Super Tuscan Tradition

Sassicaia traces back to Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, born in Rome in 1899, who moved to the Maremma in the early 1940s and concluded that Cabernet "has the bouquet I have been searching for". His first grafts came from the Dukes Salviati of Migliarino, close to Pisa, and in 1944 he planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard: just over one hectare at an altitude of approximately 400 metres above sea level, at Castiglioncello di Bolgheri. From 1945 to 1967 Sassicaia remained a strictly private wine for family and close friends; it was released on the market for the first time in 1971 with the 1968 vintage. Tignanello was produced for the first time from a single vineyard parcel in 1970 as a Chianti Classico Riserva, when the blend contained 20% Canaiolo and 5% of the white grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia, and in 1971 it became a Tuscan red table wine called Tignanello. Piero Antinori labelled the wine as vino da tavola because the Chianti Classico rules of the time required white grapes. The birth of the category is considered to be shared among Tignanello, Sassicaia and Tegolato, a wine produced in 1962 at Castello di Poppiano near Montespertoli and labelled as a vino da tavola. The term SuperTuscan was first coined in the mid-1980s by the English journalist and Master of Wine Nicolas Belfrage and was then adopted by the English and American press.

• 1944: Mario Incisa della Rocchetta plants just over one hectare of Cabernet Sauvignon at Castiglioncello di Bolgheri
• 1968 vintage: the first Sassicaia released on the market, in 1971
• 1970 to 1971: Tignanello moves from a single-vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva to a Tuscan red table wine; its label was designed in 1974 for the release of Tignanello 1971
• Mid-1980s: Nicolas Belfrage MW first coins the term SuperTuscan

In the 1960s some Tuscan producers began experimenting with non-indigenous varieties from Bordeaux, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for Sassicaia grow in Tenuta San Guido's estate-owned plots at Castiglioncello, Aia Nuova, Cerreta, Sassicaia di Sopra and San Martino, at altitudes from 100 to 360 metres above sea level. Tignanello is produced with a selection of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and the current blend has been used since 1982; Jane Anson, writing in Decanter, puts its Sangiovese share at around 80%. Solaia, first produced by the Antinori family in 1978 from a 20-hectare vineyard at the Tignanello estate, began as 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, with 20% Sangiovese introduced in the following years. Ornellaia, established in 1981 and owned by the Frescobaldi family, has Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot as the main varieties planted on the estate, followed by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. In the 1980s Marchese Lodovico Antinori, at Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, was encouraged to plant Merlot on the blue clay of the Masseto hill, the source of the 100% Merlot Masseto. Sangiovese-only wines are part of the tradition as well: Montevertine's Pergole Torte and Isole e Olena's Cepparello are both 100% Sangiovese IGT Toscana.

• Sassicaia: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from estate-owned plots at 100 to 360 metres
• Tignanello: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, current blend since 1982; Solaia: first produced in 1978, now Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese
• Ornellaia estate: mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, followed by Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; Masseto: 100% Merlot from the Masseto hill
• 100% Sangiovese IGT Toscana examples: Pergole Torte (Montevertine) and Cepparello (Isole e Olena)

The two founding wines come from different places: Sassicaia from Alta Maremma, where at that time there was no appellation for wines, and Tignanello from the heart of Chianti Classico. The Bolgheri DOC had 968 hectares of vineyard in 2021, with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah as its principal red varieties. Tenuta San Guido's soils are partially clayey, at 60 to 400 metres above sea level with a west and south-west exposure and a strong presence of limestone; the hills from Bibbona to Castagneto protect its vineyards from north-easterly winds while sea breezes cool the corridor in summer. Parts of the Ornellaia estate were once covered by the Mediterranean Sea, leaving behind sand, marl and marine fossils, and its soil is marine, alluvial and volcanic in origin. In Chianti Classico, the Tignanello estate lies between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, with about 165 of its 319 hectares under vine, and the Tignanello and Solaia vineyards share one hillside on Pliocene marine marlstone at 350 to 400 metres above sea level. Coastal Maremma attracted large investments between 1997 and 2001, including the Petra winery near Suvereto and the Rocca di Frassinello joint venture, but Decanter places the SuperTuscan 'grands crus' mostly within Chianti Classico or in Bolgheri.

• Bolgheri DOC: 968 ha of vineyard in 2021, with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah as principal reds
• Chianti Classico: the Tignanello and Solaia vineyards share one hillside at 350 to 400 metres on Pliocene marine marlstone
• Maremma: large investments between 1997 and 2001, including Petra near Suvereto and Rocca di Frassinello
• Bolgheri DOC: whites from 1984, red and rosato wines added in 1994; Bolgheri Sassicaia a separate DOC from 2013

The early SuperTuscans were often aged in small French barrels, in a wider region well known for large Italian botti. Emile Peynaud (d. 2004) advised Tignanello winemaker Giacomo Tachis (d. 2016) to "avoid using oak casks that are too large, for too long, too many times". The Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC requires a minimum of 2 years of aging, including 18 months in barrel, and Bolgheri Superiore a minimum of 2 years, including 1 year in barrel. The 2023 Tignanello aged in French oak barrels, with a small percentage in Hungarian oak, predominantly new, for a total of 13 months, followed by 12 months in bottle; the 2023 Solaia aged in new French oak barrels for approximately 15 months. In Decanter's assessment, the SuperTuscan style is no longer defined by concentration, extraction and new oak, after consumers began looking for red wines focused on freshness and finesse.

