OFF THE VINE

OFF THE VINE Italian Superlatives

Nonindigenous grapes continue to enhance the country’s top-tier wines

By Mark Spivak

It all started when Piero Antinori blended some Cabernet into the 1971 vintage of his flagship Chianti Classico to create Tignanello, intentionally violating the archaic Italian wine law. This radical step gave birth to the Super Tuscan revolution and elevated the profile of Italian wine around the world.

Today it’s common for international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah to appear in top Italian wines, and the Super Tuscans are more correctly referred to by the special category they created: IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Here, we highlight some of the best.

THE BIG THREE: When the supply of Bordeaux coming into Italy dried up during World War II, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta decided to plant his own Cabernet. The wine from those grapes, Sassicaia ($265), was kept for family consumption and not released to the public until 1968, when it instantly became a cult sensation. Solaia ($375), which Piero Antinori created in 1978 from a vineyard adjacent to Sassicaia, is a blend of 75 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 5 percent Cabernet Franc, and 20 percent Sangiovese. Antinori’s younger brother launched Ornellaia ($250) in 1985, and while the exact blend varies, the wine is generally a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Ornellaia

also produces a rare, exotic 100 percent Merlot wine called Masseto ($900). ANOTHER TRIO FROM BOLGHERI: Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli were pioneers in the region, planting the first vines at Le Macchiole in 1983. The winery is now best known for Paleo Rosso ($110), made from 100 percent Cabernet Franc, and Messorio ($215), composed of 100 percent Merlot. The ubiquitous Piero Antinori understood the area’s importance early on, establishing the Guado al Tasso estate in 1990. Located in the Bolgheri Amphitheater—a plain encircled by rolling hillsides facing the Tyrrhenian Sea—the property has earned raves for its eponymous Guado al Tasso ($125) as well as the small-batch, 100 percent Cabernet Franc Matarocchio ($420). Offerings from Ca’Marcanda, Angelo Gaja’s Bolgheri project founded in 1990, begin with Promis ($45, a Merlot/Syrah/Sangiovese blend) and include Magari ($70, Cabernet Sauvignon/ Clockwise from bottom left: Piero Antinori; vineyards and Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot) and the flagship grapes on Antinori’s Tignanello estate. Ca’Marcanda (an 80/20 blend of Cabernet Sau-

From left: A glimpse of Le Macchiole winery; a selection from the Castello di Ama L’Apparita label.

ALESSANDRO MOGGI

vignon and Cabernet Franc). All three wines are full-bodied, powerful, and structured.

CHIANTI TRAILBLAZERS: Current law requires Chianti to contain a minimum of 70 percent Sangiovese (80 percent in Chianti Classico), with the rest being either Italian or international varieties. At Isole e Olena in the heart of the region, fourth-generation winemaker Paolo de Marchi is known for Cepparello ($90), his 100 percent Sangiovese IGT. Outside the town of Panzano, the Manetti family has been making wine at Fontodi since 1968; their benchmark bottle, Flaccianello della Pieve ($175), is also composed of 100 percent Sangiovese. The renowned Chianti Classico producer Castello di Ama makes L’Apparita ($220), which is a rich, bold wine that is 100 percent Merlot. Born into an artistic family, the iconoclastic Bibi Graetz, uses only traditional varieties such as Sangiovese, Canaiolo, and Colorino to craft Testamatta ($105) and Colore ($415). «

SUPER BARGAINS

These wines are no less delicious for being affordable

• Brancaia’s Tre ($20) is an easy-to-drink, easy-to-like combination of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. • Le Volte dell’Ornellaia ($30) provides an introduction to Ornellaia’s blend that doesn’t require refinancing the house. • Greppicante ($25), from I Greppi in Bolgheri, is composed of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Merlot, and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. • Il Bruciato ($30), the silky entry-level wine from Antinori’s Guado al Tasso estate, combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. • Crognolo ($32), from Tenuta Sette Ponti in the heart of Chianti Classico, is a 90/10 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot.

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