Tuscany’s rolling hills are a patchwork of vineyards

Best known as the birthplace of sassicaia, the Bolgheri region of Western Italy has become one of the country’s most important centres for red wine, writes James Suckling.

Tuscany’s costal wine region, centred around the village of Bolgheri, was once best known as the home patch for one of the all-time greats of European thoroughbred racing. The brilliant bay stallion Ribot – undefeated in 16 starts, including two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes in the mid-1950s – was bred in the tiny Italian hamlet.

The estate of Tenuta San Guido still produces some fine horse flesh, but none as powerful as the all-conquering Ribot. The area’s true greatness these days comes from its illustrious reds sold under the Sassicaia label. Wines such as the 1985 and 1998 Sassicaia are revered by collectors. The cabernet sauvignon-based reds led the way in establishing Bolgheri as one of Italy’s greatest red wine districts. It is viewed in the same light as the other great names of the country including Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, and Barbaresco.

Niccolï Incisa della Rocchetta

“It’s hard to believe that Bolgheri has become so important, after all our wine was really just a family red that we liked to drink ourselves,” says Niccolï Incisa della Rocchetta, the modest owner of Tenuta San Guido. His late father Mario was a part-owner of Ribot and started Sassicaia. Mario was a great admirer of fine Bordeaux as a young man, and set out to make some of his own after World War II by planting cabernet sauvignon grapes on his estate.

It was his cousin, the great Italian vintner Piero Antinori, who convinced Mario to sell his Sassicaia commercially in 1968. It was one of Italy’s first cabernets to go on the market and became a commercial success within a few years. In the past 10 years, there has been a land rush to establish vineyards with over 809 hectares planted compared to a few hundred just over a decade ago. Moreover, close to three dozen wineries are producing reds and whites in the region, and many are already considered the very best Italy has to offer.

“It’s a lot easier to make wines here in Bolgheri than in Piedmont,” admits the famed vintner Angelo Gaja of Piedmont, who established the Ca’ Marcanda winery there in the 1990s. “It’s a unique wine-producing region and it takes time to understand it.”

Most of the reds of the region emulate Bordeaux. For example, Masseto, the famous pure merlot that many compare to Bordeaux’s legendary Petrus, is produced in the winery of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, which also makes a Bordeaux blend under the same name. Massetto is a phenomenal red with compelling richness and power, and layers of merlot character that remind me of the best of Pomerol. I consistently score the 2001 Massetto a perfect 100 points and recent vintages such as 2006, 2007 and 2008 are very close in quality.

2007 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia

“It’s a combination of special soils and a beautiful microclimate influenced by the sea that gives the wines their special character,” says Axel Heinz, the dynamic winemaker of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. Heinz made wines in Bordeaux before arriving in Bolgheri a few years ago.

Critics say the reds are just like many cabernet blends or merlots from Bordeaux or California. But I disagree. Bolgheri’s unique soils and climate produce rich reds that remain fresh and lively. That’s something that few wine-producing areas in the world can achieve. Technically speaking, winemakers point out that they can have reds with alcohols that are close to 15 per cent but pHs of 3.4 or 3.5. It’s this lively contrast of richness of alcohol and intensity of fresh acidity that makes Bolgheri so special.

“I have always been impressed how the wines of the region can be so fresh and bright even when they are so ripe,” said Tim Mondavi a few years ago. The famous California vintner used to make wine at Ornellaia.

Officially, the wines of Bolgheri – two appellations exist, Bolgheri Superiore and Bolgheri Sassicaia – must have up to 80 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 70 per cent merlot or 70 per cent sangiovese. Only Sassicaia can use the appellation of Bogheri Sassicaia. Wines that are made of 100 per cent of one grape type, such as merlot or cabernet franc, must be labelled as more general Indicazione Geografica Tipica (igt) – the wideranging appellation of Tuscany. Ironically, some of the most famous wines of Bolgheri are igt, such as the pure merlots called Masseto and Messorio, and the pure cabernet franc named Paleo.

The best wines of Bolgheri include Sassicaia, Massetto, Ornellaia, Guado al Tasso, with perhaps Macchiole’s pure merlot Messorio and 100 per cent syrah Scrio. Others to seek out include Campo al Mare, Ca’ Marcanda, Greppicaia, Paleo, and Sapaio.

Recent vintages to look for are 2008, 2007 and 2006. Most Tuscan wine lovers generally consider the 2006 and 2007 superior to the 2008. However, 2008 could well be the best vintage in years for Bolgheri. The same thing happened in 1998, when that vintage was better in Bolgheri than the legendary 1997.

Piero Antinori’s Bolgheri red Guado al Tasso is also now held in the same esteem as the family’s top reds, Solaia and Tignanello, from the region of Chianti Classico.

It’s interesting to note that few people today associate Bolgheri with being the home of one of European turf’s greatest gallopers. “We make much less money now with horses than we do with wine,” says Incisa della Rocchetta. “And horses can be a lot of trouble.”