prato merchant, Francesco Datini, who lived from 1383 to 1410. Datini's references indicate that Chianti had assumed a purely enological significance by his day. In the same period, the name Chianti was often applied to a certain vin vermiglio (vermilion wine) and a vin de Firenze (wine of Florence) and not to the wine of Chianti as the term is commonly understood today. With the intensification of trade and exports in the 17th century, the name of the region came to be universally accepted as the title of the celebrated product of its soil.
In any account of the history of
Chianti and good Tuscan wine in general, it would be a crime not to
mention Boccaccio. In the Decameron, wine is mentioned so often as to
become one of the main actors on the stage of all the short stories.
If nothing else, it is always a "natural ingredient" in the
witty tales.
"Scientific" interest in the production techniques of Chianti
first started becoming evident in the early XVIIIth century. The wine
itself was mostly obtained from black Canaiolo grapes, with smaller
quantities of San Gioveto. In 1713, by order of the Grand Duke of Tuscany,
Cosimo III, the boundaries of the wine growing areas allowed to call
their wines Chianti, were settled, and a whole series of standards and
regulations were issued governing the production of the precious wine.
These were, in effect, the ancestors of the present regulations, which
determine the application of the D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. symbols. Chianti's
early success was due in great part to the strict enforcement of the
regulations of the League of Chianti. The league's rules represented
a sort of disciplinary system in embryo. As part of its regulatory mission,
the League categorically prohibited the initiation of harvesting before
September 29 (the feast of St. Michael).
THE MODERN CHIANTI
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Following that somewhat mythical period, the real, verifiable history of Chianti began in the early 19th century. And a major role in it was played by Baron Bettino Ricasoli. The Baron, a member of the Accademia dei Georgofili, tested and retested various grape mixtures until he found the right balance. It is the same blend used today in making Chianti: Sangioveto, Canaiolo, Trebbiano and Malvasia. Although Chianti, as a wine, is linked to a precise and well-defined geographical area, it is, in fact, a regional product. If the 1713, Grand Ducal Decree extended the production limits beyond the hilly zone recognized as Chianti, it was only in 1932 that a vitivinicultural reality that had developed in the course of the 19th century because of the wine's success in Italy and throughout the world was definitively sanctioned by a ministerial decree. The Chianti Classico Consortium, founded in 1924, has bolstered Chianti’s breeding over the years by strictly enforcing the four grapes blending formula established years before by the illustrious Baron Ricasoli whose descendants still live in his castle at Brolio.
In the succeeding years, Chianti’s image suffered a lot. Most people thought of the wine as drinkable light reds in a straw – and for a while, heavens forbid, in plastic! covered fiaschi (flasks) and it is an image that has been difficult for the better producers to overcome. The area's wines had fallen into disrepute, thanks largely to those wicker-wrapped bottles of plonk, which generally ended up as candleholders in bad restaurants. The area had also not yet caught the attention of Englishmen who would eventually come in droves for summer holidays and create something we now call "Chiantishire". On August 9, 1967, a law was passed recognizing Chianti as a wine having every right to the protection of a controlled denomination of origin. The standards regulating its production were consequently enforced with more vigor. Not everyone somehow trusted the government; many excellent Chiantis were and are still produced outside the limited zone, and many of the finest producers in the zone refuse up to today to belong to the organization, preferring instead that their family name assure the quality of the wine.
Many people do not believe that Chianti ages well, owing to the traditional governo process by which a small amount of unfermented must of white Trebbiano grapes - allowed earlier to dry (like raisins) for a period of time before being crushed - is added to the fermented wine to give it a tingle and therefore imparting freshness.
This process creates wines which have great character when young but which will also age well. Modern day produced Chiantis range from light, fresh, faintly sweet, easy-drinking red wines, similar to Beaujolais, to intense, structured yet sleek wines in the same league as the best Bordeaux. The latter would undergo aging for at least three years in oak before being bottled and labeled as Riserva. It is distinguished by appearing in Bordeaux bottles instead of the fiaschi, which still mean Chianti to the entire world up to this day.
CHIANTI DOCG
Grapes varieties: Sangiovese, 75-100%; Canaiolo nero, up to 10%; Trebbiano toscano and/or Malvasia del Chianti, up to 10%; other local red varieties, up to 10%.
Types: DOCG &
Superiore
Riserva
Colli Aretini
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Colli Fiorentini
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Colli Senesi
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Colline Pisane
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Montalbano
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Rufina
Regular Red, Dry
Superiore Red, Dry
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
CHIANTI CLASSICO DOCG
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Chianti Classico D.O.C.G., which comprises of seven zones, is home to many of Tuscany best estates, and is the original (if slightly enlarged) zone that span over the hills between Florence and Sienna and produces the widest range of styles of Chianti in the communes of:
Barberino Val d'Elsa
On the western edge of Chianti Classico - only a part of this commune actually lies within the zone. However, the best south-west-facing slopes contain a significant percentage of prized galestro soils, giving some superb Sangiovese fruit.
Castellina in Chianti
The varied soils and altitudes in this zone mean there is always likely to be a wide divergence in style between even the best examples.
Castelnuovo Berardenga
The most southerly of the Chianti Classico communes. The wines tend to be richer and more powerful than elsewhere in the zone. Some examples are actually closer in style to wines from Montalcino to the south than to the most elegant examples from Gaiole or Radda.
Gaiole in Chianti
A commune with a healthy smattering of some of the top producers in Chianti Classico. Styles range from austere elegance to broader, rounder, fruitier examples.
Greve in Chianti
Classico's largest zone with some of the most outstanding vineyard sites in central Tuscany.
These are, however, concentrated around Panzano and Lamole in the south of the zone; north of the town of Greve, lower-lying vineyards on heavy clay soils scarcely warrant inclusion.
Panzano
Radda in Chianti
Most of Radda's finest estates lie on high slopes north and northeast of the historic town, which gives this commune its name. Montevertine epitomizes the finesse and longevity of which the best examples are capable.
One or two other communes also fall within the Chianti Classico boundaries. These include the Antinori estates of Badia a Passignano and Santa Cristina, the latter being the source of Tignanello. Other reputable producers are: Castel Ruggero (Riserva), Le Corti (Don Tommaso), Machiavelli (Riserva Vigna di Fontalle), Melini (La Selvanella), Ormanni (Riserva), Il Poggiolino (Riserva), Poggio al Sole (Casasilia), Poggiopiano and Vitiano.
Grape varieties: Sangiovese, 80-100%; other local red
varieties, up to 20%.
Types: Classico
DOCG & Superiore, Red, Dry, Aged 11 months
Riserva Red, Dry, Aged 24 months
Aging Characteristics: Wines labeled as Riserva are usually suited to long aging. Regular/Superiore Chianti is usually suited to moderate aging.
Vintage Chart:
2000 good year
1999 excellent year
1998 medium year
1997 excellent year
1996 medium year
1995 good year
1994 excellent year
1993 good year
1992 poor year
1991 medium year
1990 excellent year
1989 poor year
1988 excellent year
1987 medium year
1986 good year
1985 excellent year
1984 poor year
1983 excellent year
1982 good year
Chianti DOCG Best Producers:
Barberino Val d'Elsa
Casa Emma (Riserva)
Casa Sola (Riserva)
Le Filigare (Riserva)
Isole e Olena
Castello di Monsanto
Castello della Paneretta (Riserva)
Castellina in Chianti
La Brancaia
Bibbiano (Riserva Vigna del Capannino)
Castellare
Cecchi (Teuzzo)
Cispiano (Riserva)
Casina di Cornia
Castello di Fonterutoli
Castello La Leccia
Castello di Lilliano (Riserva)
Nittardi (Riserva)
Rocca delle Mace
Rodano (Riserva)
San Fabiano Calcinaia (Riserva)
San Leonino (Riserva)
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Aiola (Riserva)
Borgo Scopeto (Riserva)
Castello di Bossi (Riserva Berardo)
Castell'in Villa
Dievole (Riserva)
Felsina
Petroio (Riserva)
Poggio Bonelli (Riserva)
San Felice
Gaiole in Chianti
Castello di Ama
Badia a Coltibuono
Castello di Brolio
Castello di Cacchiano (Riserva Millennio)
Castello di Meleto (Riserva)
Montiverdi (Riserva)
Il Palazzino (Grosso Sanese)
Riecine
Rietine (Riserva)
Rocca di Castagnoli (Riserva Capraia)
(Riserva
Poggio a' Frati)
Rocca di Montegrossi
San Giusto a Rentennano
Castello di San Polo in Rosso (Riserva)
San Vincenti (Riserva)
Valtellina
Villa Vistarenni
Greve in Chianti
Carpineto (Riserva)
Nozzole (Ruffino)
Poggio Scalette
Castello di Querceto, (ranked # 75 in the 2003 “Top
100 Wines” by Wine Spectator)
Querciabella
Riseccoli
Savignola Paolina (Riserva)
Vecchie Terre di Montefili
Castello di Verrazzano
Castello Vicchiomaggio (Riserva Petri)
(Riserva
La Prima)
Vignamaggio (Riserva Monna Lisa)
Viticcio (Riserva)
Panzano
Le Bocce (Riserva)
Carobbio (Riserva)
Casaloste (Riserva)
Cennatoio
Le Cinciole (Riserva Valle del Pozzo)
(Riserva
Vecchie Vigne)
Le Fonti (Riserva)
Fontodi
La Massa
Le Masse di San Leolino (Riserva)
Monte Bernardi
Castello dei Rampolla
Vignole (Riserva)
Villa Cafaggio
Radda in Chianti
Castello di Albola (Zonin)
Capaccia (Riserva)
Montevertine
Poggerino
Pruneto (Riserva)
Terrabianca
Castello di Volpaia (ranked # 90 in the 2003 “Top
100 Wines” by Wine Spectator)
THE SUPER TUSCANS
Italy's wine revolution that began in the 1970s transformed the quality of Tuscan wines. The progress in viticulture and winemaking that was being made in Bordeaux, California and Australia couldn't be fully embraced within the parameters of the country's restrictive legislation. The response, led by Piero Antinori (of Antinori) was to craft wines of international class using international varieties as well as Sangiovese. Old large oak casks were replaced with French barriques but the new wines could only be labeled as humble vino da tavola.
While Sassicaia was the initial
inspiration, it was Tignanello, based on Sangiovese and produced within
the Chianti Classico boundaries, which opened the minds of many Tuscan
producers to a new future. The surge in consumer interest that followed
fuelled an explosion of new wines outside the DOC laws.
The term super-Tuscan came into common usage in the 1980s to describe
what had often become an estate's premium offering. Belated legislation
only came into force in the 1990s in an attempt to bring these wines
back into the fold. A few, such as the highly respected Fonterutoli,
will take up existing DOC/DOCGs but most have so far simply adopted
the most general of the new IGT categories, namely Toscana. The situation
for consumers remains more confused in the short term because many examples
in the marketplace are still labeled vino da tavola. The plethora of
names, too, can still be overwhelming but the producers themselves are
now as well or better known than the various “nomi da fantasia”.
Wine Styles
Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon are the basis for most super-Tuscans, most often one making up the balance with the other. Both also appear varietally, those of Sangiovese forming the largest group of top quality super-Tuscans.
To some Sangiovese-based wines, a small percentage of other native varieties such as Colorino, Canaiolo or Malvasia Nera are added.
Merlot has long been used as the complement to Cabernet in the Bordeaux mould but more recently has been combined with Sangiovese in exactly the same way as in a number of top Chianti Classico, such as Castello di Ama's La Casuccia.
Syrah is of growing importance, mostly varietally, but also in innovative new blends such as Argiano's Solengo.
As well as being of diverse composition, the wines also show considerable differences in vinification and aging. Maceration times, the percentage of new or used oak used and the length of aging are only the more obvious variables. Quality has improved as these techniques have been adapted and refined for specific permutations of fruit and site.
The very best, in common with the top Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino are invariably based on ripe concentrated grapes from a site with special attributes.
