At 9,000 square miles, Tuscany, in central Italy, is one of the country’s biggest and most varied regions in terms of climate, topography and natural beauty. The Apennine Mountains run down the length of the region, giving way to the soft rolling hills that have been immortalized in postcards and wall calendars, as well as 150 miles of coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Coastal Tuscany
The majority of wines from this region that are imported into the U.S. are DOC designates, yet are considered super Tuscans, and are from the Bolgheri DOC, which covers the commune of Castagneto Carducci in coastal Tuscany. These wines are made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, with up to 30 percent of other varieties. There is also a Bolgheri Superiore that requires extra aging. A smaller DOC, Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC, covers a single vineyard. Sassicaia must be at least 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Two other DOCs are emerging. The wines of the Montescudaio DOC, in the province of Pisa, north of Bolgheri, can be made from Cabernet, Merlot or Sangiovese grapes, or a blend. The grapes of the Val di Cornia DOC, which includes the town of Suvereto, are the same, but there are more options in terms of making Superiore or Riserva wine.
Southern Tuscany
The Maremma provinces, in the southernmost part of the rustic region near Lazio, is considered a land of opportunity by winemakers and many are rushing to invest. The area inland from the agricultural town Grosseto is home to the rising Morellino di Scansano DOC (85 percent Sangiovese) but it is also home to innovative winemakers anxious to make super Tuscans and flex their blending muscles.
Central Tuscany
This is the breadbasket of Tuscan wine. The biggest and most important DOCG of the area is Chianti Classico. Today, those wines are defined as between 75 percent and 100 percent Sangiovese and up to 20 percent international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
These proportions represent the most recent modification to the Chianti Classico formula, allowing this wine to achieve more appeal abroad.
The irony is that many of this region’s super Tuscans adhere strictly to the Chianti Classico DOCG laws. It is the producers’ choice to market their wines as super Tuscan and not as Chianti Classico. For example, Piero Antinori’s groundbreaking Tignanello is 85 percent Sangiovese and the remaining proportion is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It could easily qualify as a Chianti Classico.
Central Tuscany also includes the exciting Sant’Antimo DOC, which covers much of the same territory as the Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. In fact, it was specifically designed to allow Brunello producers to make wines outside the strict laws that govern Brunello and dabble in blends with Sangiovese or monovarietal wines like Syrah and Merlot.
Eastern Tuscany
This emerging region is struggling to carve itself an identity within greater Tuscany. The area includes the greater province of Arezzo and the Cortona DOC, which allows for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Sangiovese and Syrah. Syrah seems to have particular affinity for Cortona.