The Maestro has decided he can't quit his love of learning, and I'm going "back to school," as it were––toward the end of this year, I'll be taking certification exams for the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, or WSET, and with the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas to become a "Certified Sommelier."
This means I get to drink a lot of wine, something which has never been a particular challenge for me, and learn a bunch about the history, climate, soils, regulations, varietals, and production methods of multiple regions of which I otherwise only have a cursory knowledge.
Considering I got burned on a job interview recently when I was quizzed about Tuscan wines, Tuscany was my first week of focus. As part of a new series, each weekend through the fall exams I'll give a brief synthesis of what I've learned and offer up my favorite three wines from the week.
***
Most Americans think "Tuscany" right away when they think of Italian wine. Perched on the northern end of the Italian peninsula bordering the Mediterranean to the west and the Apennine Mountains to the east and north, Toscana is home to one of the most visited cities in the world––Florence––and boasts a wine culture dating to the Etruscans in the 8th century BC.
The rolling hills of Tuscany, decorated with olive trees and cypresses between vineyards and villages, produce some of the most famous wines in the world. In particular, the winemaking regions of Chianti Classico, Montalcino, and Montepulciano do amazing things with Toscana's local hero grape varietal, sangiovese.
The epicenter of wine production in Tuscany is an amoeba-shaped region between the towns of Florence and Siena. You may have heard of it––Chianti. As in France, much of what's made in Italy is labeled not by varietal, but by region. Chianti is the biggest and most well-known of the Tuscan wine regions, but smaller villages in the south and west of the province––Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Bolgheri––make some of the most highly-regarded wines.
Chianti Classico
If you're jonesing for Chianti, the finest examples tend to be found in the epicenter of the area, called Chianti Classico. This sub-region of Chianti boasts to some of the most prized vineyards and terroir in Italy. The hilly topography provides fantastic growing sites for sangiovese. As a varietal that thrives with ample sunshine, Tuscany's hillside vineyards are fantastic for superlative wines made from sangio. Moreover, the best soils in Toscana––a raised seabed formation combining sand and clay called galestro––provide just enough challenge for the vines, but ample water to sustain them through the lengthy Tuscan summers.
Chianti Classico earned the highest of Italian wine classifications, "DOCG," in 1984; these regulations are also the most stringent. Sangiovese must form 80% of each bottle labeled Chianti Classico, and the remaining 20% can be other red varietals, including traditional indigenous varietals like canaiolo and colorino or French varietals like merlot and cabernet sauvignon (planted in Tuscany, of course).
The wines must be aged a minimum of seven months in oak, and must be aged for a total of 12 months. Wines labeled riserva must be aged for 24 months, and gran selezione wines 30 months. Most producers rely mostly on large, well-used Slavonian oak casks called botti to age their wines, which allows for slow micro-oxygenation (important for building flavor in the wine) without imparting oaky tannins and flavors to the wine.
The minimal presence of new oak, higher hillside vineyards, and aromatic and high-acid character of the sangiovese grape all contribute to the salient character of the wines––high-toned, direct, and angular wines anchored by sour red cherries, cranberries, plums, and some darker brambles, with aromas of herbs and violets. Chianti Classico is perched between two of the highest hills in the area, on some of the highest, breeziest hillsides, with particularly challenging soils. These characteristics make wines that are the apotheosis of the style––bright, tense, and perfumed.
One of the best things about Chianti Classico is how affordable is can be. Unlike pricey Brunello from a village just dozens of kilometers south, excellent Chianti Classico can be found for less than $20. My favorite of the example in my study sample I bought at Costco for just $15. And given how food-friendly these wines are, they're great everyday drinkers with all sorts of food, especially any Italian dish made with tomatoes!
Brunello di Montalcino
The mightiest wines in Toscana come from the area around the southern Tuscan village of Montalcino. A local breed of sangiovese, known for large berries and thick skins, flourishes here––sangiovese grosso––and wines labeled Brunello di Montalcino must be made entirely from this varietal. Brunello means "little brown one" in the local dialect, and the wines display a distinct brown tint when mature.
Brunello was one of the first DOCGs granted in 1980 in Italy, alongside neighboring Nobile di Montalcino and Piedmontese DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco. The high-acid and particularly tannic nature of sangiovese, and the uniquely thick-skinned sangiovese grosso, produce wines with exceptional ageworthiness.
In fact, Brunello di Montalcino must be aged a minimum of five years before release, and two years must be in oak. The earliest prototypes of Brunello made by Biondi Santi might be aged in oak for over a decade. But the key is that these wines are rarely aged for such a lengthy time in standard French oak barriques, which would otherwise impart a great deal of "oaky" flavor––instead, winemakers use the same big, well-used Slavonian oak botti they use in Chianti. Oxygen is able to penetrate the wine and develop secondary and tertiary flavor characters without the oak concealing the character of the sangiovese.
Indeed, even young Brunello can taste like a much older wine in terms of phenolic content while still exhibiting serious acid and chewy tannin. Much like its Piedmontese siblings in Barolo and Barbaresco, Brunellos are best at ten or more years of age, when the acid has settled and the tannins have integrated.
Because Montalcino is one of the warmest and driest villages in Tuscany, the sangiovese has no difficulty ripening, and the wines display more robust fruit character and concentration. The classic cherry flavors of sangiovese are still on display, but instead black cherries abound, anchored by purple brambles like blackberries and boysenberries, as well as plums. When young, the fruit is feisty and brighter, with acidity and high-toned notes of redder fruit. When perfectly aged, fresh fruit becomes rounded and candied, with a distinct sweetness that gives away an aged Brunello every time––cherry candy and figs in particular.