Best Producers
Sangiovese
and other Tuscan varieties |
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| Altesino Badia a Coltibuono Biondi-Santi Boscarelli Castello di Brolio Castellare Felsina Fontodi Isole e Olena Castello di Monsanto Montevertine Fattoria Petrolo |
Palazzo Altesi Sangioveto Sassoalloro Boscarelli Casalferro I Sodi di San Niccol Fontalloro Flaccianello Cepparello Fabrizio Bianchi Le Pergole Torte Il Sodaccio Torrione Altero Il Carbonaione Rosso di Sera Elegia La Corte La Gioia Geremia Percarlo Vigna al Cavaliere Coltassala Anfiteatro |
Sangiovese-Cabernet-Sauvignon
blends |
|
| Altesino Antinori Avignonesi Basciano Castello di Volpaia San Felice |
Alte d'Altesi Tignanello Grifi Il Corto I Pini Balifico Gagliole Nardo Avvoltore) Fili di Seta Promis Il Querciolaia Camartina Cabreo Il Borgo Vigorello A Sirio Convivio San Martino |
Cabernet
Sauvignon-Sangiovese blends |
|
| Antinori Castello dei Rampolla Ghizzano Vecchie Terre di Montefili Villa Cafaggio |
Solaia Sammarco Veneroso Bruno di Rocca Cortaccio |
Cabernet
Sauvignon |
|
| Altesin Carpineto Col d'Orcia Isole e Olena Poliziano Castello dei Rampolla Ruffino Sassacaia |
Borgo d'Altesi Farnito Olmaia Collezione dei Marchi Le Stanze Vigna d'Alceo Nozzole Il Pareto |
Sangiovese-Merlot
blends |
|
| Fonterutoli Castelgiocondo |
Siepi Luce |
Merlot |
|
| Avignonesi Casa Emma Castelgiocondo Castello di Ama Ghizzano Le Macchiole Ornellaia Fattoria Petrolo Rietine Tua Rita |
Toro Desiderio Soloio Lamaione Vigna L'Apparita Nambrot Messorio Masseto Galatrona Tiziano Redigraffi |
Cabernet
Sauvignon-Merlot blends |
|
| Banfi Buonamico Capezzana Felsina Guado del Re Ornellaia Le Pupille Castello di Querceto Terriccio Tua Rita |
Excelsus Il Fortino Ghiaie della Furba Maestro Raro Federico Primo Ornellaia Saffredi Cignale Lupicaia Tassinaia Giusto di Notri |
Syrah |
|
| Tenementi d'Alessandro Fontodi Isole e Olena Le Macchiole |
Podere Il Bosco Case Via L'Eremo Scrio |
Other
blended reds |
|
| Argiano Banfi Buonamico Dei Il Vivaio |
Solengo Summus Rosso di Cerratoia Sancta Catherina San Donnino |
SASSICAIA
This Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend from Tenuta San Guido near the Tuscan coast has perhaps done more than any other wine to gain credibility abroad for Italy.
Cabernet Grapes: Pure
Tenuta San Guido
Bolgheri (Livorno)
In the 1920's, while a student in Pisa, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta
dreamed of creating a thoroughbred wine. His ideal was Bordeaux. After
settling with his wife Clarice in Tuscany, at Tenta San Guido on the
Tyrrhenian coast, he experimented with some French varieties and concluded
that Cabernet had "the bouquet I was looking for."
The decision to plant this variety at Tenuta San Guido was in part due
to the similarity he noted between this part of Tuscany and Graves in
Bordeaux. Graves means "gravel," because of the stony ground
characteristic of the area--just like Sassicaia, in Tuscany, an area
with similar characteristics.
Despite the initial promise, the first results were not entirely successful. The wines were complex and needed more time to mature and develop. Between 1948 and 1960, Sassicaia was an entirely private domain, only tasted on the estate itself. The Marquis soon realized that the wine improved enormously with age.
In 1965, he planted two more new
vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc: the first (about
10 hectares) near Podere Sassicaia, and the second (three hectares)
near Podere Aianova. Both are about seven kilometers from the sea at
an altitude of about 80 to 100 meters. Sassicaia was later chosen as
the name for this wine. The 1968 vintage was the first to be marketed
and earned a reception worthy of a Premier Bordeaux Cru.
The wine: Sassicaia Bolgheri DOC 1999, Grapes used: Cabernet Sauvignon
85%, Cabernet Franc 15%, Alcohol: 13.68% vol.
Production Characteristics: the climatic trends for the 1999 vintage can well be defined as "perfect." The harvest took place in the second half of September. Fermentation at controlled temperature in steel vats (Syrah 5/15° C., Sangiovese 15/35° C. and Cabernet Sauvignon 15/25° C.) excepting 35% Cabernet finished in barrels. Malolactic fermentation "in barrique." The wine was refined in wood for 17 to 20 months (12 month separately nine months as a blend). Battling was performed in May 2002.
TIGNANELLO
The wine that broke the mould in Tuscany. Piero Antinori, who took control of his family company in the1960s when Chianti's reputation was rock bottom, admired Bordeaux reds and set out to imitate them, with advice from winemaking guru Emile Peynaud. He employed the previously unheard of practice of aging in small French oak barrels and used Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend with Sangiovese.
The wine had to be labeled as simple vino da tavola, but the quality was superb and Tignanello's success sparked off the Super Tuscan movement outside DOC regulations that has produced many of Italy's most exciting wines. The blend is predominantly Sangiovese (80 per cent) with Cabernet Sauvignon and a dollop of Cabernet Franc. Top vintages are truly great wines; lesser vintages are a little less exciting. Age for five to ten years, best vintages a little longer.
THE DOCG’s OF TUSCANY
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO DOCG
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Famous Tuscan zone south of Siena, traditionally noted for high wine prices and dark, impenetrable flavors from the Sangiovese (known as Brunello) grape grown in dry conditions.
Changes to both vinification and aging practices have resulted in a more modern-styled Brunello from a number of producers. While they are more accessible they still have great depth, tannin and structure, though some may lack the finesse of the best Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina or Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Most need keeping for at least five years with real reward after ten to 15 years. The more affordable Rosso di Montalcino can often be at its best after four or five years.
In a country like Italy, which has been producing wines for about 3,500 years, a Brunello di Montalcino can be considered a modern invention. It is not, in fact, a wine made in homage to local traditions but the result of the studies of a single winemaker, Ferruccio Biondi-Santi. Around 1870, Ferruccio Biondi-Santi began to set out in his vineyards a clone of the Sangiovese variety known as Brunello. The young viticulturist had noted that a sub variety of Sangiovese, referred to, as Grosso to distinguish it from the breed that had originated in the Chianti area and that produced smaller berries, was more resistant to attacks by phylloxera, which was then ravaging the vineyards of the district. In the end, Biondi-Santi completely replanted his vineyards and was soon able to produce an entirely satisfactory wine made from a single variety. Biondi-Santi did not stop there but went on to break with the traditions of the place. At that time, Tuscans generally preferred young red wines, which were softened and rendered more immediately drinkable through the use of the governo process by which a small amount of unfermented must of grapes - allowed earlier to dry (like raisins) for a period of time before being crushed - is added to the fermented wine to give it a tingle. Tastes even ran to fizzy reds. However, the innovative winemaker subjected the wine, as it still is, to a process of fining involving a stay of at least four years in oak casks, completed by a period in the bottle where in time it developed outstanding qualities.
Brunello began to be talked about after 1880. The first great vintage, officially, was the 1888 Brunello, of which five bottles still exist. Their contents are perfectly preserved, a proof of the wine's great powers of longevity. With the passing of the years, it steadily acquires greater fragrance, a more velvety flavor, increased harmony and an odor that is delicate and at the same time quite intense. Those attributes were mentioned by Baron Luigi Ricasoli, a politician and leading Tuscan producer--he laid down the discipline for Chianti--in 1930, after he tasted a Brunello of the 1888 vintage. "Well, I'll never reach this point,’ he said in comparing his own production with the quality and the longevity of the exceptional Brunello. In 1988, Italian President Francesco Cossiga attended the celebration of the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary wine's creation.
Grape varieties: Sangiovese (Brunello), 100%.
Types: DOCG Red,
Dry, Aged 50 months
Riserva
Red, Dry, Aged 62 months
Aging Characteristics: Wines from this appellation are usually suited to long aging.
Wines from Rosso di Montalcino DOC, from the same vineyards as Brunello, are usually suited to moderate aging. Rosso di Montalcino may also be drunk young.
Vintage Chart:
2004 excellent year
2003 medium year
2002 poor year
2001 excellent year
2000 good year
1999 excellent year
1998 good year
1997 excellent year
1996 good year
1995 good year
1994 good year
1993 medium year
1992 poor year
1991 medium year
1990 excellent year
1989 medium year
1988 excellent year
1987 medium year
1986 good year
1985 excellent year
1984 poor year
1983 good year
1982 good year
Best producers:
Altesino
Argiano
Banfi
Barbi
Biondi-Santi
La Campana
Campogiovanni (San Felice)
Canalicchio di Sopra
Capanna
Caparzo
Caprilli
Casanova di Neri
Case Basse (Soldera)
Castelgiocondo (owned by Frescobaldi)
Castello di Camigliano
La Cerbaiola
Cerbaiona
Cerrino
Ciacci Piccolomini
Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Col d'Orcia
Colombaio di Montosoli (Baricci)
Corte Pavone
Eredi Roberto Cosimi-Il Poggiolo
Costanti
La Fuga
La Fortuna
Friggiali
Eredi Fuligni
La Gerla
Gorelli
Greppone Mazzi (Ruffino)
Maurizio Lambardi
Lisini
La Magia, Il Marroneto
Mastrojanni
Mocali
Silvio Nardi
Il Paradiso di Manfredi
Pieve Santa Restituta (owned by Angelo Gaja)
La Poderina
Poggio Antico
Poggio Salvi
Poggio di Sotto
Il Poggione
San Filippo-Fanti
Livio Sassetti-Pertimali
Vasco Sassetti
Franco e Rosildo Pacenti
Siro Pacenti
Scopetone
Tenuta di Sesta
Talenti
La Torre
Valdicava (Vincenzo Abbruzzese)
Val di Suga
CARMIGNANO DOCG
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This marvelous red wine from the Montalbano hills west of Florence, renowned since the 16th century, was revived in the 1960s by Ugo Contini Bonacossi of Capezzana, the area's dominant producer.
Arguing that Cabernet had been planted in Carmignano in the 18th century, he brought back cuttings from Lafite in Bordeaux for his own vineyards. The blend (85 per cent Sangiovese/15 per cent Cabernet) is one of Tuscany's more refined wines and can be very long-lived. Some years ago, the grape growers of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano in the province of Florence decided to give up the Chianti denomination for their wine and to obtain their own designation of Carmignano. The request for the new denomination was approved in 1975 and the revised DOC regulations took effect the same year.
The first citations of a Carmignano wine go back to the 14th century. A document drawn up in 1369 shows that Carmignano cost four times as much as any other wine in commerce in that period. In 1716, Tuscan Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici issued a decree in which he established production standards and controls over sales, to be applied by the Congregazione di Vigilanza, that were intended to prevent fraud. The edict clearly represents the first Italian wine discipline. Two-and-a-half centuries later, the edict's terms were reapplied in setting the boundaries of the new Carmignano and re-establishing the Congregation. The organization has as its object the oversight and promotion of the ancient Carmignano denomination of origin within the area first delimited by the edict of 1716. The statutes of the Congregation, containing 35 articles, place special importance on controls to be applied in planting vines and on quality checks to be made on the grapes at harvest time and the musts and wines in the wineries before bottling.
Carmignano has a DOCG for its red wine, notable as Riserva, though DOC applies to a lighter red, Barco Reale, a rose, called Vin Ruspo and Vin Santo.
Grape varieties: Sangiovese, 50%; Canaiolo nero, 20%; Cabernet franc and/or Cabernet sauvignon, 10-20%; Trebbiano toscano and/or Canaiolo bianco and/or Malvasia del Chianti, up to 10%; other local red varieties, up to 10%.
Types: Red, Dry,
Aged 19 months
Riserva
Red, Dry, Aged 35 months
Best producers:
Ambra (Le Vigne Alte)
Artimino (Riserva Medicea)
Bacchereto
Capezzana (Riserva)
Le Farnete (Riserva)
Il Poggiolo
Iolanda Pratesi
Villa di Trefiano
VERNACCIA DI SAN GEMIGNANO DOCG
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The production zone of Vernaccia di San Gimignano is restricted to the hilly territory of the commune of the same name in Siena province. The history of the community goes back to the Etruscan period and, since the beginning, agriculture has always played an important role in the local economy. Vernaccia di San Gimignano, made from the grape of the same name, is one of the best-known wines in Italy and the world.
