Another Road to Traverse

The Wines of Tuscany

Do you remember the first time you tasted a wine from Italy?  For most of us it when we reached drinking age and we ate at an Italian restaurant.  There was not much choice. We ordered a bottle of Chianti in those straw wrappers. It was cute and cheap. We took the empty bottle home, looked at it for a few days,. stuck a candle in it or then threw it out unless we were packrats.  

Or if we were a bit bold we were attracted by the liquor store $3 price for Venetian area reds with romantic names like Valpolicella or Bardolino or Soave whites. The big producers were Bolla and Bertani. Today those same wines are around $15. But then all we knew was that Italian wines weren’t bad and they were cheap.

Well, around 1980 things began to change. The vintners of Piedmont and Tuscany worked hard to bring in modern technology, control areas of production and dramatically improve quality. They have succeeded at every level. They now sell out wines in the $200 to $300 per bottle more quickly than comparably priced Bordeaux and Burgundy simply because the aficionados think they are better wines for the money.

While most of the very top wines are Barolos from the Piedmont area, this article will deal primarily with the more well known, affordable and available wines of Tuscany. That means red wines generally made from the Sangiovese grape but some times from Cabernet with a blend of Syrah and Merlot Bordeaux style.

Just as the Mondavi name looms large in Napa, the Antinori name stands out in Tuscany. Robert Mondavi offers the famous Opus One among a wide range of wines while his brother Peter runs the lesser-known Charles Krug. Piero Antinori produces famous super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Solaia while his brother Ludovico creates comparable but less known wines at his winery.

There is little point to discussing those Super Tuscans since they are now commanding 3 figure prices equal to or above Bordeaux top Crus and many now sell for double the opening price. We will concentrate on wines that are in good supply and have not fallen victim to the small supply and big demand curve

1997 was a premier year for all Tuscan wines. So that is the first thing for which you should look rather than a specific maker. Avoid any 1994s. The premium big name with reasonable availability is Brunello di Montalcino. Prices start at around $50. Look for Antinori, Banfi, Fattoria dei Barbi and Fanti Favio.

A little known bottling that bares the Montalcino pedigree is Rosso di Montalcino made from grapes right next door to the Brunellos. If you find the right wine, you will have a tasting experience that comes close to Brunello for less than half the price. If you can find Banfi, that would be my mid-range choice. Others to look for are Val di Suga, Argiano, Cantina, and especially Salicutti, which is a ’97. In order, these wines range from $12.95 to 27.95.

The category that we are all familiar with is Chianti. It is offered in three “denominazione di origine controlata”, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva ascending in quality with each denominazione.

There are many choices in all three categories. Names to consider in Chianti are Gabbiano, Nozzole, Melini, Ricasoli, Ruffino and Folonari. A very good Chianti choice comes from Badia e Coltibuono who has wine in its portfolio as high as $150. Their easily available Coltibuono Cettamura is a great buy locally for $9.99. I was recently served a glass for $6.50 in an excellent Italian restaurant.

You can find some well-priced Chianti Classico Riserva priced from $20 to $35. A great available choice at the top is Antinori Badia a Passignano. It compares with wines in the  $50 to $70 category. Ruffino Ducale Gold Label can be found at $25 while ‘98 Fattoria di Felsina Beradenga is a steal at under $20. But you might have to order this.