Tuscan Wines
Super Tuscans: the wines that revolutionised Tuscany
Super Tuscans were born from rebellion against rigid specifications. The story of Sassicaia, Tignanello and how these wines changed the wine world.
What Super Tuscans are: the rebellion against the DOC system
In the 1970s, Tuscan winemaking was in crisis. Chianti - which should have been the flagship wine of the region - had become synonymous with cheap, mediocre-quality wine. The straw-covered bottles of the classic Tuscan fiasco were associated with a wine destined for pizzerias and low-end restaurants. The disciplinary rules seemed designed to preserve mediocrity rather than protect quality.
Some Tuscan producers, often with international experience and contacts with the great Bordeaux producers, decided to take a different path. They would not follow the DOC rules - they would make the wine they wanted, with the varieties they considered best (including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, forbidden by traditional specifications), and they would accept demotion to a simple “Vino da Tavola” rather than compromise on quality.
The paradox was immediate: wines classified as “Vino da Tavola” - the lowest category in the Italian hierarchy - were being sold at prices higher than the best Barolo and Brunello. Consumers and the international press adored them. The DOC system seemed grotesque in the face of this reality. Anglo-Saxon journalists coined the term “Super Tuscans” to describe these anomalous wines.
The story: from table wines to world icons
The genesis of the Super Tuscans is placed between the late 1960s and the 1970s, with two founding episodes.
The first is Sassicaia - produced by the Incisa della Rocchetta family at the Bolgheri estate, a few kilometres from the Tuscan coast. The family had planted Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1940s for private use, inspired by the great Bordeaux wines. Only in the 1970s, on the advice of cousin Piero Antinori and oenologist Giacomo Tachis, did they begin to commercialise it. The first commercial vintage, 1968, came to market in 1971 as a “Vino da Tavola” and obtained very high scores from international guides.
The second is Tignanello - produced by Antinori from 1971. A blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, aged in barriques (a technique then unusual for Tuscan wines), Tignanello demonstrated that Sangiovese could be valorised in a completely different way from the Chianti tradition.
Sassicaia: the first and most famous
Sassicaia occupies a special place in the history of Italian wine - not only as a Super Tuscan but as a wine capable of redefining the very idea of what an Italian wine could be.
The territory of Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, has particular pedoclimatic characteristics: well-draining gravelly soils, Mediterranean climate with strong maritime influences, moderate temperature range. These conditions proved ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon - perhaps even more so than the Bordeaux soils from which the variety originates.
In 1994, Sassicaia obtained its own denomination - the DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, the only Italian DOC named after a single wine from a single producer. It is formal recognition that this wine was not an anomaly but a model.
The characteristics: aroma of blackcurrant, green pepper (the varietal note of Cabernet Sauvignon), graphite, mint, sweet spices. With ageing come notes of leather, tobacco, earth. Full body, tannins present but elegant, moderate acidity.
Tignanello: when Sangiovese meets Cabernet
Antinori’s Tignanello is perhaps the most famous Super Tuscan after Sassicaia, and has had an even deeper influence on Tuscan viticulture.
Its innovation was twofold: combining Sangiovese with international varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc), and ageing in barriques instead of traditional large barrels. The barrique gives notes of vanilla, toast and spices that integrate with the Sangiovese fruit in a way that large barrels do not allow.
The result is a wine with the Tuscan soul of Sangiovese (acidity, red fruit, minerality) and the international structure of Cabernet (body, tannins, longevity). It is neither a Chianti nor a Bordeaux - it is something of its own.
The influence of Tignanello on Tuscan viticulture has been enormous: dozens of producers began using international varieties in their blends, producing a category of wines that brought Tuscany to the attention of international markets.
Why they cost so much
Super Tuscans often cost as much as the most prestigious wines of Bordeaux or Burgundy. The reasons are several.
Reputation built over decades: Sassicaia and Tignanello have obtained very high scores from international guides for forty years. The accumulated reputation translates into demand exceeding supply.
Limited production: the estates in Bolgheri and the production areas of the most famous Super Tuscans are relatively small. Limited quantities plus high demand equals high prices.
Production costs: ageing in new barriques (expensive), rigorous grape selection, manual harvesting, prolonged cellaring - the production costs are real.
Speculation: it is honest to admit that part of the price of the most famous Super Tuscans is also speculation. Bottles circulate on the secondary market at prices well above the winery price.
Super Tuscans and food: unconventional pairings
Super Tuscans based on Cabernet Sauvignon (Sassicaia, Ornellaia) have an aromatic profile requiring different pairings from pure Sangiovese wines.
With bistecca: they work very well - perhaps better than Chianti Classico in some versions, for the tannic structure that pairs with red meat.
With roast wild boar: the wild and intense flavour of the meat and the complexity of the wine meet convincingly.
With aged cheeses: 24-month pecorino, 36-month Parmigiano Reggiano - a classic but effective pairing.
Super Tuscans are not wines for everyday Tuscan cooking - they do not pair with ribollita, they do not go with pici all’aglione, they do not suit panzanella. They are wines for important occasions, for substantial dishes, for dinners that are meant to be memorable.
Want to taste it for real?
At Ristorante Alcide you will find it on the table - made the right way, with fresh ingredients and the care of the Ancillotti family since 1849.
