Hallmarks of a top vintage
Each year, France and Italy take turns at wearing the mantle of 'the world's largest wine-producing nation'. In both countries, most wine is domestically consumed as vin de table (France) or vino da tavola (Italy). Widely recognised as being the lowest of the vinous low, when choosing a decent wine, ignore these classifications at your peril.
However, a phenomenon occurred in Italy during the 1970s which created great confusion. Connoisseurs of fine Italian wine began to pay small fortunes to enjoy a bottle of vino da tavola. The only change was that the wine was now known as a Super Tuscan.
The term Super Tuscan evolved as a result of one man's efforts and vision. In the 1940s Marquis Mario Incisa della Rochetta was convinced his property at Bolgheri on Italy's Tyrr-henian coast could produce world-class wines. This, he felt, could not be achieved with local grapes such as sangiovese, so he planted cabernet sauvignon cuttings from Chateau Lafite in Bordeaux. The first Super Tuscan was born. Named sassicaia after the stony ground the vines were planted in, the first vintage was made in 1948. To Incisa the wine was a success. The achievement of rich, concentrated fruit and balanced tannins realised his ambitions. However, customers, accustomed to the light drinking style of local wines, did not agree. Consequently, for the first decade sassicaia was enjoyed only on the estate where it was made.
Each year, a number of cases were cellared. Gradually the wines evolved. The acidity and tannins became more integrated and soon, those who had first shunned the wine became its greatest admirers. In 1968 Incisa's nephew, Piero Antinori, persuaded his uncle to sell a few hundred cases through the family distributors. Sassicaia quickly became as well received as the top Bordeaux wines. A decade later, the 1972 vintage was declared 'the best cabernet sauvignon in the world' at a Decanter magazine tasting.
Further inland, in the heart of Chianti, other members of the Antinori family were frustrated by the Denominazione d'Origine Controllata (DOC) quality wine regulations. They believed these were outdated and did little to ensure real quality. How could they respect laws which, at the time, allowed for up to 30 per cent white trebbiano grapes to be added to red chianti?
In 1975, stepping outside the restrictive framework of the DOC rules and opting for the lowly vino da tavola classification, Antinori made the first vintage of tignanello. This wine was and remains dominated by sangiovese, Chianti's signature grape, but with a reasonable proportion of cabernet sauvignon added. The same vineyard also created solaia, using the same blend in reverse proportions.
Inevitably, more and more Super Tuscans began to emerge during the 1980s and 1990s. All were a reflection of the quality their producers wished to achieve using 'non-traditional' grape varieties.
In the mid-1990s, the wine laws in Italy were radically overhauled and the term IGT (indicazione geographica tipica, the equivalent of the French vin de pays) was born. This classification largely addressed the concerns of the Super Tuscan producers and allowed the use of non-indigenous grapes and ageing in small oak barriques. Consequently, most of the Super Tuscans produced today will display the IGT term on their labels.
The argument has been raised that Super Tuscans are not really Italian wines because they are made with foreign cabernets, merlot and chardonnay. Piero Antinori disagrees. 'Even cabernet sauvignon, when it is grown in Tuscany, is a Tuscan cabernet sauvignon. It has its own style, which is a key to the future.'
Californian wine legend Robert Mondavi also recognised the potential of Tuscany. Continuing an increasingly long line of joint ventures around the world, in 1995 Mondavi teamed up with Marchesi de Frescobaldi to produce the 'Luce' Super Tuscan.
Dozens of other wines fall under the Super Tuscan banner. Unfortunately, there are no visible markings on a wine label to help the enthusiast differentiate it from less exalted wines. The term Super Tuscan is a loose one, bestowed upon great wines which have earned an enviable reputation for their innovative winemaking and exceptional quality. Their most easily identifiable feature is the exorbitant price.