Many hypotheses have been advanced
to explain the origin of the word Vernaccia. Some experts have argued
that the name is derived from the Latin word vernaculus, meaning a place
or locale. Others say it is derived from the name of a Ligurian town
in the area of the Cinque Terre, Vernazza. In support of the second
explanation, numerous experts say that the variety originated in Liguria
and was successively introduced into Tuscany at San Gimignano. Vernaccia
di San Gimignano was highly appreciated in the past and among its many
admirers was Pope Martin IV (1281-1285). It appears that the pontiff
was extremely fond of a dish based on eels and Vernaccia. In 1487, Ludovico
il Moro of Milan ordered 200 fiaschi of the wine on the occasion of
the marriage of Isabella, daughter of King Alfonso II of Naples, to
his nephew Gian Galeazzo. One of the leading experts on wines in the
period of the Renaissance, Sante Lancerio, rendered an extremely favorable
judgment on the qualities of the wine. Lancerio, historian of Italian
wine and cellar master to Pope Paul III Farnese, expressed regret that
the town of San Gimignano was not cultivating Vernaccia as devotedly
as it was the arts and sciences.
The long list of significant tributes was crowned in 1966, when the
Vernaccia di San Gimignano was accorded the privilege of being the first
Italian wine to receive a Denominazione di Origine Controllata.
This fame was perhaps justified then when every other Tuscan white wine
was made with Trebbiano, but today, with imports like Chardonnay and
Sauvignon turning out impressive wines, only rarely does it look better
than a decent dry quaffing white for drinking six to 18 months after
the vintage. The legal addition of ten per cent Chardonnay from 1993,
when it became a DOCG, will help. Some of the few really impressive
examples have been delicately oak-aged.
Grape varieties: Vernaccia di San Gimignano 90%; other local white varieties, up to 10%.
Types: White, Dry
Riserva
White, Dry, Aged 12 months
Best producers:
Ambra delle Torri
Baroncini (Riserva Dometaia)
Le Calcinaie
Casale-Falchini
Vincenzo Cesani
Fontaleoni (Vigna Casanuova)
Le Colonne
La Lastra (Riserva)
Melini (Le Grillaie)
Montenidoli (di Carato)
Giovanni Panizzi (Riserva)
Paradiso
Pietrafitta
Pietraserena
San Donato
San Quirico
La Rampa di Fugnano
Signano
Guicciardini Strozzi-Cusona (Perlato)
Teruzzi e Puthod (Terre di Tufi)
Vagnoni (Mocali)
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO DOCG
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Montepulciano stands on a height at the southern extremity of the Chiana Valley in the province of Siena. An ancient legend has it that Montepulciano was founded at the orders of the Etruscan king Porsenna. According to that account, the king quit the town of Chiusi, along with the older community's inhabitants, to settle on the ancient hill of Mont Mercurius, the name of which was later changed to Mons Politicus. From its earliest origins, Montepulciano was linked with wine, as is indicated by a red-figure kylix (wine cup) that was made in the Chiusi area and found in 1868 along with numerous bronze objects in an Etruscan tomb in the vicinity of the Tuscan town. The cup is decorated with the figure of Flufluns, the Etruscan Bacchus or god of wine, who is shown, in company with a maenad, playing cottabos, a game in which drops of wine were flipped at a special target.
There are numerous testimonials to the high reputation the wine of Montepulciano enjoyed throughout history. In the 17th century, Francesco Redi, who excelled not only as a physician and naturalist but also as a poet, hymned the joys and qualities of wine in his poem, “Bacco in Toscana”, which was published in 1685. In the poem, Redi has Bacchus and Ariadne extol the finest wines of Tuscany and the work concludes with the affirmation that "Montepulciano of every wine is king”. The poem enjoyed great success and, passing from court to court, reached the hands of William III, King of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. It is possible that Redi and the fame he procured for Tuscan wines with his writings were responsible for the monarch's preference for those products. That predilection accounted for a visit by an English delegation to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany with the purpose of acquiring Moscadello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for the Court of St. James's.
The noble wine from the hills around the town of Montepulciano is made from the Sangiovese grape, known locally as the Prugnolo, with the help of a little Canaiolo and Mammolo. At its best, it combines the power and structure of Brunello di Montalcino with the finesse and complexity found in the best Chianti Classico. Unfortunately, the best was a rare beast until recently, though the rate of improvement in the past ten years has been impressive.
The introduction of what is essentially a second wine, Rosso di Montepulciano, has improved selection for some. Drink between five and ten years from vintage.
Grape varieties: Sangiovese (Prugnolo gentile), 70% minimum; Canaiolo nero, up to 20%; other local non-aromatic varieties (with the exception of Malvasia del Chianti), up to 20% (white varieties, up to 10%).
Types: Red, Dry,
Aged 26 months
Riserva
Red, Dry, Aged 36 months
Aging Characteristics: Wines from this appellation, in particular if labeled riserva, are usually suited to long aging. They are sometimes suited to moderate aging, as is Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, from the same vineyards as Vino Nobile. Rosso di Montepulciano DOC may also be drunk young.
Vintage Chart:
2000 good year
1999 good year
1998 medium year
1997 excellent year
1996 medium year
1995 good year
1994 medium year
1993 good year
1992 poor year
1991 medium year
1990 excellent year
1989 poor year
1988 excellent year
1987 good year
1986 good year
1985 excellent year
1984 medium year
1983 good year
1982 good year
1981 medium year
Best producers:
Avignonesi
Bindella
Boscarelli
La Braccesca (Antinori)
La Calonica
Canneto
Casale
La Casella (Riserva)
Le Casalte
Del Cerro
Contucci
Il Conventino
Dei
Fassati (Pasiteo, Salarco)
Gracciano della Seta
Vittorio Innocenti
Lodola Nuova (Ruffino)
Antonino Lombardo
Il Macchione
Nottola (Vigna Fattore)
Paterno
Poggio alla Sala
Poliziano
Redi (Briareo)
Romeo
Salcheto
Sant'Agnese
Trerose
Valdipiatta
Villa Sant'Anna
THE DOC’s OF TUSCANNY
ANSONICA COSTA DELL'ARGENTARIO DOC
The Argentario coastline is one of the most beautiful areas of Tuscany, covering in part the territories of the municipalities of Manciano, Orbetello and Capalbio as well as all of Monte Argentario and the Isle of Giglio. But it is also the name of a white wine that has been forever produced on the legendary promontory of Monte Argentario, the hills of the Costa d'Argento, and the Isle of Giglio. Only recently, Ansonica earned its much-deserved D.O.C. appellation. A ride across this beautiful land takes one through a hilly coastline dotted with ancient villages and historical sites: Capalbio with its Etruscan, Roman and medieval ruins; Ansedonia, a modern village built near what was an ancient Roman settlement; Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole with their medieval fortresses; and the Isle of Giglio with its stunning wilderness. The vineyards on both the promontory and the island are carved out of terraces that while making it difficult for the farmer to tend to the grapes provide the best conditions for quality produce. The same quality, however, is also reached at the vineyards along the hilly coast, thus justifying the D.O.C. appellation.
As to the Ansonica grapes, not much is known about their origin. Most people argue that they come from Sicily, but some claim that their roots can be traced back to Normandy. What's sure is that this grape has been grown from times immemorial in Sicily, in Sardinia, on the Isle of Elba and the Argentario, but also that there is no historical evidence of how it reached places that are so distant from one another. In each one of these places, Ansonica took its own course: in Sicily it became the island's third most widely grown grape variety, in Sardinia it has all but disappeared, on the Isle of Elba it is used as table grape, and at Argentario it has been used to produce a wine with such distinctive character - not at all similar to its Sicilian namesake - as to deserve its own specific appellation.
BIANCO DELLA VALDINIEVOLE DOC
In the 15th century, the Valdinievole belonged to the city-state of Lucca and was famous for the excellent quality of its wine, which was as highly regarded as those of the Colle di Montecarlo and the Colline Lucchesi. Pescia, a town between Florence and Pisa that is now noted for the cultivation of flowers, was at that time an important wine market. That market was the destination of wines produced at Pieve a Nievole, Montecatini, Vellano, Medicina, Fibialla, Colleviti, Cozzile, Colle di Buggiano, Stignano and Uzzano. The wine then most highly appreciated and sought after was a product of the Trebbiano variety and it was extensively consumed in Pistoia as well as in Florence. The wine was high regarded for its outstanding characteristics and was one of the favorite beverages of Grand Dukes Francesco II and Leopoldo I, both of whom issued regulations covering the wine's production and sale. Slightly more than a century ago, in 1884, the Bianco della Valdinievole received a gold and a silver medal at the International Exposition of Turin and, the same year, similar awards at the International Show of London.
But the wine's most significant recognition of quality was the granting of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata in 1976. Today, the Bianco della Valdinievole, the production area of which is situated between Montecatini and Pescia, has succeeded in acquiring a place on the foreign as well as the domestic markets and especially those of Switzerland, West Germany and Britain.
BIANCO DELL'EMPOLESE DOC
Bianco dell'Empolese is produced in the Tuscan vineyards of Empoli, Cerreto Guidi, Fucecchio, Vinci, Montelupo Fiorentino, Capraia and Limite, all of which are situated along the River Arno. It is one of the more recent Tuscan D.O.C. whites, although there has always been a long tradition of winemaking in this area. In fact, the wines of Cerreto Guidi, where the Medici built one of their most beautiful villas, and Vinci have been appreciated in Florence for quite a few centuries.
In 1989, the efforts of several small and medium-sized winegrowers, who had been working hard to further improve the quality of their wines, were crowned with an official D.O.C. appellation. The number of winegrowers who choose to follow the strict D.O.C. regulations has been growing steadily ever since that date.
BIANCO DI PITIGLIANO DOC
Pitigliano, an ancient Etruscan town that, quite probably, was originally known as Catetra, is perched on a rocky height in the Maremma district of southern Tuscany. Numerous artifacts of the Etruscan period have been found at Pitigliano but little evidence remains of the long period of Roman domination. Grape growing and winemaking have always been the leading agricultural activities at Pitigliano and the results, from a qualitative standpoint, have invariably been excellent.
The only defect of those wines, at least in ancient times, was their limited longevity, which was due to the general lack of an adequate technology of stabilization.
In the Middle Ages, merchants who stopped off in Pitigliano to acquire provisions of the town's excellent wine often had cause to complain. As long as it was conserved in cellars carved from the volcanic rock below the town, the wine remained fresh and tasty. But, as soon as it was moved to another area, it lost its finesse and began to ferment again. With the introduction of new techniques and the accumulation of experience, problems linked to transportation and conservation of the wine of Pitigliano were resolved. A further indication of the virtues of the wine is provided by the decision of the Jewish community, which has existed in Pitigliano since the 16th century, to treat it as a kosher product, which means that it can be used in religious ceremonies.
BIANCO DI SAN TORP DOC
The Bianco di San Torp production zone consists of the territories of various communes in Pisa province, including Capannori, Terricciola, Chiani, Crespina and Casciana Terme and parts of the areas of Cascina and Pontedera. In addition, it includes part of the communal territory of Collesalvetti in Livorno province. The wine is named for the first Christian martyred in Pisa, of which he, along with San Ranieri, is the patron. Torp, a Roman centurion, was beheaded in the city in the year 68. According to pious legend, the saint's body was transported by boat to the coast of France where the town of Saint Tropez now stands. The head is still preserved in the church in Pisa that bears the martyr's name.
The wine originated long ago. As early as the 1st century, a white wine was being produced in the area between Zambia and Cenaia. According to reports cited by Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti in the Annali Camaldolesi, that output was centered on a settlement known as Curtis San Torpis, which in 780 was presented as a gift to the Abbey of San Savino. The first certain information about the wine produced in this area of Etruscan settlement dates to the 15th century.
In several documents of that period, there are references to the arrival on the Florence market of shipments of Trebbiano of outstanding quality from the Pisan hills. Afterward, when the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was established, production was considerably expanded.
BOLGHERI AND BOLGHERI SASSICAIA DOC
This zone near the coast south of Livorno recently extended its DOC beyond simple white and red to cover red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese in various combinations, while creating a special category for Sassicaia. The DOC Rosso Superiore, which first covered wines from the prestigious estates of Grattamacco, Le Macchiole, Michele Satta and Antinori's Tenuta Belvedere, now also includes the estate wine of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. There are also separate categories for whites based on Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino. Marchese Incisa Della Rochetta of Sassicaia (whose wine effectively created this zone) has lead from the front as President of the Bolgheri Consorzio in order to promote the quality and standing of the zone as a whole.
Bolgheri or "the golden oasis of the Maremma,’ as it has been described, is a center with a long agricultural tradition. Dedicated since the beginning to the growing of grapes, Bolgheri was in ancient times an extremely wealthy community. The castle and town were destroyed in 1393 but reconstructed in succeeding centuries. However, it was only in the 18th century that, thanks primarily to the impulse provided by Count Gherardesca, the founder of the modern town, Bolgheri recovered its earlier prosperity. The Longobard-Tuscan House of Gherardesca applied policies that encouraged the economic development of the district. The fertility of the land was improved and production increased. Bolgheri became an extremely important agricultural center and viticulture expanded considerably.
