Wine Basics - Super Tuscan Wines 

Mickey: a lot of people really love Super Tuscans and they are relatively inexpensive compared to similar level Bordeaux. Looks like you are binge watching my videos so I appreciate that! Cheers!

Really enjoying all of insightful info,@@TrophyWineHunter!👏👏

@@mickeylee2624 cheers!

@@mickeylee2624 cheers!

Rosso: thank you for viewing my video and taking the time to leave a comment. Appreciate it. Cheers!

Moti: thank you for viewing my video and your comments. So does that mean you would not consider Flaccianello, Ceppparello, Vigorello or Le Pergole Torte "Super Tuscans"? All are made with 100% Sangiovese but are IGT wines. My point is the definition is not clear. There is no governing body for Super Tuscans....it is coined terms just like Super Seconds, which literally has no meaning other than a wine term that makes people in the wine industry seem more knowledgeable. At least that is my 2 cents worth. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

​@@TrophyWineHunter In Italy they'll tell you that the definition of a SuperTuscan would be a wine that is made with Sangiovese plus international grape varieties. Obviously it's not regulated by any entity, but that's what people in Tuscany think about the SuperTuscan wines. But then again, why is Sassicaia called SuperTuscan? I think it's based on Cab Sauvignon and Cab Franc. It's a very confusing term "SuperTuscan", so who knows the real definition... Cheers

@@nuno.peixoto thank you for viewing my video and your comment. That is my point...it is so confusing so in order to avoid conufusion, I just call the 5 really most famous ones Super Tuscans. To me, everything else is an IGT wine. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

doublewides: so diplomatic! I thought this video/topic would stir up some discussion. Yes, no question it is a blessing to drink any of these wines. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter well for me a super Tuscan is more than just the top five or the original five. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what it is and without an official definition to look to I try to allow for most any interpretation. That said, for me it’s any Tuscan wine that doesn’t conform to the DOCG rules and that is consistently made to a high standard. But even with that definition we could still argue what is in and what is out.

@@doublewides Yes, that why it is so hard! I think words like Super Tuscans is problematic as it lumps them all in one category. So some IGT wines are very high end and some are relatively high production so what distinguishes them. That is why it is just easier to classify the Big 5 as Super Tuscans and the rest as IGT wines. Again, arbitrary but I still haven't heard a better way to classify what is a Super Tuscan in a way to give it any meaning. Cheers!

JSH: I think they drink younger for a number of reasons: 1/ grapes used are not suitable for 1st wine so not as intense or ripe grapes; 2/they don't age or oak them as long; 3/grape varietal blend is different. But they do try to make in the style of the winery so that is why it is so important to understand the style/philosophy of the wine and not focus on the rating or individual vintages. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter thank for all of you great content and reply. So, am I correct in understanding that they do generally drink younger?

@@JSH1515 yes I would agree that 2nd wines are approachable earlier than the Grand Cru wine

RB: thank you for viewing my video and your comment. The Chianti consortium had that chance but stuck with the name "Chianti". They could have embraced these pioneers under the Chianti label but they chose to ostracize them, thereby creating Super Tuscans. By your definition, then any Chianti or Brunello prior to 2006 is not a Super Tuscan as at that time, 20% of the grapes had to white wine varietals. I just hope that everyone takes a historical perspective to things and understands the current state of the wine world is a very recent phenomenon (like in the last 20 years). Compared to the history of wines, this is a very short time period and in another 20 years, we may have very different view about everything. Please like, subscribe and keep watching! Cheers!

you are always so supportive! Cheers!

Marcus: I think you have summed things up very nicely and taken a very fair approach. Cheers!

Lorenzo: thank you for viewing my video and your comment. I knew my views would be controversial but my point is that with a word like Super Tuscan, it means different things to different people. So I guess if your view, you should not distinguish between quality or price.. if it is an IGT wine with blended grapes that are not Italian, it is a Super Tuscan. The only point I make is then the word "Super" might not apply. Anyways, interesting discussion. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

Chris G - thank you for viewing my video and your comments. Yes, I believe Flaccianello is a better value than Tig but I am still waiting for my young Flaccianello to age before I really form an educated opinion on the wine. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter Drink up any off vintages. Those are ready to go now. Enjoy

@@chrisginoc thanks for the advice. Cheers!

