We’re actually having Tuscan Big Guns, pt. 2 in late Jan, too, lol.
Anyways, I’ve thought that in most cases fruit aromatics volatilize more readily than oak aromatics, ie. the longer a wine is open the more oaky it gets. Usually heavily oaky wines tend to be at their best (or least bad, in my case) soon after a bottle is opened and when I return to them, they are clumsier and more woody in character.
If seen lots of exceptions to this, so this is not a hard’n’fast rule, just something I usually take into account when opening wines and letting them breathe.
Honestly im in the same boat as you regarding the “least bad” sense.
And it makes complete sense. I trust your words, and I do think we will try the bottles PnP and see how they develop “for science”
Generally not that big a fan of Super Tuscans, but for the sake of exploration we are having the theme. Normally everyone in my group prefers Bordeaux, Burgundy og Piemonte regarding reds.
I can say that a lot of the big Napa wines of yore (e.g., 1990s and early 2000s Pahlmeyer, Caymus, Silver Oak, etc.) behave that way. Almost appealing when first opened, they turn into oak stew with air.
I agree but, I think the goal was to dump what at the time were thought of as lesser grapes as well as white grapes in favour of “International” varieties. I believe the wines you listed and the desire to make 100% Sangiovese wines came later.
No, the point was just to make better wines because the tradition of blending Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes was seen counterproductive to making quality wine. Some producers were certainly inspired by Sassicaia and planted international varieties, but not everyone went for the international varietes - for example Le Pergole Torte was 100% Sangiovese and made already in the 1970’s, ie. along with the other first-wave Super-Tuscans. And as David pointed out, Flaccianello is also among the early ones.
And even though Sassicaia predates Super-Tuscans, it wasn’t seen as one per se, since it came from Bolgheri, whereas the “original Super-Tuscans” were those that came from Chianti Classico but decided to forgo the appellation name. Naturally other regions followed in suit and soon thereafter Sassicaia became to be considered as a sort of grandfather or godfather of the whole Super-Tuscan thing.
I agree with both of you for the most part, but my perception (as wrong as I probably am) is that the term Super Tuscans is usually used to describe wines made outside of Chianti Classico that use International grapes.
Not sure if you were around then or even participated, but there was a lengthy discussion of Super Tuscans back on the old West Coast Wine Forum, and it resulted in a “classification” of the wines as first, second, and third growths. The list was inclusive of both the Tuscan and some non-Tuscan wines.
Just quick googling of the term Super Tuscan results in a plethora of sites describing how the wines came about due to the restrictive appellation laws and how some producers were inspired by Sassicaia.
Here’s one, for example: Most are “blends of Sangiovese and international varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and others, just Bordeaux blends or Sangiovese aged in barriques, labeled as a Toscana IGT wine,” says Massimo Piccin, founder and owner of Podere Sapaio. But some Super Tuscans are 100% Sangiovese, while others don’t contain any Italian varieties at all. (Wine Enthusiast)
A list of great Italian wines, or a list of Super-Tuscan wines, including also non-Tuscan Super-Tus- wait, what?
It was ostensibly a classification of wines that were referred to under the umbrella of Super Tuscans. It did in fact include a couple of Bolgheri wines. I’ll see if I can find any remaining references to the thread somewhere in the dungeons of Google.
I think the guy who put it together was John Fodera, a regular on that now defunct wine board.
Otto. Sorry I am old and rarely use Google to learn the history of the wines I love. To paraphrase Nicholas Belfrage MW in his book the Finest Wines of Tuscany. The Marchese Mario Incisa delle Rochetta was a claret lover who wanted to prove he could make a Bordeaux style wine in the gravelly soils of his estate Sassicaia, with the guidance of Giacimo Tachis they began to make a wine that was 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.
The wine was brought up in Bordeaux style oak barrels. I believe the first vintage was 1968. My tasting notes only go back to 1979. Grattamacco soon followed Sassicaia producing a similar wine. As far as I am concerned this was the birth of the Super Tuscan.
As far as I know this is a term that has no definite rules or strict traditions and we are all able to define it the way we want. I will stick with mine for now.
David. I was on that forum for a while but don’t remember that discussion. I would be happy to participate in a similar discussion here.
I do remember an earlier discussion here where I floated the idea that the wines you mentioned are essentially Chianti Classico in my mind. Others agreed. I will probably continue to think that way.
I do agree that technically Sassicaia was the first Super-Tuscan and a great inspiration for the movement. However, it is commonly accepted that the term originally was used to describe the wines that broke the Chianti Classico mold.
So, in essence Sassicaia predates all the other Super-Tuscans and it is in every respect a Super Tuscan. However, when the term came about, Sassicaia wasn’t included - it only meant the wines that chose to make as good wine as possible, even if it meant forfeiting DOCG Chianti Classico and bottling the label as vino da tavola instead. Only after the the first wave of original Chianti Super-Tuscans started to make real impact and similarly made wines began popping up here and there, the term broadened to encompass the whole Tuscany, including Sassicaia.
But anyways, I myself consider Sassicaia to be the first Super-Tuscan, even if it wasn’t part of the initial movement against the restrictive appellation laws of Chianti. It is considered to be a Super-Tuscan now, and as it predates any other wine that can be called Super-Tuscan, I think it is also the first one.
Indeed, there are no definite rules or restrictions, but I find it a bit odd that if the whole wine world thinks wines like Pergole Torte, Flaccianello or Fontalloro are Super-Tuscans, why do you want to go fight the windmills? What are they then, if not Super-Tuscan wines?
I will say that although I don’t generally buy or drink Super Tuscans, I consider myself reasonably knowledgeable about wine, and if you had asked me what a Super Tuscan was I would have told you with 100% confidence that it is a wine made in the areas near Chianti Classico with Bordeaux or other international grape varieties. That is always how it was described to me. Perhaps the movement needs better PR