Historical documents concerning the production zone mention "light red wines and whites" and cite precise sensory characteristics that have been maintained intact to the present day. They are wines that the noble families of Tuscany rediscovered and improved, breathing new life into the area's traditional production of light wines.
CANDIA DEI COLLI APUANI DOC
The Candia dei Colli Apuani production zone extends over the slopes of the hills of the territory of Massa and Carrara. Viticulture has been practiced in the district since the earliest times and agriculture in general has always represented an important economic resource for the community. The Bulletin of the Agricultural Commission of Massa, published in 1874, observes that "the cultivation of vines has flourished in our commune since ancient times". In addition, Repetti, in describing the products of the Massa hills in his Dizionario, published in 1832, refers to "the vines set out on terraces" and, in discussing Carrara, reports that "olives and vines flourish in the area and constitute the territory's major agricultural resource".
The origins of the Candia dei Colli Apuani, which was highly appreciated by Paolo Ferrari, a political leader of the Duchy of Modena, to which Massa once belonged, and poet Giovanni Pascoli, who taught at the city's classical high school, are extremely ancient. The 1874 Bulletin published the first information concerning the wine's vinification and the varieties used in making it. From that report, it is clear that the largest percentage was supplied by the Vermentino variety.
The Candia denomination began to
be applied to the area's wine about a century ago. The name was that
of a small area on the slopes of Monte Oliviero, which was anciently
described as a "free" zone.
CAPALBIO DOC
The Capalbio D.O.C. appellation is applicable to wines produced in the hilly territories in the south of the province of Grosseto, in Tuscany - an area bordering on the Natural Reserve of the Maremma and embracing the municipalities of Magliano, Capalbio, Orbetello and Marciano. The presence here of two other D.O.C. wines, Parrina and Ansonica Costa dell'Argentario, testify to the ancient winegrowing traditions of this land. After all, there is plenty of historical evidence that the ancients used to export the wine produced in this area to far away lands using the ancient Roman port of Cosa. In the Middle Ages too, as well as in the 17th century, the wines produced here were regularly exported.
Capalbio D.O.C. applies to both red and white grapes produced in the vineyards of the rolling, sun-drenched hills just beyond the typically Mediterranean maquis (bush land) of the coastline. Thanks to a rich array of alternatives, the otherwise strict regulation for the production of Capalbio D.O.C. wines has encouraged the winemakers to constantly strive to improve their wines.
CARMIGNANO AND BARCO REALE DI CARMIGNANO DOC
Established in 1994, this is one of the most recent D.O.C. appellations in Tuscany. It belongs to those appellations that are called "a cascata", or cascade style, where from a single grape variety it is possible to obtain a number of different wines. This method has already been successfully experimented in other D.O.C.G. areas. Carmignano, whose red has already secured a place among superior wines, deserved to see its other wines launched too. It is interesting to note that a D.O.C.G. wine, Chianti Montalbano, is also produced in this same area. The hills of Carmignano, dear to the House of Medici, comprise Barco Reale, a vast territory that was once a hunting reserve. Today, Barco Reale is the name of a fine wine produced with Carmignano grapes. Very fine Vin Santo and rose' wines, once known here as Vin Ruspo, also have a place in the local winemaking tradition.
These wines are produced in an area that covers the municipal territories of Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano, at an altitude of no more than 133 feet above sea level. The terrain here is marly, schistose and clayey.
COLLI DELL'ETRURIA CENTRALE DOC
Colli dell'Etruria Centrale D.O.C. was established in 1990 in order to make up for the passage of the Chianti from D.O.C. to D.O.C.G. - a passage that generally claims a tighter selection in compliance with even a higher quality standard. In other words, the D.O.C.G. appellation for the Chianti meant that some very good wines could no longer be called by that name and needed a new, qualifying appellation.
Colli dell'Etruria Centrale D.O.C. is produced in the same area where Chianti D.O.C.G. is made, and includes a variety of red, rose and white wines, as well as a Novello, a Vin Santo and the Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.
This new appellation allows the makers of the Chianti to carry out a selection both during the harvest and in the cellar, and to use a D.O.C. label for wines that would otherwise have had to be pigeonholed as vin de table. In this sense, Colli dell'Etruria Centrale D.O.C. represents a useful alternative for the wines produced in the Chianti area.
COLLI DI LUNI DOC (wine zone shared with Liguria)
This is Tuscany's northernmost D.O.C. appellation, and the southernmost in Liguria. Colli di Luni D.O.C. in fact covers an area that is equally divided between the two adjacent regions and includes the Tuscan municipalities of Fosdinovo, Aulla and Podenzana and fourteen municipalities in Liguria. Vermentino is the name of one of the local grape varieties grown in this hilly area near the Tyrrhenian Sea. According to Pliny the Elder, the wines produced in this area, the Val di Magra, were well known in antiquity. Napoleon's invading army and the wine merchants of Genoa also knew and appreciated the wines of Luni.
The current D.O.C. appellation is a token of recognition of the old winemaking traditions of this land, as well as of the efforts of its winegrowers in recent years. The appellation includes two whites, one of which made exclusively with Vermentino grapes, and a red.
COLLI LUCCHESI DOC
The attractive hilly landscape surrounding the appealing city of Lucca seems to have been destined since the beginning to the cultivation of the vine. Viticulture has, in fact, been practiced in the district since the era of the Etruscans. Grape growing was considerably intensified as a consequence of the area's subsequent occupation by the Liguri, who, as is widely known, had acquired considerable experience in the cultivation of vines.
By the time the Romans reached the zone, agriculture had already attained advanced levels and provided the foundation for substantial economic growth. The prosperity of this agricultural area and the widespread practice of viticulture in ancient times are indicated in numerous documents dating from periods before the year 1000. According to those records, the slopes of the hills to the north of Lucca were covered with vineyards as early as the 9th century.
According to some of those documents, a total of 168,300 barrels of "clear, vermilion, pure and frank" wine were shipped from Lucca in 1334 and most of that amount came from the surrounding hills. The quality of the wine was greatly appreciated by leading figures in the country's history. Among them, Pope Paul III Farnese, who reigned from 1534 to 1549, developed a great affection for the wines made in the vicinity during a visit to Lucca.
CORTONA DOC
Cortona, an ancient Etruscan town, has several historical and archeological sites of great interest and a fantastic Etruscan Museum. American writer Frances Mayes has sung Cortona's praises in her books "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy" and "Bella Tuscany", drawing international attention to this Tuscan hill town. Cortona's contributions to art history include, among others, the paintings of Beato Angelico in its many churches and in the Diocesan Museum, and Francesco di Giorgio Martini's splendid Renaissance church of Madonna del Calcinaio. Cortona was also the birthplace of 17th century architect and painter Pietro da Cortona. Cortona today hosts the Scuola Normale di Pisa and the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art.
As to its winemaking tradition, that too goes back to the Etruscans, although today the grape varieties grown at Cortona are mostly foreign: Cabernet, Merlot, Gamay, Pinot and Chardonnay. After all, neither the invasion of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by Napoleon's army nor the xenophile tendencies of the Tuscans at the time should be underestimated! Early 20th-century photographs show the existence of some very dense vineyards (7,000 grapevines per hectare), such as the vineyard of Vigna del Melone, in the vicinity of Cortona, at a place where the town of Camucia stands today.
Cortona D.O.C. was established in 1999 thanks to the efforts of Cortona's best winegrowers, who helped single out homogenous wine production techniques, as well as the characteristics of the area's soil and its microclimate. Cortona D.O.C. covers the municipal territories of Cortona situated at an altitude of at least 850 feet above sea level.
ELBA DOC
Viticulture has been practiced on the island of Elba since the period of Etruscan domination.
Archaeologists' discoveries of a large number of artifacts of the Roman period, many of which were used in the preservation or transportation of wine, indicate that wine represented an important commodity on the island in that period.
Pliny the Elder was justified, therefore, in describing Elba as “insula vini ferax” or an island fecund in wine. Afterward, in the Middle Ages, the island's wine was widely known and appreciated and it was shipped to all parts of Tuscany. Once it reached Pisa, the wine was transshipped to all major towns in the region. Part of the reason for the demand was its reasonable price, which was close to those of Trebbiano and Valdarno, the most highly appreciated Tuscan white wines of the time.
In 1595, Ferdinando I de' Medici issued numerous regulations that were intended to protect vineyards from being damaged by cattle. Later, Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo of Lorraine regulated the sale of wine at Portoferraio, the island's capital. And, later still, Napoleon Bonaparte, following his return to Paris from enforced residence on the island, remarked that "the inhabitants of Elba are strong and healthy because the wine of their island gives them strength and good health".
In the 19th and 20th centuries, viticulture represented a major resource for the local economy. Pullé, in his Monografia Agraria, observed that, "among all the agricultural activities pursued on the island, the cultivation of vineyards is of the greatest importance...being practiced on a quarter of Elba's total surface and yielding alone much more than all the other contributing crops together”.
MONTECARLO DOC
Montecarlo is situated at the base of an ancient fortress occupying the summit of the ridge separating the Valley of the Nievole from the Plain of Lucca. The community was a redoubt of the Ghibellines in their perpetual struggle with Florence and the other Gulf communities. Although the town was founded for warlike purposes, it is an oasis of tranquility, with vast expanses of vineyards and olive orchards extending outward from the town as far as the eye can see. Those vineyards are the source of Montecarlo wine.
The wine originated in the Roman period and its fine quality was cited in documents drawn up in the centuries preceding the year 1000. The vinicultural industry was already flourishing before the period of the communes and the wines of Montecarlo were the most expensive of the region.
At Florence, the principal consumer of the town's output, Montecarlo cost more than the Trebbianos, the whites of the Chianti area and the wines of the Greve Valley. In the 15th century, the wine was highly appreciated by Pope Paul III Farnese, according to a document written by his cellar master. The wine had already pleased the palate of a preceding pontiff, Gregory XII, who visited the area in 1408. A member of the pope's train, Cardinal Giovanni Dominici di San Sisto of Ragusa, enjoyed the reputation of being a fine connoisseur and devoted consumer of wine. During the visit, the cardinal so much appreciated the wine that was served to him in large quantity that he forgot his Episcopal ring, leaving it behind on the banquet table.
The wine of Montecarlo remains true to its history since it is generally considered one of the enological treasures of Tuscany.
MONTESCUDAIO DOC
Montescudaio is one of the numerous medieval villages that dot the Valley of the Cecina, which is dominated by the ancient Etruscan city of Volterra. In this area, as elsewhere, it was the Etruscans who first instituted the cultivation of vines. Over the succeeding centuries, the activity has steadily expanded so that it now represents a factor of considerable importance in the local economy. A major contribution to the development of viticulture in the district was provided by Count Gherardo della Gherardesca, who assigned to the Benedictine nuns of the Monastery of Santa Maria in Montescudaio vast tracts of land that included numerous parcels planted in vines and olives. It appears that the establishment's abbess, a daughter of the count, dedicated herself with great enthusiasm to the cultivation of the vines in obedience to the Benedictine rule of ora et labora (pray and work).
There is not much historical evidence as to the development of local viticulture in succeeding years. However, it is clear that the wine of Montescudaio soon began to acquire a certain reputation, primarily through the efforts of a merchant, Niccolò Taddei, who toward the middle of the 19th century succeeded in placing it on the markets of various communities. In 1887, that wine received its first significant recognition at a national enological competition in Rome, in which it won a silver medal.
MORELLINO DI SCANSANO DOC
Morellino is the local name for Sangiovese in Scansano, a small town in the southern Maremma (south-west Tuscany). The excellent quality of the wines of Scansano was a matter of common knowledge more than a century ago. Giacomo Barabino, in his report on the development of agriculture, industry and commerce published in 1884, observed that "the wines of Magliano, Pereta and Scansano are superb and in some places the wine attains truly exceptional levels of quality". The outstanding geological and climatic conditions found in the area have strongly favored the development of a flourishing vitivinicultural tradition.
As early as the Middle Ages, the feudal governors of the district recognized the necessity of devoting suitable terrains to the cultivation of vines and assuring their success by subjecting the activity to appropriate regulations. The Statutes of Scansano establish a fine of two carlini to be imposed on anyone whose farm animals damaged a vineyard. According to official reports for the year 1812, 5,540 hectoliters of wine were produced at Scansano and of that total a large share was classified as of superior quality.
