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Tuscan DOCG Overview
By John Fodera
It’s
been a while since I dropped in with a mind expanding post, so
I figured it would be a good way to start the week! God knows
I need some Karma after my Fantasy Football weekend.
This
post will focus on all that is Tuscany as it relates to DOCG’s
except for Brunello di Montalcino which I covered in a separate
post. Having said that, let’s get started.
Chianti, Chianti Classico, and Chianti Classico
Riserva :
This
is perhaps the most bizarre appellation in Tuscany. No where else
can you have the “same” wine with exceptional or pitiful quality.
It is the ultimate oxymoron! What do I mean? Chianti is a large
geographical area in central Tuscany. It is the largest DOCG delimited
area in the province. This appellation, of which Chianti Classico
is a part, includes the most generic straw covered swill and the
most mind bending of red wines. How do we break it down?
Chianti
– As I mentioned, this labeling of a wine can include any wine
made in the geographical area under the appropriate DOCG regulations.
This means that crop size, varietals, blending rules, etc… are
all governed. The problem is, this does not equate to good wine
and very few wines carrying the simple Chianti designation are
worth more than the paper their labels are printed on. Most of
this is straw basket swill more suited to decorating your cellar.
There are exceptions however, and perhaps one of the best I’ve
ever tasted, and a tremendous QPR is the Chianti bottling by Straccali.
This usually sells for $6 and is a great wine for pizza, and simple
pasta recipes.
Chianti
Classico – This is located within the heart of the Chianti region
and is its own DOCG. It has the best soil, the best exposure,
the best vineyards. This is where the top producers are located.
Prices range from $12 to $30, Castello di Ama excepted, and in
good vintages, quality can be very high. Blends, varietals and
yields are the same, but the geographic area is the distinction
between Chianti. To draw an analogy, if Chianti is the State of
New Jersey, than Chianti Classico would be Somerset county. I
like to remember the “F’s” when searching for excellent Chianti
Classico : Felsina, Fontodi, Fonterutoli. Virtually all are excellent
producers. Some other exceptional producers include Badia a Coltibuono,
Antinori, Isole e Olena and sometimes Ruffino. There are dozens
more, but these are the major players and the most widely available.
Chianti
Classico Riserva – The “best” wines from the producers located
above in the Chianti Classico region. These wines are aged for
an additional year and are usually priced in the $30’s. IMO, few
are actually worth the money, but when they excel, they can rival
Brunello in their grandeur and their allure.
With
the advent of the new DOCG laws which took affect with the 1995
vintage, guessing the blend of a Chianti wine can be quite an
achievement. Sangiovese must be used up to at least 75%, but the
balance can be made up of almost anything else including Syrah,
Cabernet, Merlot or Canaiolo. Additionally 100% Sangiovese may
also be used or the producer may still follow the old laws and
include up to 10% white grapes in the blend such as Trebbiano
and Malvasia. This is where much of the confusion stems with certain
Super Tuscan wines. For example, wines such as Flaccionello and
Fontalloro could be re-labeled as Chianti Classico with no change
at all in their blend. Furthermore, Tignanello could carry the
same distinction simply by replacing the 5% Cabernet Franc with
one of the other approved varietals. I doubt either of these circumstances
would occur for a variety of reasons, but it further illustrates
what has become a resounding theme in my posts on Italian wine
: The only constant is confusion!
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano :
This
is yet another controversial appellation. This area, to the east
of Brunello produces the “Noble Wine” of Montepulciano. The grape
varietal used is a clone of Sangiovese called Prugnolo Gentile.
To the residents and producers of Montepulciano, the Prugnolo
Gentile is equivalent to Sangiovese Grosso, the clone responsible
for their neighbors wine, Brunello di Montalcino. They are firm
in their belief that the wine achieves the same heights and they
are tired of being the “red-headed stepchild” to their next door
neighbor. However, the proof is certainly not in their wines.
I have tasted many Vino Nobile, and while they are very good,
they do not approach the quality found in the wines of Brunello.
They are most comparable to fine Chianti Classicos and Montalcino’s
best Rosso di Montalcinos. The producers have been doing a lot
of talking, but they have not followed through on their words.
There are only a handful of noteworthy producers in the region
and the first is noted more for two of it’s wines that are not
Vino Nobile! Avignonesi, the exceptional producer of Italy’s greatest
Vin Santo and a fine Super Tuscan called Grifi leads the region
effortlessly. Following them are several very good producers,
Dei being one that provides constant quality with it’s Vino Nobile.
The one plus for the region is that the prices for Vino Nobile
have remained fairly stable and very nice wines can still be had
for $18-$25.
Carmignano:
Some
people regard this as the original Super Tuscan! Prior to the
new DOC classifications, which saw Bolgheri and Sassicaia become
DOC’s, this was the only regulated region that was permitted to
use Cabernet in the blending of its wines. This is a small, small
area near Florence where hundreds of years ago a certain Royal
figurehead was bestowed the privilege of using Cabernet in the
wine from this area. The blend established was 80% Sangiovese,
and up to 10% Cabernet with the balance comprising either Canaiolo
or additional Sangiovese. Basically, for a time, it was Chianti
“kicked up a notch”. In my experience however, Carmignano was
rarely distinctive even before the new laws allowed Cabernet into
Chianti. I imagine it would be virtually impossible to identify
it as such now. There are only two noteworthy producers in the
region, which is the smallest DOCG in Tuscany. They are Capezzana
and Ambra. The latter has been on a role and is much better than
the former, whose wines seem to fall apart almost unexplainably
in vintages where one would suspect quite the contrary. In their
youth, they are very nice and I treat them as Chianti Classico
for my cellaring purposes. Average retail should be no more than
$20. A small source of confusion here is the wine labeled as Barco
Reale di Carmignano. This is not Carmignano, but a younger wine
often of lesser quality. I usually avoid them.
Vernaccia di San Gimignano:
The
last DOCG region within Tuscany is actually related to a white
wine! Vernaccia is an excellent and unheralded varietal. In the
sea of lousy white wine made in Italy, this native varietal is
the gem in the crown. Made in and around the hillside town of
San Gimignano as the name indicates, the wines typically boast
a flowery yet perfumed nose, with hints of citrus, especially
lemon. What’s more, very few of the regions wines see oak treatment.
Many are fermented in stainless steel. Even where it is present,
oak never dominates this delicate white. By far, the best producer
I have ever had has been Falchini. This producer is worth the
search and also produces the stellar Super Tuscan red called Campora.
That is all folks….
Salute,
Giovanni
Copyright
© John Fodera, December, 1999
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