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Super Tuscans: The Story As You Have Never Heard It

Super Tuscans: The Story As You Have Never Heard It

Tuscany is for sure one of the Italian leading wine regions. Although some great white wines are made here, this region mostly stands out for its remarkable reds. It boasts 11 DOCGs and Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are among the most famous ones. But there is another category of wine that has saved Tuscany Wines’ reputation in the past. Surprisingly, this isn’t even a DOCG: “The Super Tuscans”.

If you drank wine, even if you do it sporadically, you’d hear for sure the word “Super Tuscans”. It’s very likely that you have heard so many different versions of the story behind it. But this is confusing, isn’t it? We’re about to tell you the truth regarding these wines in a way you’ll never forget. Are you ready for it? Let’s the journey begin then!

The suggestive "Viale dei Cipressi" in Bolgheri
Figure 1: The suggestive “Viale dei Cipressi” in Bolgheri ( Casale la Crocetta, 2015)

The Collapse of Chianti’s Quality

In order to understand the origin of the Super Tuscans, you have to understand the origin and the evolution of Chianti first. You have to know that Chinati was traditionally a blend of grapes. Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia, and/or Trebbiano Toscano. Bettino Ricasoli formalized this “formula” in the mid- 1800s. The formula includes two white grape varieties which are Malvasia and Trebbiano Toscano.

Chianti became popular and appreciated by Italian people very quickly. The demand was increasing and, as a result, the production as well. It turned out that the quality of this wine dropped drastically to keep up with the very high demand. To increase production, winemakers were including more and more white wine in the blend. To make things worse, they were adding low-quality Trebbiano grapes. Therefore, Chianti was becoming an “anorexic” red as white wines were decreasing its body and structure.

By World War II, Trebbiano Toscano made up more than 30% of some Chianti. But the worst happened in 1967. This year the Italian government used the “Ricasoli formula” of a Sangiovese based blend with 10% to 30% Malvasia and Trebbiano as the legal foundation for Chianti DOC. The perfect scenario for a disaster was there. Given the overproduction, poorly located vineyards, and the dilution with weak flavored white grapes, the quality of Chianti collapsed.

Sassicaia: The Game Changer

Fortunately, there was a visioner who saved the Tuscany reputation before it was too late. Mario Incisa Della Rochetta was the Italian innovator who was able to turn this disaster into a great opportunity. In 1944, while everything was happening and the Chianti quality was collapsing, he decided to differentiate himself and take some risks.

He was literally in love with the Bordeaux Style and he was trying to understand the secrets of that style as much as possible. And the secret for every wine is the combination of three key factors: Climate, soil and grapes. With this in mind, he started to come up with his own formula, which was totally different from the Ricasoli’s one.

First of all, he planted Tuscany’s first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards (rather than Sangiovese). But he was aware of what he was doing. In fact, the Cabernet Sauvignon that he was planting, was coming from Château Lafite, from Bordeaux. Then, he started aging the wine in small new French oak barrels. Last but not least, he planted his vineyards on a stony sandy hill in a sunny commune known as “Castiglioncello”. This small town was along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Maremma: Bolgheri. This was quite an innovation as all the vineyards were in the Chianti Area otherwise.

Once he figured out what the secret formula could be, he only needed an expert winemaker to make the dream come true. Fortunately, he was related to the Antinori family that introduced him to the enologist Giacomo Tachis. The teamwork between team gave rise to the “Sassicaia” (from “Sasso”, which means “Stone”) in 1968.

super tuscans Tignanello bottle
Figure 2: Tignanello bottle ( chiantilife, 2018)

Incisa Della Rocchetta and his Sassicaia inspired a lot of winemakers to follow his example. However, this isn’t the first Super Tuscan. We had to wait until 1971 to taste the first example of this “sui generis” category. If Sassicaia was the sparkle that set up the fire, Tignanello was the flashlight in the dark. In fact, this is the first Super Tuscan wine, made by Marchesi Antinori.

Tignanello contained no white grapes, was based almost entirely on Sangiovese (later Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc were added), and was aged in small new French oak barrels.

From “Table Wines” to “Fable Wines”

After the example of Sassicaia and Tignanello the revolution started and other top producers followed suit. They all had one common thing: their wines didn’t follow the traditional Chianti formula. Because of this, the government considered them “Vini da Tavola” (“Table Wines”). But quality always comes out eventually. The press nicknamed all the wines that weren’t following the Ricasoli’s formula as “Super Tuscan” and the definition “Vini da Tavola” suddenly turned into “Vini da Favola” (“Fable Wines”).

So, why did we say that Super Tuscans saved Tuscany’s reputation, especially Chianti’s one? Because the eclectic group of Super Tuscans motivated winemakers to improve the quality of Chianti. Due to the fast-pace growing success of Super Tuscans, the Chianti original formula was amended. The white grape varieties could be included in the blend up to 10% but they were no longer mandatory.

super tuscans, Tignanello bottle
Figure 3: Tignanello bottle (decanter.com, 2018)

Nowadays, the Chianti formula must include at least 80% Sangiovese and up to a maximum of 20% other authorized red grapes from Tuscany. Last but not least, they have to age in large Slavonian oak casks, rather than small French oak barrels. Needless to say, the white grape varieties aren’t part of the formula anymore.

Conclusion

Super Tuscans aren’t just outstanding products in terms of quality. They are a flagship of the Italian wine culture. As you read, the race they won wasn’t a sprint but a marathon. Those winemakers who decided to not follow the DOC legal requirements took some risks. But they did it because the thing that matters the most to them was the quality. They showed to the whole world that the “why” is more important than the “what”. In fact, they had the same believes that quality couldn’t be left out of the equation, no matter what.

So, how would the wine jokers define the Super Tuscans?

We would say that they are more of a concept than a style. They are wines made outside the Tuscan DOC regulation for the sake of quality. They are the results of people who had a higher purpose than making money. And if today these wines are more expensive than plenty of others, it is just because they have been brave enough to challenge the “status quo” to save the Tuscany’s reputation.

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