So what do you do if you are a wine maker producing wines of high quality in Chianti or Tuscany but no one recognizes your wines as being important or valuable? Well, first you keep producing great wine and then wait for someone to write about it and coin a new class or style of wine. Second, that tag needs to be memorable. Last of all, you’d need to back it up year after year by producing better and better wines, and then you’re all set. Sounds easy, but it took nearly 20 years for it to catch on. Enter the “Super Tuscan”.
The term “Super Tuscan” was coined in the late seventies to give credence to the high quality wines being produced outside the lines of the traditional and protected guidelines of wine made in Tuscany. An example of a traditional wine with a protected class/tradition (and arguably Italy’s most famous export barring its art and food culture) is Chianti. In order for a wine to be classified as a Chianti, it must adhere to the following rules: the blend for Chianti and Chianti Classico can be made up of 75-100% Sangiovese, up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 20% of any other approved red grape variety (such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah). Also, Chianti must come from the area of Chianti in Tuscany…otherwise it is not considered Chianti. With wines of Chianti garnering most of the world’s attention, many Tuscan producers were and are making wines that are good as (if not better) than Chianti. For that matter, Super Tuscans are often prized over some generations of old established reds like Brunello and Bourdeaux. The profile of a Super Tuscan is a wine typically comprised of bolder grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, or Syrah to name a few. The result is a wine of concentrated dark fruits, lush mouth feel with supple tannins and great potential to age well.
This week at Panzano, we will open up a few bottles from two of the pioneers of the Super Tuscan style: Fontodi and Fontalloro from Felsina (price range from $53 to $115). Alongside the heavy hitters we will taste some “baby” Super Tuscans (more moderately- priced wines made in the same style). An example of a baby super Tuscan would be the 2007 Castello Vicchiomaggio’s Ripa delle Mandorle ($17). We could go into great detail describing the palates of these wines; instead we strongly urge you to come in and see what makes them “Super” for yourself. We look forward to seeing you at the tasting table this week.
Cheers!
Fred Mullins
