Introduction: The Wines That Changed Italy Forever
A guide to the best Super Tuscan wines: how they began, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, Tignanello and Solaia, their grapes, food pairings and cellaring.
The Super Tuscans are one of the great stories of modern wine. In the 1970s and 1980s, a few bold Tuscan winemakers broke Italy's strict wine rules. They planted international grapes and made wines that could only be sold as humble Vino da Tavola (table wine). Those wines then won praise around the world and sold for far more than Italy's top DOCGs.
It is a story of quality beating convention, and of Italy's wine laws having to catch up. Today, most Super Tuscans are sold as Toscana IGT or under DOCs like Bolgheri DOC. They are among the most sought-after and collected wines in the world.
Italy set up its DOC system in 1963. It meant well, but it often tied producers to rules that put tradition ahead of quality. In Chianti, for example, the rules required white grapes in red wine and set maximum prices, which discouraged investment in quality. The result was a flood of poor Chianti in straw-covered fiaschi bottles that hurt Italian wine's image around the world.
A few pioneers refused to go along:
Antinori was perhaps the most influential. In 1971, Piero Antinori and winemaker Giacomo Tachis created Tignanello. It was aged in small French barriques, and over the next few years Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc joined the Sangiovese in the blend. It broke the Chianti rules, so it was sold as Vino da Tavola. It was a statement of intent.
Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta had planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in the 1940s. His Tenuta San Guido estate is in coastal Bolgheri, and he was inspired by Bordeaux. For years his wine, Sassicaia, was only for the family. Then in 1978, the 1972 Sassicaia was entered in a blind tasting against 33 Cabernets from around the world, and it won. Overnight it joined the world's finest wines. It was still officially table wine, yet it sold for prices that put DOCG wines to shame.
These two pioneers proved Tuscany could make world-class wine outside the old rules. They inspired a generation of followers.
In time, the law caught up with Bolgheri. Bolgheri DOC was created in 1983 and widened to include reds in 1994. That same year Sassicaia got its own recognition, which later became Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC. It is Italy's only single-estate DOC, created just for Sassicaia. No wine had been honored like this before.
Bolgheri lies on the Tyrrhenian coast. Summers are warm but cooled by sea breezes, winters are mild, and the alluvial and sandy soils drain well. These conditions suit the Bordeaux grapes that made the area famous: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Sassicaia, from Tenuta San Guido, is the wine that started it all. It is made near the village of Bolgheri under Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC. The blend is about 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. It has classic blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco and mineral notes. But it is clearly Tuscan: leaner and more elegant than Napa Cabernet, with warmer fruit than Bordeaux.
Sassicaia is made in small amounts and needs time in the cellar. Most vintages peak at 10–20 years. It is still one of Italy's most collected wines.
Ornellaia, also from Bolgheri DOC, was created in 1985 by Lodovico Antinori, Piero's brother. It is a Bordeaux-style blend, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and sometimes Petit Verdot. Many see it as one of Italy's greatest wines. It is lusher than Sassicaia, with riper fruit, fuller body and velvety tannins, yet it has the structure to age for a long time.
Masseto is a single-vineyard Merlot from the Ornellaia estate. It is Italy's most prestigious Merlot and one of the world's great wines. The vineyard sits on blue clay, much like Pomerol's, which is perfect for Merlot. The wine is very concentrated, rich and complex, yet still elegant. Small production and sky-high prices make it one of Italy's most wanted collector wines.
Antinori's Tignanello, a Toscana IGT, defined the Super Tuscan style. It is about 80% Sangiovese, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, from the Tignanello vineyard in Chianti Classico. It is aged in French barriques, a radical choice at the time. The wine bridges two worlds: Sangiovese's fragrance and savory side, and the Cabernets' structure and aging power.
Antinori's Solaia, also a Toscana IGT, flips the Tignanello formula. It is about 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Sangiovese. It is made only in the best years, on the same Tignanello estate. Solaia is one of Italy's most powerful and concentrated wines and can age for 25–30+ years.
Sassicaia and Tignanello inspired dozens of other Super Tuscans. Some worth knowing:
What defines a Super Tuscan is the use of international grapes, alone or with Sangiovese:
Toscana IGT in the end became the official home of most Super Tuscans. The irony is clear: wines at the "lowest" level of Italy's system often fetch the highest prices and the best reviews. IGT frees producers from the strict grape and winemaking rules of DOCG and DOC. They can blend as they like and try new things.
Super Tuscans are big, firm wines that need serious food:
Super Tuscans are serious collector wines.
Cellaring windows:
- Sassicaia: 10–25+ years from vintage
- Ornellaia: 10–20+ years
- Tignanello: 8–15 years
- Masseto: 15–30+ years
Investment tips:
- Single-vineyard wines and special releases sell for top prices on the resale market
- Sassicaia and Ornellaia both appear in international wine investment indices
- Older vintages (1985, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2010, 2015) are especially sought after
| Wine/Style | Classification | Grapes | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sassicaia | Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC | Cab Sauv, Cab Franc | Coastal Tuscany |
| Ornellaia | Bolgheri DOC | Cab Sauv, Merlot blend | Coastal Tuscany |
| Tignanello | Toscana IGT | Sangiovese, Cab Sauv | Chianti Classico |
| Solaia | Toscana IGT | Cab Sauv, Sangiovese | Chianti Classico |
| Masseto | Toscana IGT | Merlot | Bolgheri |
Production rules and official information from the consortia of the wines in this guide: