Tuscan Treasures Lecture
By Margaret Swaine
November 22, 2003

Let's begin with a short history of Tuscany. Then I'll take you to modern day and the story of the super Tuscans. The wines in the glasses in front of you are all full and flavourful reds built for the modern palate. Some are made with the traditional grape of the region, sangiovese, while others are blends of today's super stars such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Sangiovese incidentally means "blood of Jove".

Even those who have not visited Tuscany know of its beauty and its culture. Giotto, Leonardo, Botticelli, and Michelangelo are just a few of brilliant artists who have captured it on canvas. Florence was the centre and capital of the school of painting to which these artists belonged and they have painted its undulating hills, cypress trees and people. Florence along with Sienna were and still are the center of a wine-growing district that's also world renown. Who hasn't heard of Chianti?
Tuscan vine-growing dates back to the Etruscans who were in 1000 BC cultivating vineyards and enjoying wine both as an everyday beverage and in religious rites. The Middle Ages saw the rise of the commune - the medieval city-republic - with Tuscan vine growing a vital part of the society and the economy despite the frequent wars. Florence and Sienna were the most powerful of the self-governing cities and they engaged each other in fierce and bloody battles. The land was mostly owned by the monasteries, the local aristocracy and increasingly the cities' merchants. The landowners would often provide the land and the working capital to farming families in return for half (mezzo) the crop; hence the system was called messadria. To achieve self-sufficiency these people would raise animals and plant olive and fruit trees on the same plot. Even today it's very common for wine estates to have olive trees and sell olive oil along with wine.

Almost seventy per cent of the Tuscan countryside is officially classified as hilly, and the hillside vineyards supply the better quality wines. The red grape sangiovese which forms the backbone of the regional production seems to need the sunlight the slopes can provide to ripen well. The Arno River marks the northern border for the cultivation of sangiovese in Tuscany. Southwards through Chianti Classico to the zones of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino the wines become richer and fuller in general. For this reason Montalcino is the only area of Tuscany where the reds have traditionally been 100 per cent sangiovese. Sangiovese grown in Montalcino is known as Brunello and about six different clones of the grape have been identified in the region. Chianti and Vino Nobile have a history of being blended with canaiolo, malvasia and trebbiano to soften sangiovese's youthful sharpness. The white grape trebbiano was important many centuries ago and the first recorded mention of Chianti in 1398 refers to it as a white wine.

Large estates owned by wealthy aristocracy and tilled by sharecroppers used to dominate the Tuscan viticulture. The demise of this system in the 50's and 60's lead to newcomers snapping up run-down properties on superb sites in pursuit of their dream of an estate in the country. The new owners would turn the hodge podge of vegetables, fruit trees and animals into a monoculture of vines. However few knew enough about grape clones. This resulted in the planting of inferior clones of sangiovese that gave high yields. A lake of cheap weak chianti flooded the market. Those of us old enough will remember the thin and light reds in fiasco bottles. Eventually Chianti Classico 2000 was born to study clonal selection among other things. In addition more new money and new ideas came in from the big cities such as Milan and Rome and from foreigners. Supertuscans were born. In these the old blending grapes have been abandoned for French varietals and an international style. Many of these grapes are not new to the region. In fact cabernet was one of the 150 varieties that the Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici imported in the mid-eighteenth century. However it was in the early seventies that Marchese Piero Antinori launched Tignanello to much acclaim. Antinori's Tignanello was the first sangiovese/cabernet blend aged in small French oak. Small barrel fermentation in French oak has replaced the traditional large barrels for aging of most of the super Tuscans. Tignanello along with Sassicaia, and Ornellaia became among the most expensive and highly regarded bottles in all of Italy. I don't know if many of you attend wine auctions - but Sassiccaia, a pure cabernet that only recently got official status regularly gets a hammer price of over $200 a bottle. In the 1990's syrah vines began to bear fruit in the region. We see some of that today too. Tuscany has become Italy's most dynamic innovator of wine. Cult wines have triumphed over the officially sanctioned three DOCG wines namely Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile. Now even tiny estates are creating a vino da tavola from a special vineyard. It gets a catchy name, designer label and price tag well above Chianti.