Carter: thanks for viewing my video and your comment. I thought this would be controversial but I find the discussion pretty fun. I have no issue with differing opinions as long as everyone is polite and knowledgeable. Then we can have a great discussion, even if we don't agree. I just think with the varying and expanding definitions, it is just easier in my mind to say these 5 are what I consider "Super". If not, then the actual terms gets watered down and because there is no governing board, anyone who is not a Chianti or Brunello can technically call themselves a Super Tuscan. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

Robert: no it is Lagrange from Pomerol....watch out for my review in a few weeks. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter I'll be eagerly waiting! And actively searching for another '16 ornellaia!

@@robertmeyer1552 Cheers! My Ornelllaia review will be released this weekend.

Tobias: thank you for viewing my video and your comment. Thanks for the knowledge. I have no issue with you not agreeing with me...thought I would stir up the pot a bit as I knew that would draw some discussion. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

Minka: thank you for viewing my video and your comments. Prices go up because people "discover" these wines are really affordable...then they skyrocket. I remember Le Serra Nuove was in the $30-40 range a couple of years ago but now has skyrocketed to $70.....wish I had to foresight to by more. You can't fault the winery as if there is demand, they should be able to charge more. You may think the value is gone but they are great wines for earlier drinking. So we have to ask is the value gone or perhaps with inflation, we have to recalibrate what is the value of wine. The wine industry has changed so much over the last 10 years...20 years is a completely different world. So finding "value" is harder and harder and what is "affordable" has to change with times also. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter I get your point , it similar to what happened to Yamazaki and the Japanese whisky market. I know wine is dependent on the palate Trophy ,all I can say is you haven't discovered the Margaret River region in Australia

@@minka8047 Yup...you are probably correct. I can't say I have anything other than peripheral knowledge of their wines. I have had them and enjoyed them but haven't spent a lot of time drinking them. Cheers!

Great video! Wow crazy pricing for Le volte. The 2018 goes on sale in Canada in my parts maybe 2x a year . A case is usually had for under 400$ I think they are finally realizing how underpriced it is. Elegant wine very close to its big brother.

@@Thegoverner I think a lot has to do with the Wine channels picking up on it; Konstantin Baum MW rated it well , Peter Kauff MW did the same. I've been watching prices kick up rapidly.

Eymerich: thank you for viewing my video and your comment. Wow, so what do you really think? (joking) I guess you are purest who wants to see Italian wines from Chianti made from Sangiovese grapes. Whatever you think about Super Tuscans, do you agree that their existence improved the quality of Chiantis and forced them to modernize? I would also ask you to take a historical perspective. Prior to the 1800s, only white wine was grown in Chianti so does that mean Sangiovese is not grown in the tradition of Chianti? I think it is perspective as probably in 1830, people were saying the same thing about Sangiovese that you are saying about Super Tuscans. If you think Super Tuscans are the same as Bordeaux just because they use the same grape varietals, I must disagree. I think they are distinctive because Super Tuscans are more acidic by nature and softer in the youth. You are entitled to your opinion so I must respect that. But I always think generalizations are dangerous. Are you saying that people who like Super Tuscans are both stupid rich and without wine culture? And that wines like Tignanello should be 1/3 of the price? I will just say price is driven by demand and although you may not agree, if the general public is prepared to pay that price and you are not, that does not necessarily mean it is overpriced...it means you do not see the value in the wine...which is fine. I don't even know what to say about your stupid rich comment as in the scheme of things, anyone in North America who can afford to drink a $40 bottle of wine on a consistent basis is rich by world standards. Obviously someone's choice of wine doesn't make them stupid. So let's get back to the topic. I know you think Super Tuscans are overpriced and you don't like they don't follow traditional Sangiovese blends. Other than that, what bothers you about their taste and what Bordeaux wines do you think they are trying to imitate? Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

