Super Tuscan Wine (Why Is It Italian Red Wine Heaven?)

In a world of strict wine laws and unbending tradition, one rebel wine emerges to change Italian wine forever. This is the story of Super Tuscans. Super Tuscans have been around for a long, long time, but for over 20 years they weren't even part of Italy's wine designation system. And yet these are some of Italy's most coveted wines. So I want to let you in on the secret and the story of Super Tuscan wines, taste what makes these wines so awesome, and give you some clues so you can find Super Tuscan wines out there in the wild. Tuscany has been making wine for millennia, even before the Roman Empire with the Etruscans. But it wasn't until 1963 that Italian wines were officially classified into regional wines with quality designations. And this is probably where the problems began. The classification system guarantees wine comes from a specific place on a map. That's a good thing. More strict designations like Chianti DOCG even guarantee what grapes are used in the blend. But if you don't use official grapes, your wines get declassified to the lowest quality tier. Vino di Tavola, table wine. This is exactly what happened to Tino Nello in 1971, a wine that was originally designated Chianti Classico Reserva. Well, they decided to blend in a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc into their Saint Gervais. And poof, Vino di Tavola. But where did these French Cabernet grapes come from? Turns out they've been growing in Tuscany for a long time. In 1945, Mario Incesa della Rocchetta and his wife came back to establish their estate in Bvlgari after the war. Inspired by his visit to Bordeaux's gravelly vineyards, he planted Sassicaia, or land of many stones, on a gravelly outcrop in Bvlgari. And this is the first estate we know of planting Bordeaux varieties in Tuscany. Of course, this is Italy. Soon, everyone was experimenting. But what really is a Super Tuscan wine? Firstly, the name Super Tuscan is colloquial. It came from a wine critic. But who? We asked James Suckling, and he told us there was a flurry of wine writers following the Tuscany scene in the 1970s. It could have been Luigi Veronelli, an Italian wine writer, intellectual, and advocate for Italy's native grapes. Burton Anderson, a writer who moved to Tuscany in 1977 to write about its bright future. Or maybe it was David Gleave, a master of wine and one of the UK's leading experts on Italian wine. All of these experts saw Tuscany's potential in places like Chianti, Bvlgari, Montalcino, and Maremma, where unsanctioned French grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon were blending into fine wines well beyond what Tuscany was known for. But again, this is Italy. It took two decades for the Italian government to catch on. Finally, we see official classifications, Toscana IGT and Bvlgari DOC, come about in the mid-1990s. I hope you're thirsty. We have four serious Super Tuscan wines to taste. But first, a little bit more about our sponsor, Bombfi. Bombfi was founded by the Italian-American Mariani family in 1978 in Montalcino, Tuscany. Their primary focus is Brunello, but soon they too moved to blend Sangiovese with other varieties, introducing Montalcino's first Super Tuscan, Summis, in 1985. All right, let's get cracking. Magna Cum Laude in Latin means with great honors. It might be the most approachable bottle, but it still comes from Bombfi's vineyards in Montalcino. It has a deep ruby color, definitely extracted. I get black plum, ripe blackberry, subtle licorice, black olive, and a savory note of leather and terracotta. Smooth. It's got ripe dried fruit and floral notes. Magna Cum Laude is a pure expression without strong oak notes. It's all about the ripe fruit. Summis in Latin means the summit. This wine is made with some of Bombfi's finest parcels from their vineyards in Montalcino. Additional oak aging on this wine should give it a rounder, richer taste profile. Let's find out. Oh, another deep ruby color. That slight garnet on the rim might be coming from the blend of Sangiovese. On the nose, very heady aromas of black cherry sauce, chocolate mint, roasted plum, pencil shaving, and subtle crushed rocks. Definitely a bump up in body here, but the tannins are ripe and well integrated with a dusty sweet finish. To me, this has the classic super Tuscan taste profile here, with a little bit more polish from oak. The red fruit flavors also help because we have a little bit more Sangiovese in the wine. Tina Nielo, or as Meghan Markle might say, the Tig, comes from a 321 acre vineyard by Antinori in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. The elevated location in Chianti Classico, dominance of Sangiovese, and the small oak barrels makes me think we're going to get a little bit more elegant red fruit and baking spice notes from oak. Let's find out. Wow, this has a deep ruby garnet color. Very dark. I get raspberry preserves, sugar plums, these oak flavors of cedar box, baking spices, and a hint of tobacco leaf. These guys are definitely using some serious oak. It's rich and ripe with this dusty sweet tobacco finish and high tannin. Dominance of red fruit and high acidity makes me think French grapes in the Tig are used more like seasoning to accentuate Sangiovese. Sasakaya comes from 190 acre vineyard in Bulgari. In fact, Sasakaya Bulgari is its own DOC. Based on the stats alone, this wine wants to be aged at least a decade before popping it. We might be committing infanticide. This wine has a medium to deep ruby color here. It's totally closed, but after some vigorous swirling, I get black currant, leather, black cherry, a touch of spearmint, crushed rock, and a strong oak note. Wow, everything comes together in this wine with high intensity. Plummy fruit gives way to mega tannins and mega high acidity. It's got the markers of what is meant to be set down for at least 10 years before it starts opening up. Bordeaux varieties paired with Tuscan MO create a complex undeniable red wine. Today, you can find hundreds of super Tuscan wines out there in the marketplace, but they won't say super Tuscan on the label. So how do you find them? The secret here is to pay attention to Italian named wines. These made up names indicate it's a proprietary blend by the winery. Then you can see designations like Toscana IGT, Maremma Toscana DOC, or Bulgari DOC. And as we observed, the details matter. The grape varieties used in the blend, the amount of oak aging, and even the vineyard elevation plays a role into the wine's taste profile. So it's not just about price. And this is actually good news. It means you can find excellent super Tuscan wines now that you know what to look for. And if you enjoyed this segment, please send me a comment and subscribe if you'd like to learn more about wine. Until next time, chin chin to that rebellious creative spirit of super Tuscany.