Nowadays dozens of wines fall into the super-Tuscan category. Meanwhile a debate rages over what the rules should be for the cherished DOCG wines. Part of the issue is what is "typical" for the wine. Italians like to talk about "tipicità" the way the French do terroir. This typicity of wine is not as simple as just adhering to tradition. It's a flavour profile that links soil, microclimate, grape varieties and customary practices. Adding syrah to Brunello di Montalcino would distort the wine's typicity. On the other hand some merlot or cabernet sauvignon in Chianti, which by tradition is a blend, is less obviously a break with custom. Many maintain it's a matter of degree - as long as one only adds X per cent it should be alright. Hence in Chianti Classico the amount of other grapes allowed which was ten per cent, has increased to 15 per cent in 1996 and now is at 20 per cent. The list of other grapes allowed is most of the reds known to man but since 1984 white has been discouraged. Until and including the 2005 harvest however Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia Bianca individually or together, to as much as 6% can be used in the blend. Another issue is oak. Thirty years ago there was virtually no French oak used in Italian wines and very little aging in small barriques (2.25 hectolitres). The best producers used oak from Slavonia and sizes between seven and 100 plus hectolitres. Today one sees small French oak barrels everywhere and even some barrels from America, Russia, Hungary and Austria.
Recently a large delegation of Italian winemakers came through Toronto. I was impressed by how delicious were almost all of the Tuscan reds. Coltibuono despite being a self described "traditionalist producer" was the first in Chianti Classico to make a super Tuscan from 100 per cent sangiovese. When they first made this wine it was I.G.T. as a pure sangiovese was not permitted in Chianti.
Now let's look at each wine:

1. Castello Vicchiomaggio Rippa della More 1999
Agent: Brunello Imports, 416-631-9778. Price: $44.95 (Vintages) Grapes: 90% sangiovese, 10% cabernet sauvignon
John Matta, a British expat living in Tuscany, was named Italian Producer of the Year in the 2002 International Wine and Spirit Competition in England. Matta's father had bought as an investment, the ancient but rundown Castello di Vicchiomaggio estate in the Chianti Classico area. Matta Jr. who studied viticulture and Oenology in Alba in Piedmont, did his first harvest as a winemaker there in 1970. At that stage he divided his time between the family business (wine importing) in England and Italy. In 1987 he married an Italian and decided to settle in Vicchiomaggio for good. At that date Chianti was at last re-establishing itself as a serious wine region. "The big changes have been in the vineyards. In the cellar the modifications have been small," says Matta. Now most of the vineyards are being transformed again. Especially in Chianti Classico, the heartland, replanting of better clones of sangiovese is well underway. "The style of wine I make today is different even from ten years ago," says Matta. "The consensus is that it's getting better."
The Vicchiomaggio Castle can be traced to the 5th century when it was called Vicchio dei Longobardi (the village of the Longobards). In 1450 approximately the name was changed to Vicchiomaggio, the village of may. From its hilltop it dominates the Greve valley and was the first defence for Florence during its feuds with Sienna. Rippa means small hill in Tuscan. More means blackberry. It's so named because Matta feels this wine has the intensity of blackberry. It's a very, very late harvest of sangiovese and has three weeks skin contact, the maximum they can do for sangiovese according to Matta. Then it goes into brand new French barrique of medium to low toast for 18 months. He's looking for maximum extraction and concentration, American style. It's only not called Chianti Classico because of a legal technicality. (French oak is not the issue). Despite the fact the Matta's vineyards are all in the heart of Chianti Classico, not all of them are registered Chianti. He expanded his vineyards from 22 hectares to 32 but it's not allowed to do new plantings of DOCG or DOC vineyards in Italy since 1974/75. No one wants to increase the acreage in Chianti according to Matta. So he purchased the "right" to plant vineyards from those who were digging up theirs elsewhere in Italy. They were actually documents he purchased that gave the right to plant within three years. If he didn't do so, the papers expired and became useless. Some acreage rights from Sicily, Abruzzo and so forth so that the total gain in vineyards in Italy is zero. Italy's acreage hasn't' increased in the last ten years, it's actually decreased. However since the rights for Matta's new vineyards didn't come from the Chianti area, he can't call his wine from them Chianti. It's full, rich, impressive with ripe berry and some undergrowth.

2. Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 1999
Agent: Rogers and Company, 416-961-2294 Price: $63.90 Grapes: 90% sangiovese, 10% cabernet sauvignon
Fontodi is another estate purchased when land was cheap in the sixties (1968). The Manetti brothers bought the 222 acre Fontodi estate for what would be about $20,000 today. The estate sits on the hills in the heart of the Chianti Classico. (There are seven subregions of Chianti of which Classico is considered the most distinguished.) Each wine estate along the Chianti road south of Sienna has its own unique climate depending on the steepness of the hills and the direction that the land faces. The name Fontodi is derived from an ancient Lombard phrase, fonte de oro, which means place rich with water. The superior elevation of the vineyards provides plenty of necessary rain. Today Fontodi is managed by the sons of the two Manetti's along with winemaker Franco Bernabei, considered one of Chianti's leading oenologists. The team has made a conscious decision to continue traditional methods, including the governo method whereby grapes are allowed to dry like raisins for a period of time before being crushed for juice. Chianti Classico Vigna del Sorbo is made from single vineyard grapes aged in small French oak barrels for 18 months. It was first produced in the early 1980's. This 1999 got a 91 rating by both the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate. It's deep, full bodied, quite intense and concentrated with berries, cedar and underbrush. A very serious wine with firm tannins, spice notes and multilayers, it can easily handle another ten years of aging. You'll find it served at Crush, Susur, Oro, Noce and Barbarians in town.

3. Antinori Tignanello 2000
Agent: Halpern Enterprises, 416-593-2662 Price: $89.95 Grapes: 80% sangiovese, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 5% cabernet franc
The Antinori family has been in the wine business since 1386 - more than 26 generations ago. It has remained family owned throughout its long history and today is directed by Marchesi Piero Antinori. His three daughters have followed the tradition: Albiera, Allegra and Alessia all work in the family wine business. The company produces a range of wines from different estates in Tuscany and Umbria. They also have invested in Prunotto in Piedmont, Atlas Peak in California and in Hungary. A bit of extraordinary news of late: in May Antinori announced as of the 2001 vintage (which will be available later this year), Villa Antinori will become a Tuscan IGT wine and no longer bear the Chianti Classico designation. Since it was no longer practical for them to improve quality of the wines without full control o f the vineyards, years ago Marchesi Antinori started purchasing properties with new vineyards in various areas of Tuscany with a high potential for quality. Consequently they now own 1,100 hectares of vineyards, planted high density with a selection of native and international grapes. Tignanello is an original super Tuscan. It's produced exclusively from the Tignanello vineyard. It was the first sangiovese to be aged in small oak barrels, the first red Chianti wine in modern times to use a non-traditional grape variety, cabernet, in the blend. It was also among the first red wines made in Chianti with no white grapes. It set the example for a new breed of top-of-the-line Italian wine. It has not been produced in poor vintages such as 1976, 1984 and 1992.They did a marvelous job with the vintage 2000. I find it rich, full with ripe fruit and velvety tannins. It's complex with a great structure and lengthy finish.