But the elements underneath, revealed by the character of the grape and terroir, oxygenation in barrels, and age in the bottle, are perhaps the most exciting of a Brunello. Aromatic herbaceous qualities, like mint, menthol, anise, and eucalyptus, as well as floral aromas of violets, can be readily apparent in the glass, lending remarkable depth and complexity to the beguiling fruit.
Brunello pairs brilliantly with all sort of meat and game, and I love it with smoky, rare Florentine steaks. Game meat loves Brunello––venison, goat, lamb, and small game birds are all excellent choices.
Other notable wines
In Toscana, there are eleven sub-regions worthy of DOCG classification by the Italian government, but Vino Nobile di Montepulciano was a highlight of my study. Also based on a type of sangiovese grosso, called prugnolo gentile, Vino Nobile has been a favorite of powerful people for centuries, including Thomas Jefferson, who referenced a longing for these wines in his private writings.
The wine often gets confused for an eastern Italian wine called Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which is based on a grape confusingly named Montepulciano. Instead, Nobile di Montepulciano is made of 70% sangio and blended with other local or French red grapes, particularly canaiolo, and up to 5% white wine. These relatively lax blending standards contributed to a fairly precipitous decline of the reputation of these wines in the 1980s––as the appetite for heavily extracted and dark wines swept the world, producers from Montepulciano leaned heavily into the use of French varietals and barrels to add heft and compete in the "modern" market.
Only in the last decade has a movement developed toward making the traditional practices popular again. Now, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano is among the most excellent being made in Tuscany. Crudely, the character of these wines can be said to sit somewhere between the elegant, tense, perfumed style of Chianti Classico and the darker, more aged Brunello. Despite the lax blending standards, oak aging must occur for at least a year of a total of 24 months of aging to meet DOCG labeling standards.
My experience with Vino Nobile has been consistent with this broad characterization––it captures some of the redder fruit and flowers of Chianti Classico while maintaining an overall juicy profile, and captures the tertiary, herbaceous and earthy characteristics that come from extended aging in botti. It could be called the best of both worlds, and given that it's on the upswing, an excellent bottle can be found for a third to half the price of good Brunello.
Another really important current in Tuscan wine is the rise of "super Tuscans," these days made with nearly endless variation but most saliently displayed in wines from regions like Bolgheri. As Chianti became popular worldwide in the 1960s, many producers took advantage of the blending allowances in the local DOC regulations to "water down" Chianti with cheaper and less resource-intensive white wine, swamping the market with product and diminishing the quality and reputation. Winemakers fighting this trend were frustrated that their work was being diluted by the reputation of the mass-produced wines making the rounds across Italy and the world over.
Trouble was that under Italy's wine classification rules, the wines these producers were making could only be labeled at the bottom of the quality certification rules––table wine. Things came to a head as the international craze for big, full bodied wines swept the globe in the late 70s and 80s, and many Tuscan producers wanted to use heavier French grapes in their blends. It is in this context that the "super Tuscan" was born––at its broadest, a wine made in Tuscany that was outside the DOC or DOCG regulations.
These wines could be 100% sangiovese (outside of Brunello, until 1996, Chianti Classico had to be blended) or some combination of French grapes grown in Tuscany and sangiovese, or use unsanctioned oak or aging regimens. In 1992, a new classification, "IGT" or Indicazione Geografica Protetta, allowed winemakers to at least put "Toscana" on their super Tuscans, and DOCs such as Bolgheri eventually allowed for super Tuscans to reach even higher classifications.
These wines can generally be described as more "international" than "Italian," owing to their reliance on Bordeaux varietals, sometimes in very high percentages, and French-style oak aging, often with new oak. Producers of super Tuscans make wines that span enormous breadth of style and character, however.
A good indicator of a super Tuscan (that isn't from an established super Tuscan–based DOC like Bolgheri) is seeing "Toscana," an "IGT" classification, and a "name" for the wine, like the "Modus" bottling from Ruffino's massive collection that I sampled as part of my Tuscany study. As my wine journey proceeds, I can't wait to explore more of the discrete wine sub-regions of this wonderful place, and, of course, to visit!
The Maestro's recommendations
Altesino Brunello di Montalcino, 2017 ($60)
Twenty seventeen wasn't a landmark vintage for Brunello, but this is as classic as they come––ripe blackberries, cherry candy, and racy herbs, with an underbelly offering a hint of leather and smoke. Delicious now and not overly acidic and tannic, but could obviously age. Of the Brunellos that were part of my study, this was my favorite.
Cafaggio Chianti Classico, 2021 ($16)
Surprisingly, Costco sold me my favorite Chianti Classico. With slightly darker cherry and ripe raspberries, while still displaying the classic tension and acidity I'd expect, it was much more layered and multifaceted than many of the other Chiantis I sampled. The herbaceousness of sangiovese reveals itself in earthy notes like sage and tea. A real bang for your buck!
Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2020 ($32)
Richer bing and black cherry compote form a lush backdrop of fruit for this wonderful example of Nobile. Poliziano is one of the producers shifting back to the traditional style, but a hint of merlot contributes to the body. Slightly crunchy tannins complement fresh cut herbs and earth. Just lovely.
Each weekend, I'll do a recap of my studies and wines from the prior week! Super helpful for me, of course, to write a summation of some of the material I covered, and hopefully helpful for others for learning something and selecting your next fabulous bottle from your local wine shop!
コメント