FFW 2021 Wine Catalogue

Tuscany is one of the key wine regions, but at the highest level it is a relative newcomer, known as much for its holidays and its chianti in the raffia-wrapped flasks, aptly named fiascos, as the high-quality wines of Brunello di Montalcino. Fortunately, over the last 20 years or so the consistent quality of the winemaking has matched the phenomenal potential of the land. The traditional areas of Chianti, Brunello andMontepulciano based their success around the native Sangiovese, while newcomers have supplemented that with French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon andMerlot to create well known Super Tuscans. The key regions are slap bang in themiddle of Tuscany. Between Florence and Siena is the Chianti region, offering both bright, juicy cherry-scented wines that are sensational value for midweek drinking, or more serious, age- worthy bottles often seeing longer oak ageing and qualifying to be known as riserva. The region is split into village-based sub regions, centred around the Classico region at the heart. Further south, past Siena, the hilltop town of Montalcino is arguably the king of traditional Tuscanwinemaking based on the Sangiovese Grosso, a thicker skinned andmore intensely flavoured strand of Sangiovese. The grape is known locally as Brunello so Brunello di Montalcino literally translated is Sangiovese from Montalcino. It is perhaps themost beautiful area you can hope to visit, the rolling hills of the north replaced by large andmore rugged hills andmountains, reflected in the wines. Sharing a similar flavour profile as Chianti, Brunellos are denser, darker and longer lived, with the best of thembeing able to age effortlessly for upwards of 25 years. The vines are found outside of the city walls, lower down the slopes. To the south, the wines are darker, riper andmore intense, while those to the north, in the shadow of the town, are often brighter, refined and ethereal. To find balance and consistency, most producers own Tuscany

ITALY TUSCANY

various plots of land to enable them to blend from different areas andmake amore complete style of wine that is of Brunello rather than of a particular vineyard. Recently though, and Canalcchio di Sopra is a great example of the site selection, we are seeing a real developement in the wine- making based on the nuances of the terroir and specific vineyards. When it comes to Super Tuscans, it largely means any winemade in Tuscany that doesn’t fit with traditional laws or regions. Many are focused on the Chianti region away from the coast, but perhaps the best known are further west, on the coast of Tuscany as well as the southern extremes of the region near Grosseto. The first was Sassicaia , made by noblemanMarcheseMario Incisa della Rochetta to replicate his favourite Clarets when he realised the soil on his estate was very similar to that found in Bordeaux. He started making the wine for his own use but realised the first commercial vintage in 1968. As the wines didn’t fit existing traditions they had to be classified as the lowest possible appellation - Vina da Tavola. Others followed such as Tignanello , Ornellaia , Masseto , Cepparello and Flaccianello . They have since been reclassifiedmostly as IGT, or in some cases, even DOCG. The wines do not have a style that can be easily summarised based on their home village such as Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino, so it is important to get to know your favourites. Theymay not have the long traditions of the classical regions, but they have certainly got the world’s attention in 50 years. Super Tuscans have proved to be some of the best andmost consistent investment wines over the last 10 years. Malcolm Willatts

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WINE CATALOGUE