4. Agent: Luce della Vita Luce 1999
Robert Mondavi (Maxxium), 416-535-7899) Price: $99.95 (Vintages) Grapes: 50% sangiovese, 50% merlot
The wines of Luce and Lucente were created by a joint venture in 1995 between the Robert Mondavi family of Napa and the Marchesi de' Frescobaldi family of Tuscany. The Frescobaldi history goes back 700 years. Today they have a significantly large winegrowing business with 2,500 acres under vine at nine estates. Mondavi winery under Robert and sons Tim and Michael is a high profile leader in the California wine industry. Robert Mondavi winery owns property in Oakville, Stags Leap and Carneros. They've formed joint ventures with Mouton Rothschild in France (Opus One), Vina Errazuriz in Chile (Caliterra) and Rosemount Estate in Australia. The Frescobaldi/Mondavi partnership purchased a parcel of land in Montalcino, next to the Frescobaldi's Castel Giocondo estate. This area, approximately 20 miles south of Siena is highly regarded as the birthplace of the richest of Tuscan reds. Luce della Vite, the name of their partnership means "light of the vine". Luce was the first wine produced as a luxury ultra-premium blend of sangiovese and merlot. A member of the Frescobaldi family first brought merlot to Tuscany in 1855. Today the Frescobaldis own the oldest merlot vineyards in Tuscany with 32 year old vines. For Luce the grapes are from a hilltop vineyard at an altitude of 1400 feet on soil of schist, slate and rocky limestone. I think the grapes and the winemaking is hitting its stride now. This 1999 is much less tannic and bitter than past vintages. On the nose I get cloves, mints, cinnamon with leather and small berries in the taste. It's complex with depth, length and hints of tobacco.

5. Castello Banfi SummuS 1999
Agent: Select Wines, 416-367-5600 Price: $65. Grapes: 40% Brunello (Banfi clonal selection of sangiovese), 40% cabernet sauvignon, 20 % syrah
The Castello Banfi estate is on the southern slope of Montalcino in Tuscany. Single vineyards dot one third of this three thousand hectare domain. The Castello Banfi wines are the fruit of the single vineyards. Castello Banfi is a rarity among Italian wine estates, not just because of its size, its single vineyards and its state-of-the-art winery, but because it was started from scratch less than 20 years ago. Most of the land was covered with forest and brush when the Mariani family found it. John and Harry Mariani, successful American importers, joined forces with Italy's leading oenologist, Ezio Rivella with the their objective to produce top-quality wine on a scale never before attempted in Italy. The 4,500 acres that they first found were near Montalcino, and eligible for the DOCG of Brunello di Montalcino. By great good luck the adjacent estate, of 2,600 acres, became available shortly afterwards. The 11th century castle was the final purchase, and was acquired in 1984. The estate was renamed Castello Banfi. The land was planted to vines in only a few places; elsewhere the only crops were corn and olives. But there are abundant south-facing slopes overlooking a valley bottom that, 40 million years ago, was under the sea. Even today, the calcium-rich soil is scattered with seashells. The winery is built partly above ground and partly underground. Such is the degree of computer control that the entire above-ground operation can be controlled by just a few people, while below ground natural elements combine to maintain the ideal conditions for ageing and storing. The winery contains over 300 stainless steel tanks and 2,000 French oak barriques, plus traditional Slavonian oak casks, used for Brunello di Montalcino, and shaved every ten years or so. These casks have a life of 30 to 50 years. The total storage capacity of the winery is over 12 million liters. Their first major task was to select the proper vine clones for the diverse soils and sun exposures on the estate. Yet they found no scientific standards or documented results for the Sangiovese, despite a centuries-long history of that vine in the area. On their own, they identified over 100 distinct clones of Sangiovese Brunello. They first narrowed the selection down to 60, which they planted in experimental vineyards on the Castello Banfi estate. Through subsequent field study and microvinification, the selection was further narrowed to a final six clones, based on their individual contributions to the final blend, including color, structure, tannin, body, and bouquet. Not only did Castello Banfi plant new vineyards accordingly, but shared the results with neighboring producers. The residual of this practice is increasing quality standards throughout the region.

SummuS enjoyed a text book example of a great vintage. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese and syrah all hand picked from their estates, it's aged for one year in French oak barrels. I think you'll find this and the ExcelsuS quite young and firm. Look for the fruit and the structure from the cabernet, the tannic grip and rich colour from the Brunello and the plump perfumed effect of the syrah.

6. Castello Banfi ExcelsuS 1999
Agent: Select Wines, 416-367-5600 Price: $79. Grapes: 60% cabernet sauvignon, 40% merlot
Excelsus is always extremely limited release produced only in favourable vintages. A cabernet sauvignon merlot blend, it's aged separately in French oak barrique for one year. It's deeply coloured yet austere with a forward complex bouquet of plum, black currant and bell pepper. The strong, lengthy tannins suggest great aging potential.

