Reviews

Tuscan super-revolution
«Cigar Clan» №5(35) 2007

The birth of the supertuscan phenomenon can be explained by many reasons.

The unofficial, but widely accepted category appeared in Tuscany soon after the Italian government introduced laws to control winemaking areas and established formal production norms. Producers of supertuscan wines challenged conservative rules, but their ideas went far beyond a simple rebellion. Moving forward, being creative and striving for maximum results are just some of the other arguments that new wave winemakers used in their defense.

Having used the French classification that protected geographic origin and methods of wine production as a model, Italy introduced own set of laws in early 1960s. They were based on creating a category of quality wines with a controlled name of origin — Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Later a higher class of DOCG, a controlled and guaranteed name of origin was introduced. Although they protected territories and had detailed production norms, DOC rules often reflected traditional regional practices and didn’t encourage new development. Creativity, innovation and experiments were, in fact, left outside the law. The other problem was that prices for wines from a certain area were strictly limited. Winemakers had to keep their expenses under tight budgets in order to conform. It didn’t encourage winemaking progress, either.

In the meantime several quality oriented producers from Tuscany visited France where they discovered small, 225-litre new oak barrels. They noticed that wines acquired more depth and complexity after aging in barriques. Some Italians traveled to California and were shocked to see the freedom of winemaking approaches and techniques. Back at come they were ready to experiment in the vineyards and the wineries, but authorities did not support their free spirit. Winemakers didn’t want to compromise, either. They had nothing left to do, but to declassify their higher quality non-conformist wines to the lowest category of table wines. Ironically, first high quality wines with a humiliating vino da tavola marking are now considered one of the best wines coming from Tuscany and Italy.

Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta was the harbinger of the supertuscan revolution. By the 1970s he had produced wine that didn’t follow the Tuscan tradition for two decades, but it was made for his personal use only. San Guido estate is located in Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast, far from historic production centres. Its stony soils lie in close proximity to the sea and were considered little suited for winemaking. After experimentation with several French varieties the marquis planted Cabernet Sauvignon, with vines coming from the first Bordeaux growth Chateau Lafite. In the first years of production the wine was rather rustic, but Incisa della Rocchetta mastered his skill with years. In 1965 he planted two new vineyards — with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Old wooden vats were gradually replaced by stainless steel vats and wines were aged in French oak barriques. At that time this practice was unheard of in Italy.

Sassicaia would perhaps remain the wine for a narrow circle of family and friends, if it wasn’t for Piero Antinori who was a relative of Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta. Inspired by what was happening in San Guido, Antinori launched the wine’s sale through his commercial channels. Although Sassicaia was nominally marked as a table wine, it quickly garnered success on international markets and was selling for high price.

Antinori, head of an aristocratic Tuscan dynasty with centuries-long tradition of winemaking, also decided to have an experiment at his vineyard in Chianti Classico. In 1971 he produced Tignanello that broke established production rules. It was the first Sangiovese wine aged in French barriques. Later untypical for Tuscany Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were added to Sangiovese. In 1975 it was decided to abandon white grapes which by law had to present in Chianti Classico wines. Like Sassicaia, Tignanello could be sold only as table wine.

Antinori’s wine received wide publicity. Soon other leading producers of the area followed the example. They started to experiment with international varieties, to lower yields, to apply new production techniques and to release unconventional wines, from pure Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon to blends with untypical varieties. Notwithstanding different approaches, all producers were united in the fact that their wines were made outside the official DOC rules. Formally they were vini da tavola. Thanks to high quality, journalists quickly nicknamed them “supertuscan”.

Alessandro Francois, owner of Castello di Querceto, an estate with a long tradition of making Chianti Classico wine, as well as supertuscan Cignale, Il Sole di Alessandro and others, finds three main reasons for appearance of supertuscan wines. “Firstly, they allowed quality producers to make long lived wines when DOC norms were mainly adapted for producing wines which should be consumed at once. Secondly, they provided an opportunity to experiment with great international varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in the major Tuscan winemaking areas. Finally, the supertuscan phenomenon led to creation of wines which competed on equal terms with the world’s finest wines”.

San Felice was another supertuscan pioneer. In 1968 it launched Vigorello wine made in new style. San Felice winemakers changed the traditional Chianti formula. Cabernet Sauvignon was added to Sangiovese instead of traditional white Trebbiano and Malvasia. In the meantime, Antinori continued working with Bordeaux varieties. Solaia, a blend of two Cabernets to which Sangiovese was added later appeared on the market as a result.

In the eighties a new winemaking estate was founded next to the property of Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta. Ornellaia belonged to Lodovico Antinori, brother of Piero Antinori. Ornellaia became second after Sassicaia great wine of Bolgheri and one of the most renowned Italian wines in the world. Its formula was also based on Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc where the former enjoyed the highest share both in the vineyards and in the wine. The blend was recently widened to include Petit Verdot.

Although at the start of the supertuscan revolution attention was focused on international varieties and on creating new styles of wine in the region, winemakers didn’t forget about Sangiovese. It is a traditional local variety, and its inseparable link with Chianti Classico territory was proved by Baron Ricasoli in the mid-19th century. Yet, according to DOC rules, it couldn’t be vinified separately. It had to be blended with other red and white varieties. Sergio Manetti from Montevertine was the first to abandon the practice. In 1977 he made his supertuscan Le Pergole Torte with pure Sangiovese. Later similar wines were produced by other estates — Isole e Olena, Fontodi and others.