• Small French barrels, in a region known for large Italian botti, marked the early wines
• Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC: minimum 2 years, including 18 months in barrel; Bolgheri Superiore: minimum 2 years, including 1 year in barrel
• Tignanello 2023: 13 months in predominantly new French oak with a small share of Hungarian oak, then 12 months in bottle
• Style shift: no longer defined by concentration, extraction and new oak

Tuscany's appellation laws restricted the use of non-indigenous varieties and prescribed a Chianti recipe that had to include at least 10% white varieties, so the first commercial Sassicaia had to be labelled as vino da tavola, and Antinori's 1971 Tignanello was declassified to vino da tavola. The level below DOC is IGP, traditionally called IGT for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, and producers may use either term on the label. The IGT classification itself was created in 1992 specifically to recognise the quality of these 'outsider' wines. The IGT Toscana was born with the ministerial decree of 9 October 1995, and its disciplinare credits the so-called supertuscans, made from the 1960s onward, as a significant tool in promoting the IGT Toscana on international markets. The zone of production is the entire region of Toscana, and the Rosso may be made from any proportions of grape varieties approved for the region. The Bolgheri DOC was established for white wines in 1984, with red and rosato wines added in 1994, and Bolgheri Sassicaia was created as a subzone of the Bolgheri DOC in 1994 and established as a separate DOC in 2013. In Chianti Classico, DOCG status came in 1984, 100% Sangiovese was authorised in 1996, and white grapes were banned from the 2006 vintage; one reason for launching the Gran Selezione level was to entice a few celebrated SuperTuscans back into the Consorzio's fold.

• Vino da tavola: the label for wines made outside the Chianti recipe of the time, which required at least 10% white varieties
• IGT created in 1992; IGT Toscana approved by ministerial decree of 9 October 1995
• Bolgheri DOC: whites 1984, red and rosato 1994; Bolgheri Sassicaia: subzone 1994, separate DOC 2013
• Chianti Classico: DOCG 1984, 100% Sangiovese authorised 1996, white grapes banned from the 2006 vintage

As these wines punched well above their vino da tavola status, they collectively became known as SuperTuscans, and the term became synonymous with adventurous winemaking, with producers experimenting with international varieties, French barriques and new viticultural methods. No official definition for SuperTuscans exists, though they are widely accepted as wines produced in Tuscany, including from international varieties, mostly aged in French barrels and labelled today under the regional IGT Toscana umbrella; SuperTuscans can now have IGT, DOC or DOCG status. IGP Toscana covered 13,338 hectares of vineyard and 640,000 hectolitres of production in 2020. Cesare Cecchi, president of Consorzio Vino Toscana, told Decanter that of the 90 million bottles of IGT Toscana released each year, "about one third could be considered SuperTuscans". In December 2021 a Historical SuperTuscans committee was founded, with Paolo Panerai of Castellare di Castellina as president, to represent the great SuperTuscan wines produced over the previous 50 years; its 16 founding wineries each had a SuperTuscan made from grapes grown within the Chianti Classico area before 1994.

• No official definition of SuperTuscan exists; most are labelled today under IGT Toscana
• SuperTuscans can have IGT, DOC or DOCG status
• IGP Toscana in 2020: 13,338 ha of vineyard and 640,000 hl of production
• Historical SuperTuscans committee founded in December 2021 with 16 founding wineries

Primary sources (Tenuta San Guido, Marchesi Antinori, Ornellaia, the MASAF IGT Toscana disciplinare and the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico): https://www.tenutasanguido.com/en/history, https://www.tenutasanguido.com/en/sassicaia-en, https://www.tenutasanguido.com/en/guidalberto-en, https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/tignanello-en/, https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/solaia-en/, https://www.ornellaia.com/en/history-and-ownership/, https://www.ornellaia.com/en/philosophy-and-terroir/, https://www.ornellaia.com/en/wines/le-serre-nuove-dellornellaia-2024/, https://www.ornellaia.com/en/wines/ornellaia-2023/, https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252F0%252F8%252FD.80c31f0c0a116455addf/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/7z?mode=download, https://www.chianticlassico.com/en/consortium/history-of-chianti-classico/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/premium/top-super-tuscan-wines-414055/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/supertuscans-at-50-471939/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/historical-super-tuscan-producers-unite-under-new-association-470360/, https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/opinion/news-blogs-anson/super-tuscan-wine-counter-culture-376969/, https://italianwinecentral.com/denomination/bolgheri-sassicaia-doc/, https://italianwinecentral.com/denomination/bolgheri-doc/, https://italianwinecentral.com/denomination/igp-toscano-toscana/, https://italianwinecentral.com/italian-quality-levels/. Last verified 2026-10-05