7. Antinori Guado al Tasso 2000
Agent: Halpern Enterprises, 416-593-2662. Price: $79.95 Grapes: 60% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 10% syrah and other grapes
Guado al Tasso comes from a small wine zone around the medieval village of Bolgheri on the coast, where cabernet was planted early in the 20th century. It's about 60 miles southwest of Florence. The estate of Guado al Tasso started as a summer retreat for the Antinori family. The name either means "the estate with the beautiful view" or "badger's ford" depending on which part of their website you read. Their villa is built on the foundations of an ancient fortress. The grounds are 1000 hectares of which 300 are planted with vineyards - the rest has olive trees, sunflowers and other crops. Adjacent to this estate is Ornellaia which was owned by Piero's younger brother Ludovico and is now owned jointly by Mondavi and Frescobaldi. Sassicaia a pure cabernet which is also from this area was awarded its own DOC. Red wines from the Bolgheri zone, which was created 20 years ago, are allowed to be 10 to 80 per cent cabernet, up to 70 per cent merlot and up to 30 per cent other grapes. This gives Guado al Tasso and other reds from this area a geographic standing that most of the other super Tuscans don't have. I find this 2000 vintage to be rich, delicious, with a full body and very velvety, concentrated, intense taste.
Producers to watch:
Dievole: Their Chianti Classico 2000 ($24.95) is rich, dense and supple with a smooth finish. Chianti Classico Riserva Novecento 1999 ($99.95) in magnum is lovely, supple with fullness and plummy tastes. Fonterutoli: Chianti Classico 2000 ($50.) is rich, intense, fruity (like a fruit cake). Plump with depth and structure. Toscana IGT Siepi 2001 (50% sangiovese, 50% merlot) selling for $120. in Classics is very rich, deep, huge even. It needs time to mellow the persistent tannins. Maremma Toscana IGT Serrata di Beguiardo 2001 (40% cabernet sauvignon, 40% sangiovese, 20% merlot) is rich, velvety, more evolved and lengthy. Maremma is in the western part of Tuscany and legally could be Chianti but prefers its own name recognition. Ornellaia: Bolgheri Superiore DOC Ornellaia 2000 ($159) is a very rich blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30 % merlot and 5% cabernet franc. It's intense with a mineral quality, pencil lead and supple, plush velvety tannins and lots of fruit. Bolgheri Le Serre Nuove 2001 ($59.95) is the second label of Ornellaia. It's all estate fruit, hand harvested with the same pedigree as Ornellaia. The best estate grapes go to Ornellaia, the rest to Le Serre Nuove. It's still very good and a great deal less expensive. Barone Ricasoli whose ancestor's created the formula for chianti is still going strong. Chianti Classico Castello di Brolio ($40.) is 95% sangiovese, the rest merlot and cabernet. It's spiced, woodsy, intense and quite full and complex with lingering flavours. Rocca della Macie: Toscana Roccato 2000 is very deep with a huge, dense, inky concentration yet supple tannins. Vivaio dei Barbi Morellino di Scansano 2000 ($20.) is from the southern part of Tuscany and made entirely from sangiovese grapes. It's supple and smooth with a nice fleshy texture that's almost new world. Some spiciness and berry tones complete the pleasure. Ruffino: Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro 1999 ($44.95) is smooth, plush, with nicely supple tannins. Chianti Classico Aziano 2001 ($16.95) has lively cherry and old wood tastes. Toscana Super Tuscan Modus 1998 (55% sangiovese, rest cabernet sauvignon and merlot) sells for $59 in Classics. It's lovely supple, silky yet firm and elegant. San Felice: Brunello di Montalcino Campogiovanni 1998 ($60.) a pure sangiovese has a delicious structure and balance.

NOTES
Brunello di Montalcino was conceived by the Biondi Santi family a century ago. Now it's issued under more than a hundred labels. Morellino di Scansano grown on the coastal hills of the Maremma is strongly on the rise.
White truffles sold for $6,000 a kilo this Fall in Alba. (The hot dry summer meant there were much fewer of them around.)