In recent decades, the growing of grapes and making of wine have become increasingly specialized and refined in the area.
That effort of improvement was crowned in 1978 with the issuance of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which sanctioned in a definitive way the physical-chemical characteristics and sensory virtues of the Morellino di Scansano wine. The red has an attractive chunky character, but rarely the finesse found further north in Chianti Classico. The Riservas can age well for five to seven years. Often of at least equal standing are various super-Tuscans produced by the best estates. The Cabernet-based Saffredi from Le Pupille and Sangiovese/Cabernet Avvoltore made by Moris Farms are just two good examples.
Best producers:
Acquaviva
Erik Banti
Il Boschetto
I Botri
Il Macereto
Le Pupille
Mantellassi
Moris Farms (Riserva)
Morellino di Scansano co-op
Motta
Provveditore
Sellari Franceschini
Villa Patricia
MOSCADELLA DI MONTALCINO DOC
The Moscadella grape has been grown at Montalcino since the Renaissance. And it appears that the area's "salty" air--the sea is not far away--permitted the production of a variety of Moscadella grape that was more widely and highly appreciated than any other, including the then-famous output of Villa Teglia (Villa Taggia) on the Ligurian Riviera. Sante Lancerio, the historian of Italian wine and cellar master to Pope Paul III, was quite interested in a "Moscadello of a golden color that is not too sweet but sweetish" and with the flavor of quince but without its bitterness. In short, the wine was particularly soft and delicate. That product has now been identified as the Moscadello di Montalcino, which was enthusiastically praised by poet Francesco Redi in his Dithyramb.
The greater part of the vineyards of Moscadella grapes were destroyed by phylloxera and were not replaced until the last couple of decades when Moscato Bianco vines, consisting primarily of the Piedmontese variety, were set out in vast numbers. The effort has brought the Moscadello di Montalcino back to life. The wine made from that variety's grapes should be consumed within a year of the harvest, especially if it is produced according to the style of the ancient Moscadello as a sweet and lightly fizzy beverage.
MONTECUCCO DOC
Montecucco D.O.C. covers the territories of a number of municipalities in the province of Grosseto, including Cinigiano, Civitella Paganico, Campagnatico, Castel del Piano, Roccalbenga, Arcidosso and Seggiano. Seen from a bird's-eye view, it looks as if Montecucco vineyards were laying siege from the south to the area where the celebrated Brunello di Montalcino is produced. This vicinity has had a positive effect on the development of winemaking traditions and techniques in the Montecucco area. In the past few years, the production techniques here have constantly improved thanks to the introduction of the Montecucco D.O.C. appellation. The result is a number of fine wines, especially reds that have managed to win the hearts of connoisseurs. The D.O.C. regulations here reflect the attitude of Montecucco winegrowers: they are very strict and put great weight on the use of traditional grape varieties and vinification methods, allowing no room for trendy experimentations and shortcuts of sorts.
MONTEREGIO DI MASSA MARITTIMA DOC
In the north of the province of Grosseto, in an area that goes from the city of Grosseto all the way up to the Alta Maremma, there has developed a winemaking tradition that is closely linked to the history of Massa Marittima and the medieval villages that crown the hilltops of this rugged land. Monteregio di Massa Marittima D.O.C. covers the entire territories of Massa Marittima and Monterotondo Marittimo and parts of Roccastrada, Gavorrano, Castiglione della Pescaia, Scarlino and Follonica.
Nine different varieties of wines are produced under this appellation in this hilly land - an appellation that valorizes a series of vine varieties that have been part of Grosseto's winemaking history since times immemorial. Special attention is due to Vermentino, a white wine of distinctive character, and to two types of Vin Santo, one white and one red. The red Vin Santo is also known as Occhio di Pernice. It is a full-bodied and intense wine.
ORCIA DOC
Two of Tuscany's D.O.C.G. wines - Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - are separated by a strip of land where the River Orcia flows. Here the vineyards are not interrupted nor are the grapevines or winegrowing techniques modified.
Crushed by the fame of the noble
wines produced in neighboring areas, the vintners here decided, after
years of neglect, to improve their methods of cultivation and vinification
in order to assert the qualities of their wines. Their efforts have
finally been crowned with a brand new appellation, Orcia D.O.C., established
in March 2000. It includes a white made with Trebbiano grapes; a red
made with Sangiovese, and a traditional Vin Santo, aged in small barrels
for three years.
PARRINA DOC
Parrina, a small area in the Tuscan Maremma with an ancient grape-growing and winemaking tradition, extends from Albina to Ansedonia and on to the Argentario peninsula. The area is bounded in part by the river Albegna. The name is derived from the Spanish word parra, which means vine and pergola. The area was first called by that name in the 17th century by a group of pirates of Spanish origin, who settled in the district. That etymology has been contested, however, by those who argue that the name of the area is derived from that of a group of friars, Parrini, who established their monastery in the territory around the 12th century.
The wines of Parrina have had many admirers, including enologist Arturo Marescalchi, who described its vineyards, along with others in the Argentario zone, as among the finest in Tuscany. In recent decades, vitiviniculture has received a substantial boost through expansion of the vineyards and the introduction of new techniques of cultivation.
Those efforts have resulted in a steady rise in the level of the wine's quality, an improvement recognized by the granting of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata in 1971.
POMINO DOC
This small zone, east of Florence in the hills above Chianti Rufina, is noted for its historical use of French varieties in both the red (where Merlot and Cabernet are blended with Sangiovese) and the white (where, unusually, the Trebbiano plays a supporting role to that of Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay). Pomino is a relatively small zone but size has had no influence on the excellent quality and reputation of its wines.
Pomino was counted among the four major districts in Tuscany capable of producing premium wine in a decree issued in 1716 by the Grand Duke. And the document included a disciplinary code for the protection of the wine's quality. Scientist and writer Francesco Redi observed that "the Pomino district has become famous in Tuscan enology for the exquisite quality of the wines obtained from the grapes grown on its limestone slopes. And it is there that the Albizi and the bishops of Florence have maintained estates since times quite remote". It was precisely in that period that the Albizi family played a major role in establishing the reputation of the area's wines. In the 16th century, some members of that Florentine family were exiled because of a fierce political dispute and took refuge in Provence. In the 19th century, their descendants returned to Florence and resumed possession of their lands. Acting on the basis of their experience in French viticulture, they introduced some noble varieties, including Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as enological techniques that had been developed in France. Giuseppe Cusmano placed the wines of Pomino on his list of the finest products of Tuscany in his dictionary of viticulture and enology, published in 1889. Frescobaldi's Pomino Benefizio (a barrique-fermented Chardonnay) was a trendsetter. Both reds and whites are age-worthy: reds need at least five years' aging.
Best producers:
Frescobaldi
Petrognano (Selvapiana)
ROSSO DI MONTALCINO DOC
Built on a ridge of more than 500 meters, Montalcino dominates the valleys of the Orcia, Arbia and Ombrone. Already inhabited in the Etruscan and Roman periods, the town is enclosed by walls with six gates and 19 towers, most of which are still visible. The fortress erected in the 14th century to protect the town is still entirely intact.
In addition to its rich and eventful past, Montalcino features, within its walls, a large number of architectural gems, including the city hall, which was the ancient headquarters of the Priors, the cathedral and the Civic and Archaeological Museums. The most outstanding monument, however, is the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, which stands isolated in the countryside some kilometers from the town. Accustomed for ages to working in forests and fields, the people of the place can boast of ancestral feats of courage and determination in the struggle for communal liberty in the 16th century, when the town resisted a protracted siege by French and Spanish forces.
However, Montalcino is not known solely for its history or for its accomplishments in the arts. It is also famous for its wines. Already appreciated in past centuries, its enological production remains faithful to the canons of Tuscan tradition. Yet it was only toward the end of the last century that the first experiments were undertaken to improve and develop the characteristics of a raw material and an environment that are quite special. That effort led to the creation of Brunello. Still, Brunello is not Montalcino's sole entry in the field of premium wines. Previously appreciated and widely known under various denominations, the Rosso di Montalcino acquired a precise identity and official recognition with the issuance of the Denominazione di Origine Controllata in 1983. The community can now boast of having three denominations of origin: Brunello, which requires extended aging; Rosso di Montalcino, the little brother of Brunello, a younger wine that combines a special vivacity and freshness with a superb structure, and the Moscadello di Montalcino, which is sweetish and fizzy. Brunello loses this exuberance through its longer cask aging. Rosso is like a Chianti with oomph. Drink with four or five years' age, though the likes of Costanti will be better nearer ten.
Best producers:
Altesino
Argiano
Banfi
Barbi
La Campana
Canalicchio di Sopra
Caparzo
Casanova di Neri
Castelgiocondo (Frescobaldi)
La Cerbaiola
Ciacci Piccolomini
Col d'Orcia
Costanti
Due Portine-Gorelli
Fanti-La Palazzetta
La Fortuna
Friggiali
Fuligni
La Gerla
Maurizio Lambardi
Lisini
Mastrojanni
Mocali
Silvio Nardi
Siro Pacenti
Agostina Pieri
Poggio Antico
Il Poggiolo (Sassello)
Il Poggione
San Filippo
Livio Sassetti-Pertimali
Talenti
La Torre
Uccelliera
Valdicava (Abbruzzese)
Val di Suga.
ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC
Montepulciano stands on a height at the southern extremity of the Chiana Valley in the province of Siena. An ancient legend has it that Montepulciano was founded at the orders of the Etruscan king Porsenna. According to that account, the king quit the town of Chiusi, along with the older community's inhabitants, to settle on the ancient hill of Mons Mercurius, the name of which was later changed to Mons Politicus. From its earliest origins, Montepulciano was linked with wine, as is indicated by a red-figure kylix (wine cup) that was made in the Chiusi area and found in 1868 along with numerous bronze objects in an Etruscan tomb in the vicinity of the Tuscan town. The cup is decorated with the figure of Flufluns, the Etruscan Bacchus or god of wine, who is shown, in company with a maenad, playing cottabos, a game in which drops of wine were flipped at a special target. There are numerous testimonials to the high reputation the wine of Montepulciano enjoyed throughout history.
In the 17th century, Francesco Redi, who excelled not only as a physician and naturalist but also as a poet, hymned the joys and qualities of the wine in his poem, Bacco in Toscana, which was published in 1685. In the poem, Redi has Bacchus and Ariadne extol the finest wines of Tuscany and the work concludes with the affirmation that "Montepulciano of every wine is king".
The Rosso di Montepulciano DOC was established quite recently (1989) and complements that of the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, from which it is distinguished only in terms of yield per hectare, alcohol level and aging. The production area is exactly the same. The discipline gives individual producers the right to choose one of the two DOCs, depending upon the exposure of his terrains, the climatic situation during the growing season and all the other elements that render the grapes more adapted to the production of one wine rather than the other. Some producers turn out a fresh, jammy, rather innocuous style, while the best producers give the drinker a mouthful of plumy, chocolaty flavors that is pure delight. Drink within three to four years of vintage.
Best producers:
La Braccesca (Antinori)
Buracchi
Le Casalte
Del Cerro
Contucci
Il Conventino
Dei
Fassati
Gracciano
Della Seta
Antonio Lombardo
Il Macchione
Nottola
Poliziano
Massimo Romeo
Valdipiatta
SAN GIMINIANO DOC
The municipal territory of San Gimignano, in Tuscany, is home to both Vernaccia di San Gimignano D.O.C.G. and San Gimignano D.O.C. wines. The latter is a rather recent appellation that was officially approved in August 1996. San Gimignano, with its geological and climatic characteristics and the skills of its vintners, has a great winemaking vocation. Moreover, great attention is paid to environmental and ecological aspects: several winegrowers apply organic methods that both respect nature and guarantee wholesome products. Winegrowing is the most important economic activity at San Gimignano and contributes greatly to its rate of employment.
The wines of San Gimignano are rich in history and cultural heritage. There exists very old historical evidence of the area's red wine, once called Vino Nero by the local farmers, and its Vin Santo. San Gimignano wines must be produced exclusively with grapes from vineyards situated inside the hilly municipal territory at an altitude of at least 1,700 feet above sea level.
SANT'ANTIMO DOC
This D.O.C. has borrowed its name from the Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo, one of the monumental symbols of Montalcino, in Tuscany.