@@TrophyWineHunter Italy is the country with the largest ampelographic reality in the world. Most of these vines can be considered Italian because they have been part of this territory for millennia. The mania of using foreign vines takes away investments and the will to dedicate to unique vines of which every Italian region is rich. Why make wines that you can find all over the world (I don't find the difference between terroirs a sufficient reason not to make completely different wines) when you have hundreds of native vines available? In Italy they have learned to make better wines, this is true, but above all they have learned to sell them. Do you think that today Barolo, Barbera, Brunello, Amarone, Chianti, Soave, Verdicchio, Greco, Fiano, just to name the most important denominations, are not sold if they do not contain Chardonnay, Merlot or other international grape varieties? No, they are very successful all over the world even without them. So why make "super" wines almost all using the usual grape varieties? Simple, because they are vines that sell themselves, they are palate friendly and with a little poetry you can sell them at the price you want. I have never had a problem spending money if I consider a very special bottle, the point is that these wines are not for me. If I want a Bordeaux as I conceive it: straight and powerful, I find it on the left bank, not in Tuscany, if I want a great Merlot I move to the right bank, I don't go looking for it in Tuscany, if I want a great Pinot Noir elegance and finesse I go to Cote de Nuits, not to South Tyrol or Germany. This is especially true for wines with the champenoise method, I go on a pilgrimage under the mountain of Reims, I don't travel the world in search of something that wants to imitate it. You ask me to make comparisons between a supertuscan and a bordeaux wine, I can't do it otherwise I would make the same mistake that an acquaintance of mine who works for Frescobaldi made and I asked why the 250 euro per bottle Masseto had passed in a few years at 700 euros. He told me that the reason was to be attributed to a phantom blind tasting in which Masseto had canceled the Petrus. Do you understand where certain speeches lead? The next time you come to Italy if you want we can organize a meeting in my tasting room, I will let you taste from my personal cellar some Tuscan and Romagna Sangiovese, Northern Nebbioli and a couple of Sardinia and other super Italian wines that do not even have a foreign grape. P.S., When I refer to Brunello di Montalcino I refer to those wines that comply with the 100% Sangiovese disciplinary and not to those added with Merlot whose producers have admitted what is attributed to them before a court judge. Fraudulent Brunellos who, by chance, are among those who get the highest scores every year.

@@eymerichinquisitore9022 I like your response and I think I understand that you want to drink the local variety. Then how do you feel about New World wines? If the vines came from the Old World, are they just a bad imitations? My point of view is Super Tuscans are not trying to imitate Bordeaux but to put a different spin on based on the terroir. Just like Grange is not an imitation of Bordeaux but taking a grape (which by the way was not local 50 years ago in Australia) and adapting to the terrior based on Bordeaux methods. Likewise how about Malbec in Argentina, which was brought over from the Old World. I love that Italy has a variety of interesting grape varietals but why can't I love traditional grape varietals and also new expressions of the terroir also? If it was terrible, there would be no demand. If it was clearly better in every way to local grape varietals, then there would no demand for local grapes. But since both co-exist, that leads me to believe that there are occasions for both. That is what I love about wine...it is not an either/or. I can love both and appreciate them for what they are. If you are purest, you are going to love my upcoming video of a Muscadet wine from the Loire Valley, which has gone through a similar trend where winemaker are choosing more "modern" grape varietals. Please like, subscribe and keep watching. Cheers!

​@@eymerichinquisitore9022 Ma soprattutto ricordiamo che chi non spende i suoi soldi come tu spenderesti i tuoi è un idiota. A proposito, quale sarebbe il Romagna Sangiovese anche solo lontanamente vicino per qualità a un, per dire, Solaia?

@@Individuopersona Cosa diavolo centra il sangiovese romagnolo con il Solaia? Cambia discorso se gli affianchiamo un Cepparello o un Flaccianello.