Inside IWM

The Inside Story from Italian Wine Merchants

Super Tuscans, Not Just a Wine by Any Other Name

Posted on | March 9, 2010 | Written by Tara Carille | No Comments

Super Tuscans hold a special spot in the collective wine consciousness for a number of reasons—they hold a prestigious rank, a lofty price tag, and a whole lot of confusion. Looking just at price and classification alone, consumers notice a paradox: Super Tuscans, while awarded a rather low appellation (they are mostly IGT with few capturing the DOC status, and until the 1990’s they were only vino da tavola), carry a big price tag and are some of the most expensive Italian wines sold. Yet even more challenging than parsing a Super Tuscan’s value is trying to comprehend what exactly a Super-Tuscan wine is.

Italian Wine Merchant clients (and employees as well) are often challenged with trying to understand and articulate a clear definition of a wine that falls under the Super Tuscan comprehension. Maybe the first thing to accept though is that a straight-forward definition for Super Tuscan just doesn’t exist.

However, I wouldn’t leave you off there because even without a clear definition, there are commonly agreed upon guidelines. Generally speaking, Super Tuscans are the most prestigious wines that an estate makes outside of Tuscany’s strict DOC/DOCG standards. They can be made from 100% Sangiovese, but often they either include international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Syrah and even Pinot Noir.  These wines also stray from rigid aging requirements and techniques that often plague other esteemed wines grown in Italy (think of the stringent standards for Brunello or Barolo etc).

To get an insider’s handle on the terminology and technicality, I turned to Cinzia Merli from the acclaimed Le Macchiole estate (home of some of the most superior of Super Tuscans—Messorio, Scrio and Paleo) explains her take on Super Tuscans. To Cinzia, the name “Super Tuscan” originally categorized all those wines in the ‘70s and ‘80s without a DOC appellation. Noting that until the ‘80s in Bolgheri only whites and rosé were considered under the “disciplinare,” Cinzia suggests that all the other wines falling outside of these designations got the name Super Tuscans. Cinzia adds her personal insight, “Nowadays Super Tuscans are probably all those high-end, high-quality wines with few quantities.”

Because of the wealth of indigenous grape varieties that call Italy home (all 2,000 plus of them), it seems perhaps a bit indulgent to grow the International varieties that make up Super Tuscans. However, thirty to forty years after the birth of this nickname, we the consumers adore the wines of these popular varieties growing in Tuscany. Still, we might be prompted to ask why producers decided to stray from the ordinary and begin planting these varieties. Cinzia explains:

“We decided to grow international varieties because this area is for sure one of the most suited for grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with expression deeply linked to the territory. The microclimate and the composition of the soil have been more than once considered the second ‘motherland’ for those traditionally considered Bordeaux grapes. For Le Macchiole the decision of producing monovarietal wines is based on the conviction that these could be almost considered ‘native’ varieties and that in this way we have the opportunity to express the terroir at its best.”

And there’s no disputing that these varietals have expressed the terroir of the region best. Super Tuscans, most particularly those hailing from Le Macchiole, have rapidly risen in esteem. No longer do they fight to just challenge Bordeaux’s wines; instead they meet them on a level playing field. Perhaps now it’s time to stir things up a little more; when describing her wines, Cinzia generally considers the estates, Paleo, Scrio and Messorio to be Super Tuscans, “just because they do not ‘follow the rules’ of the DOC law.”

“But,” she adds, “I would better call them ‘terroir wines,” deeply linked to the Bolgheri territory.” Cinzia could be onto something; making terroir, no longer strictly a noun, but an adjective to describe the next big thing in Italian wine.

Bookmark and Share
Category: Uncategorized
Tags: > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply





A Night of the Academy Awards of Wine

Posted on | March 8, 2010 | Written by Frank Sansotta | 1 Comment

The Oscars kept me up late last night—in part to celebrate a timely agreement between Cablevision and ABC7 and in part to revel in the joy of the biggest night of American films.  In the middle of the Oscars, I was struck with a thought: wouldn’t it be great if wine had a night like the Oscars? Which wine would be Sandra Bullock in the stunning gown? What wine would be the epitome of production, of editing, or of costuming? Who, in short, would be the George Clooney of wine? There are many wine awards given out each year by authorities like Decanter and Wine Spectator, but wouldn’t it be nice if there were something like the Oscar Academy who could come together and vote to choose a wine of the year?

2009 was an interesting year for the Italian wine world. Some great wines hit the scene in a major way—in specific, 2006 emerged as what could go down as the greatest Super-Tuscan vintage ever. But the 2006 wasn’t alone; Brunello di Montalcino grew up and overcame its 2003 scandal to produce a set of fantastic wines in 2004. And much like Meryl Streep is a nominee for Best Actress for the sixteenth time, the Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva 2004 showed its longevity.

Although it’s hard for me to choose a wine for each category, and although I’m just one man doing the hard work of a whole academy (not to mention the glamorous accounting job of Price Waterhouse Coopers), I want to realize my idea for an Oscar of Wine. You’re free to battle it out in the comments, but in the meantime, to the awards we go….

Best Supporting Actor: Playing a secondary role to not just one but two of the most sought after wines in the world—Masseto and Ornellaia—is no easy task. And yet this wine displays the very best of the Ornellaia estate Tenuta dell’Ornellaia; there’s no question that Le Serre Nuove 2007 and supports Ornellaia and Masseto in a charming way.  This estate’s ability to produce three stunning wines every year suggests what an all-star cast is on display. The emergence of a fourth wine, Le Volte, sets this estate apart from all other Bolgheri estates in 2009.

Best Supporting Actress: Bruno Giacosa is on a roll for his magnificent group of wines in 2004, and the Bruno Giacosa Spumante Brut 2004 is a dark horse winner. The perfect complement to his Barolo and Barbarescos, the Brut Spumante has surfaced as one of the best unknown sparklers out of Italy. Subtly delineated by scents of fruit and yeast, Giacosa’s Brut is elegant and marked by a persistent perlage, and it’s dry and lively on the palate. Mo’Nique, you want to celebrate your victory with this sparkler!

Best Original Screenplay: Taking us back nearly 4,000 years, Josko Gravner defies conventional winemaking and produces wines from clay amphora. Much like Quentin Tarantino, Josko Gravner takes the high-risk, high-reward approach and always seems to come out on top (at least by those cognoscenti who love his work).  If you’ve never tasted one of Gravner’s wines, you are in for a shock—and a treat. It’s best to prepare yourself ahead of time by decanting his wines for several hours. Once you taste a Gravner wine you may never go back to a traditional white wine again—it would be like watching Pulp Fiction in chronological order.

Best Actor: Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto 2006 – Italy has certainly emerged as a contender for the best Merlot production in the world. Many have labeled this wine the Petrus of Italy, beating out the likes of Galatrona, Redigaffi, and Messorio for supreme Tuscan Merlot. This 100% Merlot has reviewers falling out of their seats and collectors going crazy to find this gem.   And like Jeff Bridges, it only gets better with age.

Best Actress: Barbaresco, known as the Queen in Piedmont, gave a masterful performance in 2004. Lead by Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva 2004, this vintage made headlines, displaying a powerful performance combined with graceful exuberance. Much like what we’ve grown accustomed to from Meryl Streep, we see that with age a wine can become more beautiful and representative of place.  A classic beauty that will last for decades, Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva 2004 is a wine that all wine buffs should consider for the cellars.

Best Film: Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006 – In this monumental role Sassicaia plays an adolescent Bordeaux who is lost in Bolgheri trying to find his way to the big city. After 25-plus years of struggle in the gravely soil, Sassicaia emerges in 1968 to produce its first vintage. Through some struggle in the 70’s and early 80’s, this young Bordeaux look-alike gives its first great performance in 1985. A little more than 25 years later, Sassicaia proves that its Lafite cuttings can make a wine that will last for the ages. Packing the punch of The Hurt Locker, the beauty of Avatar, the whimsy of Up, the passion of Precious, and the intelligence of Up in the Air, this wine has dazzled its followers with its superb depth and quality. Like great films and many Oscar winners in the past, people will watch and rave about Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006 for the next fifty years!

Like all Oscar presentations, there were tears and there were surprises in this Oscars of Wine. There were upsets and there were bottles whose win you saw coming miles away. There may even be choices you disagree with—in which case I invite you to weigh in below. What wine did you expect to take the podium, note-cards in hand, to thank its producer?

Bookmark and Share
Category: Uncategorized

Comments

One Response to “A Night of the Academy Awards of Wine”

  1. Kerry-Jo Rizzo
    March 9th, 2010 @ 12:27 am

    great idea Frank!