Built in the 12th century at the foot of a hill called Castelnuovo dell'Abate, the abbey sits in mystic solitude in a valley surrounded by nothing else but vineyards, olive groves and cypresses. With the only exception of a small area to the northeast, the Sant'Antimo D.O.C. covers exactly the same territory as Montalcino's famed Brunello, Rosso, and Moscadello wines. The appellation has had a dual effect: it has helped establish those local wines that didn't fit the bill for Montalcino's better-known reds and it has allowed the winemakers to experiment without modifying those age-old techniques that are behind the production of the area's finest wines. In order to make this possible, the D.O.C. regulation for Sant'Antimo leaves ample room for wines obtained from the so-called international grape varieties, which year after year prove to be capable of adapting to this extraordinary territory.
SOVANA DOC
The Sovana D.O.C. appellation has finally rendered justice to the red wines produced in the same area where the famed Bianco di Pitigliano is made. Reds have been produced since Etruscan times in this area, which boasts perhaps the most beautiful nature in all of Tuscany and is known for the Vie Cave (Etruscan excavated roads that lead to the ancient village of Sovana, where Pope Gregory VII was born in 1025) and the ancient cellars dug into the tuff underneath the villages of Pitigliano and Sorano.
Sovana D.O.C. covers local red grapes, such as Sangiovese and Aleatico, as well as imported grapevines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. History and quality, therefore, constitute the main ingredients of this new appellation that, availing itself of state-of-the-art technologies and traditional methods alike, will in a short time make a well-deserved name for itself. Sovana D.O.C. is produced in the municipal territories of Pitigliano and Sorano and parts of Manciano, up to the boundaries of Morellino di Scansano, another D.O.C.
VAL D’ARBIA DOC
Val d'Arbia is a name that holds
a prominent place in Italian history.
For it was in that valley, in September 1260, that the army of Florence
fought one of the bloodiest battles of the Italian Middle Ages with
the forces of Siena. The battle, waged at Montaperti between the Guelfs,
who were masters of Florence, and the Ghibellines, who had been driven
from the city and taken refuge in Siena, was described by Dante Alighieri
in his Divine Comedy. Dante, a Guelf, remarked that "the tormented
battle and the great slaughter dyed the Arbia red". The Ghibellines,
having won the battle, gathered afterward at Empoli and proposed to
destroy Florence. That plan was opposed by Ghibelline Farinata degli
Uberti, who, exercising his authority, saved his home city from destruction.
The area where the costly battle was fought is today a peaceful center
of agriculture that is noted for its production of a premium white wine.
The Bianco della Val d'Arbia is produced in 12 communes in the province of Siena and takes its name from that of the valley that borders and in places extends into the Chianti district. The Denominazione di Origine Controllata was granted quite recently--1986--during a special session of the National Committee for the Defense of the Denominations of Origin of Italian Wines. On that occasion, Professor Mario Fregoni, in discussing the Bianco d'Arbia, predicted that the wine would enjoy great success.
VALDICHIANA DOC
The green plain of the Val di Chiana is located between the basin of Arezzo to the north and the valley of the Paglia river, in the vicinity of the Tiber, to the south. It is traversed by the highway linking Florence and Rome and by numerous small streams. It was once known as an "unhealthy swamp’ and the area's inhabitants resided in villages on the slopes of the surrounding hills.
Today, it is a flourishing valley where a wide variety of crops are grown. There are many fine vineyards, which are the source of an extremely pleasant and delicate white wine, the Bianco Vergine della Val di Chiana. The wine's production zone includes the territory of 12 communes of the Chiana Valley in the provinces of Arezzo and Siena. The Bianco Vergine Valdichiana, which was already well known in ancient times, was much appreciated for its reputed medicinal qualities. Even today, many people still recommend it for liver and stomach ailments. Although the view that hepatic disturbances should be treated with a wine is disputable at best, the practice is a historical fact. Whatever its alleged medicinal virtues, the wine indisputably offers excellent quality and flavor. It is greenish yellow in color, while its flavor features an almondy background. It should be noted that in the early years of the present century the wine of the Val di Chiana was exported to France in large quantities for the preparation of Champagne. Later, that practice was prohibited by law.
VAL DI CORNIA DOC
A relatively new but large DOC for a fast-rising area in Tuscany's south-western coastal province of Maremma - not far south of the celebrated Bolgheri zone.
From a wide, open valley that runs down to the coast at Piombino a number of new stars are emerging, mostly in a cluster around the sheltered Suvereto. More exciting than the good, but unexceptional, Val di Cornia Bianco, from Trebbiano and Vermentino, or the Rosso, from Sangiovese, are various super-Tuscans. These, likely to be subsumed into one of the new IGT such as Maremma Toscana, are variations on a Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot theme and have invariably undergone a modern vinification and aging in new oak barriques. The outstanding producer is Tua Rita which launched the Val di Cornia renaissance in the early 1990s. If the feature of Bolgheri is elegance, that of Suvereto is depth and intensity.
However, Montepeloso and Gualdo del Re are not far behind and others are still to emerge. Light, uncomplicated Val di Cornia red and white should be drunk young.
Best producers:
Ambrosini
Jacopo Banti
Gualdo del Re (Federico Primo)
Il Falcone
Montepeloso (Nardo)
Muratori
Russo (Barbicone 1999)
Tua Rita
Villa Monte Rico (1995).
VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTI DOC
Ever since the Middle Ages, Vin Santo has enjoyed a place of honor in Tuscan oenology. There are many stories about the origin of this wine's name. One of these relates of a 14th-century friar who used to hand out the wine that had already been used at Mass to people who were ill, believing that it had healing and miraculous properties and was therefore "santo" or holy. Another story relates that Greek Patriarch John Bessarion, who was visiting Florence on the occasion of the Ecumenical Council on 1349, was served Vin Pretto, or "pure wine," a local wine that no longer exists. Upon drinking it, the patriarch declared, "This wine is from Xanthos!". But the Italians at the table thought he said the wine was "santo" and started calling the old Vin Pretto, Vin Santo. In any case, the wine's name has probably got something to do with the fact that it was used during Mass.
The establishment of Vin Santo del
Chianti D.O.C. in August 1997 marked an important step towards the full
valorization of a wine that has played such an important role in Tuscan
oenology. The Vin Santo del Chianti D.O.C.'s production area not only
corresponds exactly to the same area where the Chianti D.O.C.G. is produced,
but it also follows the same geographical subdivision: Colli Aretini,
Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane, Montalbano, Montespertoli,
and Rufina.
VIN SANTO DEL CHIANTO CLASSICO DOC
Vin Santo has been produced since the 14th century in Tuscany. It is therefore very appropriate that there should be a D.O.C. appellation exclusively for this wine. Vin Santo has always been known as the wine of friendship and hospitality. No household, whether poor or rich, was ever without it. It was served at any time of the day, although most people preferred it at the end of a meal. Today, Vin Santo is still considered to be a symbol of tradition because it is produced using age-old methods: from the selection of the best grapes to their drying on mats and racks; from the preservation of the grapes in ventilated garrets to the extended ageing of the wine in small barrels called "caratelli".
The first Vin Santo D.O.C. appellation was significantly given to the wines produced in the Chianti Classico territory - an area that represents the very essence of Tuscan oenology. The villages of Castellina, Gaiole, Radda and Greve in Chianti and some parts of Barberino Val d'Elsa, San Casciano Val di Pesa, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Poggibonsi and Castelnuovo Berardenga are all part of this territory.
VIN SANTO DI MONTEPULCIANO DOC
Montepulciano, lying on the rolling hills between Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana, has always been known for its excellent wines, among which the best known is of course Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo, the wine of friendship and hospitality, is another one of the pearls that has been produced here since time immemorial. It used to be produced in small quantities from carefully selected grapes that were left to dry for a long time before they were vinified in small oak or chestnut barrels. The high sugar content, which was obtained by drying the grapes on racks, yielded a wine that was both alcoholic and sweet. To date, Vin Santo is produced respecting the same age-old traditions. The wine of friendship and hospitality is still uncorked only on special occasions. The gift of a bottle of Vin Santo is considered a sign of great friendship and respect.
The three subcategories of Vin Santo di Montepulciano D.O.C. - Normale, Riserva, and Occhio di Pernice - are produced only in the best areas of Montepulciano: those that have the best exposition and microclimatic conditions and which are between 880 and 2,000 feet above see level.
Best producers:
Castello di Ama
Antinori
Avignonesi
Badia a Coltibuono
Fattoria Basciano
Castello di Brolio
Castello di Cacchiano
Capezzana
Fuso Carmignani
Castell'in Villa
Corzano e Paterno
Felsina
Gracciano
Isole e Olena
Pieve Santa Restituta
Poliziano
Le Pupille
Rocca di Montegrossi
San Felice
San Giusto a Rentennano
Selvapiana
Villa Pillo
Villa Sant'Anna
SOME OUTSTANDING VIN SANTO
Vin Santo Toscano - Isole e Olena
Producer: Isole e Olena
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Malvasia, Trebbiano
Style: Non-botrytized sweet white
Tasting Notes: Deeply colored, concentrated with dried apricot, candied
fruits and marmalade and complex oxidized flavors. Rich with good sweetness.
Best Years: 1993 91 90 89 88 85
Vin Santo Toscano, San Giusto a Rentennano
Producer: San Giusto a Rentennano
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Malvasia, Trebbiano
Style: Medium-sweet white
Tasting Notes: Deep golden color with hints of dried fruit, blossoms and vanilla. Dense and creamy on the palate with long, warm, sweet flavors that suggest raisins, walnuts and caramel.
Best Years: 1990 88 86 85 83
THE IGT's OF TUSCANY
Alta Valle della Greve
Colli della Toscana centrale
Maremma Toscana
Toscano or Toscana
Val di Magra
SOME OUTSTANDING TUSCANNY WINES PRODUCERS
Antinori
The Antinori family has produced wine since 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Florentine Winemakers Guild. Throughout its long history--across 26 generations--the family has always managed winemaking in person. Today, the company is managed by Marquis Piero Antinori. The company has dedicated great efforts to improving the quality of its wines, through careful planning of investments and research programs embracing all production aspects. The success of these programs has enabled the company to produce a superb range of quality wines from its various estates in Tuscany and Umbria. The Tignanello Estate is home to the famous Tignanello and Solaia vineyards. Located between the Greve and Pesa Valleys, in the heart of the Chianti Classic area, 30 kilometers south of Florence, Tignanello boasts 350 hectares of land with 147 hectares of vines. The vineyards are divided into small, individual areas over an area of 47 hectares at Tignanello, facing South-West, and the neighboring 10 hectares at Solaia, both with Cabernet and Sangiovese grapes that benefit from specific exposure and micro-climate.
Introducing small barrel aging to Tuscany for the first time, Tignanello (Sangiovese/Cabernet) and Solaia (predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon) can be stunning from a top vintage. Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva is typically rich and fleshy. At the Tenuta Belvedere in Bolgheri a new Cabernet/Merlot blend Guado al Tasso has emerged to much acclaim, while in Montepulciano, La Braccesca's Vino Nobile and Rosso already add to the prestige of that zone.
Antinori interests elsewhere include Prunotto in Piedmont, Atlas Peak in California and, most recently undertaken, a new development in Brunello di Montalcino.
The better Chianti improve with four to five years or more, though the best vintages of Tignanello and Solaia may last 15 years or more.
Selected Wines:
Bolgheri Guado al Tasso
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 90
Cervaro della Sala
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93 92 91 90
Chianti Classico Pèppoli, Antinori
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93
Chianti Classico Riserva Badia a Passignano, Antinori
Best Years: 1995 94 93
Chianti Classico Riserva, Tenute Marchese Antinori
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 85
Chianti Classico Riserva, Villa Antinori
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93 91 90
Muffato della Sala
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93
Pinot Nero, Castello della Sala
Best Years: 1995 94 93
Rosso di Montepulciano Sabazio, La Braccesca
Best Years: 1997 96
Sangiovese Toscana Santa Cristina
Best Years: 1997
Solaia Igt Tuscany 1997, Grapes used: Cabernet Sauvignon 75%, Cabernet Franc 5%, Sangiovese 20%, Alcohol: 13.5% vol.
Production Characteristics: the grapes from the Solaia vineyard were strictly selected from among the last to be harvested. The stalks were eliminated and the grapes were pressed softly and vinified separately. Maceration took place in 50 hl wood vats. The wine was then pressed "in barrique" (new wood) for a year (Alliers and Troncais) where it completed malolactic fermentation. Subsequently the wine was poured off for careful assembly of the different varieties and returned "in barrique" for about 14 months.