Up to the nineties the supertuscan revolution was, in fact, the movement towards better quality. Progressive winemakers tried to change weak, diluted character of mass produced Tuscan wines. They made them more intense in aromas and flavours, added structure and body, increased their aging potential. The estates adapted new approaches in the vineyards, started to choose better clones, increase density of planting, introduce untraditional, but promising varieties. Vinification technology also changed, and one of the key breakthroughs was introduction of 225-liter French barriques instead of huge Slavonian oak barrels with a capacity of several thousand litres for aging. A big advantage of new winemaking was also the fact that it facilitated exploration of new winemaking areas, especially on the Tuscan coast, which before were considered to be little suited for quality wine production.

A dubious situation when table wines had higher acknowledgement and were selling for much higher prices than DOC wines was partially resolved in 1995. A new category Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) appeared in the hierarchy of Italian wines. Although production of IGT wines was regulated, its rules were not as strict as the DOC norms. Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi, of the aristocratic winemaking family that today owns Ornellaia, among numerous other estates, noted, “No matter where the estate was, the IGT regulations gave everyone a possibility to produce their greatest wine. From a rich foreigner who decided to retire in Tuscany to a small or large local producer — all have a possibility to try and make a great wine, also thanks to the use of varieties, not traditional for our area”.

Thus, supertuscan wines found their niche in the IGT category, but it also included wines of lower quality than DOC. Like in former times, the market had to rely on the name of the producer and the wine, although the most precise indicator for belonging to the supertuscan breed was high price.

The nineties were the era when supertuscan wines came to flourish. Producers strived for quality, and consumers sought wines to match modern tastes. An estate’s success depended mostly from its ability to produce quality wines in the style demanded by the market and to position them correctly. Thanks to widely recognized international varieties and aging in French barrels the profile of supertuscan wines was more international and understandable for the public. These expressive, intense, powerful, black fruit wines boasted sweet vanilla and toast — flavours which reached the peak of popularity 10-15 years ago.

The supertuscan phenomenon was pivotal for the establishment of a new wine zone on the Tuscan coast, including Bolgheri and Maremma. The territory became one of the hottest wine production spots in Italy and is like a fairy tale scenario of turning a sleepy agrarian region into a flourishing winemaking paradise. A large part of the renowned supertuscan wines comes from the area.

Nowadays preferences for the style of Tuscan wines are changing. Return to classic values makes the market switch to wines linked to a specific place of origin and made from the autochthonous varieties. The popularity wave of the supertuscan category is gradually waning, and it is being replaced by wines which reflect a fine interaction between grapes and the natural environment. Even the renowned Sangiovese wines which are still marked as IGT — Cepparello from Isole e Olena, Le Pergole Torte from Montevertine and Flaccianello della Pieve from Fontodi, are viewed today as wines with true reflection of Chianti Classico terroirs rather than simply supertuscan.

In the meantime, the Tuscan coast is witnessing a slow turn towards wines with a controlled name of origin. Sassicaia that started life as vino da tavola now has own DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, and Bolgheri estates prefer to classify their wines as DOC Bolgheri. Lamberto Frescobaldi notes that Ornellaia conforms to the DOC Bolgheri production rules while Masseto, the estate’s other supertuscan wines made from pure Merlot is still classified as IGT as its varietal mix doesn’t meet the requirements of the DOC rules.

Elisabetta Geppetti, owner of a leading estate on the Tuscan coast Fattoria Le Pupille that produces famous supertuscan Saffredi, admits that the frenzy around supertuscan wines is going away. She believes that the category is in crisis that is caused by a huge number of brands on offer, among other factors. Problems with a wide price range also lead to further turmoil on the market.

Undoubtedly, the supertuscan revolution of the 1960-1970s was the main catalyst of progress in the region. It made winemakers critically review their approaches and re-orientate production towards quality. Some supertuscan wines have become classic examples of the great Italian winemaking. In the meantime general standards for denominated areas were also reviewed and now allow the estates produce wines of the highest level.

Current situation is best summed in the words of Marchese Frescobaldi, “Supertuscan wines are still very important, especially in those areas where DOC rules do not permit any other blends except for those stated in the law. I have great respect for good supertuscan wines because the relaxed rules of IGT have allowed bold estates to make new wines — or at least wines different from those made in the past. Every year of the last 30 years IGT wines have become greater and greater, and the DOC had to do it, too. The quality of the DOC wines has, no doubt, risen. They have become richer, elegant and long lived. But if the IGT would not have been invented, who knows how long it would take them to become as they are now. Still I believe that supertuscan wines have yet something to say and that they can live together with DOC and DOCG”.

Today producers still highly value the impact of supertuscan wines on the development of winemaking but note that their role has changed. Thanks to general rise in quality they are no longer in great opposition to wines from the controlled areas of production and should now find a new place. A useful point of view is given by Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, owner of Rocca di Montegrossi, a leading estate in Chianti Classico, “We can no longer say that only supertuscan wines are those of absolute quality and innovation. Today there are also other wines renowned for their quality in the DOCG category. Above all, supertuscan wines always represent a different interpretation of Tuscan terroirs, especially if their varietal mix is different from the wines regulated by DOCG rules. I believe that today there is no point in producing wines based on supertuscan ideology if they are made with grapes traditional for DOCG wines. Instead, it is more exciting to discover potential between our territory and varieties which come from outside of Tuscany. It demonstrates that great terroirs can produce super wines not only from traditional grapes. In this respect our Geremia wine has all conditions to be called supertuscan as it demonstrates the potential of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and not Tuscan Sangiovese”.

Supertuscan wines continue to be the cause of lively debates both for winemakers and wine lovers, but their role in the history of winemaking Tuscany is certain. As Alessandro Francois lyrically waxes, supertuscan wines help express not only the potential of soil, but also feelings and emotions of a winemaker. This is another important factor that helped the wines to get recognition and success around the world.