Leave a Reply





Macaroni and Cheese

Posted on | March 5, 2010 | Written by Josh Rubenstein | No Comments

Today I met Mark Bailey, the new Sommelier at Dakota Prime to introduce IWM while sharing one of my favorite food and wine pairings in Hong Kong with him—Dakota Prime’s Macaroni and Cheese with Truffles, a dish that is not your kid’s SpongeBob Mac and Cheese, and San Giuliano’s 2005 Barbaresco, a wine that a revelation for those of us who want to let our Giacosas age but want to drink a great Barbaresco now.   We talked about unique opportunities we have in the Hong Kong wine community, and our conversation reminded me of my first impressions of the Hong Kong wine market when I arrived twelve months ago.

The eyes of the wine world remain on Hong Kong because of the city’s staggering auction results, but that phenomenon is not quite an accurate picture of the wine scene on a day-to-day basis.   Upon my arrival, many clients here told me of how they saw many wine merchants open businesses in hopes of capitalizing on the spending frenzy frequently reported by Bloomberg and other major media, only to close their shops just as quickly as that frenzy ended.  The newspapers would have had me believe that a throng of local collectors would greet me at the airport with blank checks and ask me to fill their cellars unto bursting with Italy’s best wines.  What I’ve found is less a mania for collection and more a profound love of wine, and I like it.

Hong Kong’s passion for enjoying life’s finer things manifests itself in an obsession to understand wine, and not simply to bid wildly on Lafite at auction.  The wine lovers of Hong Kong move beyond first growths and Parker scores and search for the story in each bottle, and they appreciate the way a farmer can put his heart in a bottle, just as art lovers appreciate how Van Gogh put his heart onto a canvas. (Would Ales Kristancic cut off his ear?  Would you be surprised if he did?)  When you think about it, the deep appreciation felt by Hong Kong wine aficionados makes sense; a culture largely influenced by principles of Feng Shui is naturally adept at feeling what lies beyond plain sight.

Today I met a friend for lunch who has recently taken classes in Italian wine, Champagne and Burgundy, who is preparing to take her Level 3 WSET exam for fun, and who will travel to Piedmont and Bordeaux this year.  The joy she gets from the education in wine makes the journey itself a destination. This attitude is inspiring, and this attitude drives me and my peers in the Hong Kong wine community.

When I arrived in Hong Kong bearing the strange gifts of Italian wines—like Ales’ biodynamic beauties that call for you to open underwater and decant overhead—I wondered how both I and my wines would be received.  I was fully confident in IWM and our ability to contribute to the wine community’s thirst for the world’s very best wine, and I felt sure I could serve both the people and the wines properly.  But would anyone care to understand what was in these bottles? I was fortunate to meet some of the leaders in the HK restaurant scene early on, and on meeting them, I knew we had found the right place, and the right partners, to share our passion.

Mark’s designs for Dakota Prime’s enhanced wine program will offer HK foodies countless opportunities to discover what’s beautiful about wine—and not merely what’s most familiar. And his innovations are evocative of the Hong Kong restaurant scene in general. When Giovanni Perna at Domani recommends a new Italian wine to me, I don’t think twice about trying it, even if I experience only a fraction of the passion he feels for this wine.  When I dine at Tuscany by H, I don’t open the menu; Chef Harlan tells me what he thinks and I trust him completely.  (If you’re a fan of great service, watch him operate on any night and you’ll see how much he genuinely cares about every guest’s experience that night.)  At the new Otto e Mezzo, GM Danilo Nicoletti’s face lights up like a Roman candle when he talks about the art of Italian wine and his own culinary artist, Chef Bombana, and the collection of fine art in the restaurant itself is an ode to a time and place in Italian culture.  Make no mistake: Hong Kong is an awesome place to be a wine lover.

If you’re reading this with a glass of wine in hand, as I have been while writing this post (I’ve been drinking Movia 2006 Pinot Grigio—I usually don’t love Pinot Grigio, but this is art, my friends), I hope you’ll drink to Mark’s success in guiding us wine lovers to profound wine discoveries. May I suggest the San Guilano Barbaresco paired thoughtfully with Macaroni and Cheese and perhaps a side of Porterhouse?

Bookmark and Share
Category: Uncategorized
Tags: > > > > > > > >

Comments

Leave a Reply






keep looking »