The wine was then bottled at the end of this period. Refinement continued in the bottle for at least 12 months prior to marketing.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
Tignanello
Best Years: 1995 94 93 90 88 86 85 82
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano La Braccesca
Best Years: 1995
Argiano
The Contessa Noema Marone Cinzano took full control of this well-sited estate near Sant' Angelo in Colle (in the south of the commune of Montalcino) in 1992. Management was entrusted to Sebastiano Rosa who has worked at Sassicaia and other top estates. Considerable changes have been effected both in the vineyard and winery and, with help from winemaking guru Giacomo Tachis, Argiano is once again realizing its potential as one of Montalcino's top estates. The wines have been radically improved - richer, more accessible and better balanced in Brunello, Brunello Riserva and Rosso di Montalcino.
Now all wines are almost immediately drinkable but both Brunello might be cellared for another ten years from their release.
After an impressive debut with the 1995 premium red, Solengo (which adds Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah to Sangiovese) has moved into the first ranks of the Super-Tuscans.
Selected Wines:
Brunello di Montalcino Argiano
Best Years: 1994 93 91 90Rosso di Montalcino Argiano
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Rich and powerful with floral, blackberry, blackcurrant and new oak scents. Deep, lush but structured - needs five to ten years' age.
Best Years: 1996 95
Banfi
Banfi in Montalcino has for many years been a fundamental landmark for the world of winegrowing.
Defined at the time as "the greatest project ever undertaken in the production of quality wines," Banfi was founded in 1978 by Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani, owners of Banfi Vintners, one of the most important U.S. wine importing company, along with a partner, the eminent Italian oenologist, Cav. Lav. Ezio Rivella. – one of Italy's premier winemakers and president of the Italian DOC committee during the reforms instigated in the 1990s – who was enlisted in 1977 and remained for more than 20 years. The premium wines turned out to be particularly successful. The Brunello Riserva Poggio all'Oro can be excellent and the Chardonnay (Fontanelle), Cabernet (Tavernelle) and Merlot (Mandrielle) are proving remarkably successful. Summus is unusually a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah while Excelsus is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - these are the best of the various super-Tuscans.
The company is located on the southern slopes of the Montalcino area, in one of the most evocative and characteristic settings in Tuscany. Banfi currently operates 2,830 hectares of which more than 800 are specialist vineyards, first and foremost with local Sangiovese grosso (Brunello) and Moscadello di Montalcino varieties, but also with significant production of other noble and internationally recognized varieties that have been perfectly integrated into the habitat of Montalcino (Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot).
The firm, variously known as Castello Banfi, Villa Banfi and Banfi Vintners, has become a force in Italian wine. The audacity of this venture is to be admired, and the wines, though initially of mixed quality, have increasingly become more refined and consistent. The most recent awards won by the company demonstrate the major objectives it has achieved: in 2002, Banfi received the Vinitaly Award as the best cellar in Italy for the ninth consecutive year. At the same event, it also won as many as four times the Gran Vinitaly Award as the best international cellar.
Selected Wines:
Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio all’Oro, Banfi
Best Years: 1993 91 90 88 86 85
Excelsus
Best Years: 1995 93Fontanelle Chardonnay Banfi
Best Years: 1996 95
Summus, Sant’Antimo, Castello di Banfi
Appellation: DOC, Toscana
Grapes: Sangiovese 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Syrah 20%
Production Characteristics: the climatic trends for the 1999 vintage can well be defined as "perfect." The harvest took place in the second half of September. Fermentation at controlled temperature in steel vats (Syrah 5/15° C., Sangiovese 15/35° C., and Cabernet Sauvignon 15/25° C.) excepting 35% Cabernet finished in barrels. Malolactic fermentation "in barrique." The wine was refined in wood for 17 to 20 months (12 month separately nine months as a blend). Battling was performed in May 2002. Alcohol: 13.68% vol.
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Rich in color and extract with hints of spices on the nose and deep, enticing, plumy flavors of uncommon elegance.
Best Years: 1999, 1995 94
Tavernelle Cabernet Sauvignon, Banfi
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 91 90
Castello di Ama
Model estate of Chianti Classico renowned for single-vineyard bottling, that have recently been limited to Bellavista and La Casuccia Bellavista is one of a handful of Chiantis that complement Sangiovese with the perfumed Malvasia Nera, while La Casuccia, with 10 per cent Merlot, strikes a magical balance. The Merlot theme is continued in Vigna l'Apparita one of Italy's best varietal examples.
Pinot Nero Vigna Il Chiuso has yet to reach the estate's exemplary standards, but the '95 showed an upturn in quality. Also good is the Chardonnay Al Poggio. Top reds are better with at least five years' cellaring.
Selected Wines:
Chianti Classico Bellavista, Castello di Ama
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85Chianti Classico Castello di Ama
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93 91 90 88Chianti Classico La Casuccia, Castello di Ama
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
Vigna L'Apparita Merlot, Castello di Ama
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Merlot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Rich in color and extract with hints of spices on the nose and deep, enticing, plumy flavors of uncommon elegance.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
Dei
Caterina Dei's family had a long history of grape growing before she launched their own label in 1985. Production from some 31ha (77 acres) of vines is guided by enologist Niccolò D'Afflitto. Low yields are transformed via a brand new cellar into Vino Nobile of real intensity.
Still more interest has been generated by the planting of non-DOCG varieties. Sancta Catharina, equal parts Sangiovese, Syrah and cabernet Sauvignon plus ten per cent Petit Verdot, is the result; a lush, rich, spicy new wine with typical Dei intensity - 1994 was the first vintage.
A lightly structured, immediate Rosso di Montepulciano offers up a bright cherry fruit character and should be drunk with two years' age. Vino Nobile, Riserva and Sancta Catharina need five to ten years' cellaring.
Selected Wines:
Rosso di Montepulciano Dei
Best Years: 1997Sancta Catharina, Dei
Best Years: 1995 94Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Dei
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 91 90
Fattoria di Felsina
Leading estate in the Chianti Classico zone's southernmost commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga. These are full, chunky, yet classy wines that can stand several years' aging in bottle and are of consistently high quality.
Most notable are the single-vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva Vigneto Rancia, and Fontalloro, a Sangiovese super-Tuscan. A Cabernet, Maestro Raro, is perhaps marginally less good but can still be impressive in the best years.
Whites include a rich, creamy Chardonnay I Sistri and good Vin Santo based on the superior Malvasia (rather than the distinctly ordinary Trebbiano). Drink Chianti "normale" (regular) with two or three years' age; other reds with five years or more
Selected Wines:
Chardonnay Toscana I Sistri
Best Years: 1996 95Chianti Classico Fattoria di Felsina
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93 92 91 90
Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, Fattoria di Felsina
Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Very concentrated with impressive fruit depth and marked tannin. Rich and harmonious after several years' bottle age.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 85
Chianti Classico Riserva, Fattoria di Felsina
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88
Fontalloro, Fattoria di Felsina
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: An assertive combination of new oak flavors with ripe berry fruit plus breadth and depth. Finish: very concentrated and long.
Best Years: 1994 93 90 88 86 85
Maestro Raro
Best Years: 1993 91
Fattoria Petrolo
One of a number of fines Tuscan estates with serious potential that the historic markings have ruled out of bounds. Lucia Sanjust Bazzochi's 31ha (77 acres) fall east of the inner sanctum of Chianti Classico. That leaves just the humble Chianti Colli Aretini, not the greatest marketing proposition, but which for a long time was the main thrust of the estate's production.
As is evident in Bolgheri, great mesoclimates or terroir are not confined to established DOCGs and, what's more, investment and expertise are needed to realize any inherent site potential. At Fattoria Petrolo the focus has switched to marketing two premium super-Tuscans.
Lucia's son Luca, with help from Sebastiano Rosa of Argiano, has paired the existing pure Sangiovese Torrione with a varietal Merlot called Galatrona while the Chianti has been replaced by Terre di Galatrona, a second selection of Sangiovese with a little Merlot and Cabernet. All are wines of real quality and their commercial success illustrates the fact that a producer's reputation (based on quality in the bottle) can matter more than any guaranteed appellation status. Both Torrione and Galatrona are best with five years' age or more. A small amount of Vin Santo is also produced.
Selected Wines:
Galatrona
Best Years: 1995 94Terre di Galatrano
Best Years: 1996Torrione
Best Years: 1995 94
Fontodi
In 1968, land in the Chianti region was cheap So the opportunity was there for brothers Domiziano and Dino Manetti to buy the 222-acre Fontodi estate for what would be about $20,000 today. The Fontodi estate sits on hills in the heart of the Chianti Classico subregion. Each wine estate along the "Chianti Road" south of Siena has its own unique climate depending on the steepness of the hills and the direction, which the land faces. The Fontodi vineyards are highly desirable because of their western exposure, which gives the benefits of cooling sea breezes, and their superior elevation, which provides an abundance of rain. The name Fontodi is derived from an ancient Lombard phrase, fonte de oro, which means a place rich with water. The price was right and the prospects for the vineyards were excellent, but there was an enormous amount of work to do in 1968.
The estate had been neglected for years and everything, including the farm buildings, had to be restored. Between 1969 and 1974, all the vineyards were replanted. Winemaking facilities were restored and expanded. And so began the process of creating a world-class winery.
Today, Fontodi is managed by Macro and Giovanni Manetti, cousins who are sons of the 1968 visionaries. They are ably assisted by winemaker Franco Bernabei, who is now recognized as one of Chianti's leading oenologists. This team has made a conscious decision to continue traditional methods, including the governo process. (Please see CHIANTI). A survey of Fontodi wines is like a quick course in contemporary Tuscan winemaking.
Of their four red wines, the Chianti Classico is the most traditional, a blend of Sangiovese and other grapes aged in huge oak barrels.
Next is the Chianti Classico riserva, similar to the "basic" wine with the addition of some Cabernet Sauvignon and with aging of a portion of the wine in small French oak barrels.
Third is the Chianti Classico Vigna del Sorbo, made with grapes from a single, special vineyard, and a large portion of the aging occurring in small barrels.
Finally, there is Flaccianello
della Pieve, made of pure Sangiovese and aged entirely in small
barrels (smaller barrels give more oaky character and create wines that
take longer to mature). Flaccianello, like Vigna del Sorbo, is the name
of an old vineyard on the estate. Flaccinello is not Chianti because it
does not contain other grape types as required by law, but it is a superb
example of what is often called a "Super Tuscan," wine made
with Italian grapes in a French manner. The results are, as the name promises,
super!
Two varietals are produced under the new Case Via label, of which the
Syrah looks the most promising though the atypical Pinot Nero is improving
year upon year. Riservas and Flaccianello should be drunk with at least
five years' age.
Selected Wines:
Case Via Syrah
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92Chianti Classico Fontodi
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93 91 90 88Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo, Fontodi
Best Years: 1995 94 93 90 88 86 85
Flaccianello della Pieve, Fontodi
Appellation: IGT Colli della Toscana Centrale
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Fine color with superb fruit quality and equally impressive structure and balance - a new classic.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
Fonterutoli
Castellina in Chianti (Siena).
Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, Fonterutoli today still preserves its original, peaceful country hamlet character. The company manages a total area of 470 hectares, of which 69 are specialist vineyards in four zones: Fonterutoli, Siepi, Badiola and Belvedere, at 230 to 500 meters above sea level, facing South and South-West. The structure of the ground derives from the break-up of "alberese" and sandstone rocks and is rich in skeletal stone, so much so that Fonterutoli is often nicknamed "the stone wine." Average production is less than 40 hl per hectare.
The optimal exposure of the vineyards, hillside and micro-climatic conditions and vine density - progressively expanded to more than 6 thousand plants per hectare - ensure wines boasting complexity, elegance and power. In particular, Sangiovese developed through local breeding and clones finds in these four production areas the ideal environment for expressing its qualitative potential: major bouquet and elegance in the higher zones (Fonterutoli and Badiola), structure and power in the lower areas (Siepi and Belvedere). All the main vineyard operations are performed manually, including the harvest, at different times specific to each site, to ensure that grapes of optimal ripening are delivered to the cellars.
Selected Wines:
Siepi, Fonterutoli
Appellation: IGT, Toscana 1999
Grapes: Sangiovese 50%, Merlot 50%
Production Characteristics: the grapes are grown in the Siepi vineyard at 260 meters above sea level. The harvest was conducted by hand September 7 to 12 for Merlot and September 27 to October 10 for Sangiovese. Fermentation took place at 32° C. Maceration lasted for 18 days for Sangiovese and 21 days for Merlot. Maturing was carried out in small French oak barrels (228 lt.) for 18 months. The wine was bottled in May 2001.
Style: A full-bodied wine with sweet and intense tannins. Alcohol: 14% vol.
Tasting Notes: Fine color with superb fruit quality and equally impressive structure and balance.
Isole e Olena
For so long one of the pacesetters in the Classico zone, this fine estate is run by Paolo De Marchi. His Chianti Classico, characterized by a clean, elegant and spicily perfumed fruit, excels in every vintage. His Cepparello, a 100 per cent Sangiovese is one of the best of the breed.
There is also excellent Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, as well as great Vin Santo. Reds, including Chianti Classico in best vintages, can be aged for five to ten years.
Selected Wines:
Cabernet Sauvignon Isole e Olena
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86
Cepparello Isole e Olena
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Powerful, full-bodied
with fine depth and class - intense
small-berried, briary fruit - very fine but needs time.
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
Chardonnay Isole e Olena
Best Years: 1996 95 94Chianti Classico Isole e Olena
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94 93 90 88Syrah l’Eremo, Isole e Olena
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93 92 91 90 88
Vin Santo Isole e Olena
Best Years: 1993 91 90 89 88 85
Marchese di' Frescobaldi
One of the leading and largest European winemaking companies, Frescobaldi owns nine estates in Tuscany, all located in particularly vocational areas and devoted to the production of quality, Doc and Docg wines. Of the nine estates, including Remole, Castiglioni, Corte, Santa Maria and Vallano, I Castelli di Pomino, Nipozzano and Castelgiocondo produce the wines of greatest prestige. Built in 1100 to defend the road from Porto di Salomone to Siena, Castelgiocondo in 1989 became the company where Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi produces its Brunello di Montalcino.
Castelgiocondo is one of the first four companies to have produced and bottled Brunello di Montalcino since the end of last century. In 1975, the company saw a further stage in modernization when the vineyards were replanted. The estate stands among the delightful hillsides of Siena on the Maremmano slopes of Montalcino, 40 Km as the crow flies from the sea, at an altitude of 250-400 meters; the overall area is 815 hectares, of which 240 producing Sangiovese and Merlot. With a vineyard area of 151 hectares in Brunello itself, the estate is the largest producing Brunello di Montalcino. The clayey ground and the dry climate make this the ideal zone for production of Castelgiocondo Riserva, Castelgiocondo, Campo ai Sassi and Lamaione.
Montevertine
Though based in the heart of Chianti Classico, Sergio Manetti's Montevertine estate is famous for its super-Tuscans, particularly Le Pergole Torte, the first pure Sangiovese. In Il Sodaccio, Canaiolo is added to Sangiovese while Montevertine Riserva, also very good, is both concentrated and refined.
Ironically, all three would now qualify as Chianti Classico but have instead traded Vino da Tavola status for IGT Toscana - all can be cellared for five to ten years, occasionally more.
A more affordable introduction to these great reds is Pian del Ciampolo, while fruity and relatively straightforward, its elegant floral aromas hint at what more money will buy.
Selected Wines:
Il Sodaccio, Montevertine
Best Years: 1995 94 93 90 88 85
Le Pergole Torte, Montevertine
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Very concentrated Sangiovese fruit and considerable structure - real class but requires patience.
Best Years: 1995 93 92 90 88 86 85 83
Poggio Scalette
Vittorio Fiore is one of Italy's most influential consultants and this is his own estate. Given the results of his input elsewhere (including the likes of Costanti, Terrabianca, Valtellina and Vecchie Terre di Montefili in Tuscany, and Zerbina in Romagna) much might be expected. Indeed, this is one of the new sensations of Tuscany. Just one wine is made here and production is only 1500 cases per year. Called:
Il Carbonaione
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Exquisitely ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit, floral notes and new oak influence. Rich, concentrated and beautifully defined - the sense of harmony and balance set it apart from most others. Drink with at least five years' age.
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93 92
Riecine
A remarkable small 4-ha (10-acre) estate in Gaiole that makes some of the most exquisite Chianti Classico. Englishman John Dunkley established a reputation of inverse proportions to its size during the more than 20 years it was in his possession. Riecine's new American owners can expect even greater prestige as Irish winemaker Sean O'Callaghan continues to fashion still better reds. Even though grape supplies are boosted by a further 7ha (17 acres) under lease, yields are low so production remains small.
But all the wines reveal a great intensity of fruit and a superb definition of spiced cherry flavors. Both the Chianti Classico and Riserva are outstanding, while the barrique-aged super-Tuscan La Gioia, is equally impressive.
Selected Wines:
Chianti Classico Riserva, Riecine
Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Outstanding fruit concentration, structure and sheer class make this better than many of the so-called super-Tuscans. Best with five to ten years' age.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85 82
Chianti Classico Riserva, Riecine
Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85 82
La Gioia
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Fine red fruits and cherries with depth and weight, superb structure and a long, elegant finish. Should be cellared for five to ten years.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 91 90 88 86 85
San Giusto a Rentennano
Francesco Martini di Cigala and family at their small estate in Chianti make wines of unequalled power, exemplified by the pure Sangiovese super-Tuscan Percarlo. Even the normal Chianti Classico has unusual strength and stamina, surpassed by a Riserva that needs a decade to reach a peak. The Vin Santo ranks with Tuscany's finest.
Selected Wines:
Chianti Classico Riserva, San Giusto a Rentennano
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 91 90 88 87 86 85 83 82
Percarlo
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Sangiovese
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Big, bold and powerful, only showing its real class and refinement with age.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 91 90 88 86 85
Vin Santo Toscano, San Giusto a Rentennano
Best Years: 1990 88 86 85 83
Tenementi D'Alessandro
The D'Alessandro family's relatively low-lying vineyards, not far from Cortona in eastern Tuscany, certainly do not sound like the ideal setting for a fine wine estate. Yet massive investment, the best wine-making advice on offer and, equally importantly, the freedom to plant and replant with a New World abandon has resulted in the world clammering for Tuscan Syrah (Podere Il Bosco), Viognier, Sangiovese (Podere Migliara) and even Gamay (Podere Il Vescovo di Manzano).
To drink the Viognier requires a reservation at Florence's internationally acclaimed Enoteca Pinchiorri, as this is where it is exclusively sold. Others may be only a little easier to acquire but all are of a high standard - the predominantly Chardonnay Podere Fontarca already rivals Tuscany's best. The fresh, tasty Le Terrazze unusually combines Sauvignon Blanc with Grechetto and Chenin Blanc. The round, fruity Gamay and whites should be drunk young, but the Syrah will improve for at least five years. The wines are sold under the Fattoria di Manzano label.
Selected Wines:
Podere Fontarca
Best Years: 1997 96 95 94Podere Il Bosco
Best Years: 1996 95 94 92Podere le Terrazze
Best Years: 1997
Tenuta del Terriccio
While all the attention has been focused on Bolgheri, high in the coastal hills south of Livorno another transformation, from bulk producer of solely inexpensive Montescudaio red and white to a new Tuscan superstar has taken place. With some 30ha (74 acres) of new plantings, a range of new international-style reds and dry whites has been created.
The top red, Lupicaia (Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot) is rich and concentrated with a hint of eucalyptus and already very expensive.
A little cheaper is a second red, Tassinaia, similarly a Bordeaux blend and, if less concentrated, better balanced and ready for drinking sooner. Con Vento, is based on Sauvignon Blanc as is Rondinaia while the new Saluccio is a barrique-fermented Chardonnay-based white.
Selected Wines:
Lupicaia
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Very rich, concentrated, with ripe blackcurrant fruit, mint and new oak. Firmly structured but relatively low acidity combined with the sheer richness make it accessible early - better with five years or more.
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93
Rondinaia
Best Years: 1997 96
Saluccio
Best Years: 1996Tassinaia [Excellent]
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia
Lodovico Antinori, brother of Piero, developed this beautiful property near the Tuscan coast at Bolgheri after he left the family firm Antinori to strike out on his own. The red Ornellaia, a Cabernet/Merlot blend, now easily stands comparison with neighboring Sassicaia.
The white Poggio alle Gazze is made solely with Sauvignon and an outstanding Merlot, Masseto is produced in small quantities. Ornellaia and Masseto can be cellared for up to ten years.
Selected Wines:
Bolgheri Ornellaia
Appellation: Bolgheri DOC
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Compared to the finest Bordeaux classed growths - similar breed and class with an emphasis on elegance. Already great, future vintages will almost certainly be even better.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 90 88
Masseto
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Grapes: Merlot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Pomerol-like, with tremendous depth of fruit, richly plumy and superbly structured.
Best Years: 1995 94 93 92 91 90 89
Poggio alle Gazze
Best Years: 1998 97 96 95
Tua Rita
Here, as at Gualdo del Re, Montepeloso, Tenuta del Terriccio, and the stars of Bolgheri DOC, the fantastic potential of the Bordeaux varieties on Tuscany's western seaboard is proving a revelation. With help from enologist Luca d'Attoma, Rita Tua, who owns this small estate, has already produced wines that are startlingly good.
Giusto di Notri is Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 40 per cent Merlot, while Redigaffi, made in minute quantities, is the equal of Ornellaia's Masseto or that of Castello di Ama's Vigna l'Apparita.
There is a stylish, inexpensive blend of Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer and Riesling called Sileno, while Perlato del Bosco Rosso is an improving Sangiovese-based red. This should be drunk young; the top reds should be kept for five to ten years.
Selected Wines:
Giusto di Notri
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Rich, smoky ripe blackcurrant fruit and new oak to the fore. Very concentrated but with a velvety texture - long and age-worthy.
Best Years: 1996 95 94 93
Redigraffi
Appellation: Vino da Tavola
Grapes: Merlot
Style: Elegance on the grand scale
Tasting Notes: Full bodied, lush, marvelously rich, concentrated but superbly structured. Ripe black cherry fruit, deep and very long.
Best Years: 1996 95 94
Sileno
Best Years: 1996Val di Cornia Bianco, Tua Rita
OVERALL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WINES OF TUSCANY
The wine of Tuscany are brilliant and intensely ruby red, aromatic, perfumed, concentrated, agreeably intense, with fine acidity and tannin as well as vivid fruit aromas and flavors, magnifically typified by these jewels:
SOLAIA, definitely Italy greatest red wine, from Piero Antinori. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese.
SASSICAIA, the quintessential Italian Cabernet, from the Marchese Nicolo Incisa della Rochetta. (10’000 cases/year).
ORNELLAIA, another 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, from Lodovico Antinori, brother of Piero. (15’000 cases/year).
THE WINE SPECTATOR Magazine has repeatedly ranked Tuscany wines in its year-end surveys. In 2000 and in 2001 the top spots were occupied by great reds fro that region. With the exceptions of a few years, we can find them in almost all the classifications.
Wine of the Year 2003
#10. SETTE PONTI Toscana Oreno 2001
Wine of the Year 2002
#3. CASTELLO BANFI Brunello di Montalcino 1997
#7. ANTINORI Brunello di Montalcino Pian delle Vigne 1997
#8. MARCHESI DE' FRESCOBALDI Brunello di Montalcino Castelgiocondo 1997
Wine of the Year 2001
#1. TENUTA DELL'ORNELLAIA Ornellaia 1998
A cool and sleek Tuscan red, with
tarragon and fresh sage aromas, blackberry and cherry undertones. Full-bodied,
with a wonderfully silky palate of fine tannins and a long, fruity finish.
Very sophisticated and reserved. Best after 2004.
13,330 cases made.
#4. AVIGNONESI Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Grandi Annate Riserva 1997
#6. ANTINORI Guado al Tasso 1998
Wine of the Year 2000
#1.ANTINORI Solaia 1997
In 1997, Tuscany enjoyed it best vintage since 1990, and many of the top reds are now being released. This is dark ruby in color, with extremely ripe raisin and spice aromas. Full-bodied and very chewy, with loads of polished tannins and a long, long finish that's big and fruity. A solid, muscular red from Tuscany, this is the greatest Solaia ever made. Best after 2004.
#9. TENUTA DELL'ORNELLAIA Bolgheri Ornellaia 1997
#10. CASTELLO DEI RAMPOLLA Sammarco 1997
Wine of the Year 1999
#3. ISOLE E OLENA Toscana Cepparello 1997
Wines of the Year 1997
#7. CAMPOGIOVANNI Brunello di Montalcino 1990
Wine of the Year 1993
#8. TENUTA DELL'ORNELLAIA Ornellaia 1990
Wine of the Year 1992
#8. SELVAPIANA Chianti Rufina 1990
Wine of the Year 1991
#5. TENUTA SAN GUIDO Sassicaia 1988
Wine of the Year 1990
#4. POGGIO ANTICO Brunello di Montalcino 1985
YVES REMONDEULAZ
September 2005