This summer’s tasting in Italy was particularly hot for Super Tuscan reds. Not only was the weather boiling for most of July and August, but recent releases from the 2015 vintage were spectacular. It’s much better to buy 2015 and forgo what’s left of 2014 with a few exceptions such as trophy wines from Bolgheri including Ornellaia and Masseto.
“This weather has been unbearable this summer,” says Stefano Chioccioli, one of the top consulting enologists in Tuscany. He and others have been lamenting over the reduced quality of grapes and hot and dry weather during the summer. “We will see how it all comes out, but it will be difficult.”
Door to the Solaia cellar
Indeed, 2017 will be a difficult year for Tuscany. I am writing this article at the end of August in Tuscany and the forests are already partially brown and parched due to the drought and hot weather. Many of the trees look like they do in November. I have never seen anything like it. The rest of Italy has not suffered as badly as parts of Tuscany, and the problem is that Tuscan winemakers are not used to handling grapes so low in juice and high in sugars – something more common in California or Australia. But we will see when the wines are finally made. Stay tuned.
For now, what is on the market or soon to be released from top producers of Super Tuscan wines (I include Bolgheri, Suvereto and Cortona with Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) for the definition) is very exciting. The 2015 vintage was a warm and generous growing season and produced ripe and juicy grapes. Some producers say that the grapes lacked a touch of natural acidity and that the wines can be slightly too fruity in 2015, but I have not found that in my tasting of more than 450 different wines. The reds are generous and fruity yet maintain tannin tension and backbone.
Tasting at Argiano
Most of the 2014s released this year show evidence of the same problem as other wines from the vintage, namely a cool and rainy grape growing season. Even so, there are some outstanding wines all the same from winemakers who selected heavily and focused on quality.
“I think you will find some surprises in 2014 in Tuscany particularly if you look to the coast in such areas as Bolgheri,” says Lamberto Frescobaldi, the head of the ubiquitous family’s wine business, which includes Ornellaia and Masseto, two of Bolgheri’s crown jewels.
Of course, even on the Tuscan coast, the superb 2015 vintage was really no comparison to 2014. You only have to look at the pure merlot from Tua Rita, Redigaffi, which is a perfect wine at 100 points. It is the best Tua Rita I have tasted since the legendary 1997. Le Pupille, located about 35 minutes southwards along the coast by car, made an equally impressive 2015 in the form of its Bordeaux blend Saffredi. It is one of the most structured ever.
Tasting at home
“We tried to make wines that were both fruity and structured in 2015, and the vintage allowed us to do that with warm days and cool nights,” said enologist Luca d’Attoma, who oversaw the production of both wines at Tua Rita and Le Pupille. His own wines at Duemani were also terrific in 2015, particularly his merlot and cabernet franc. All his wines come from biodynamically farmed grapes.
It’s hard to generalize about what grape types were better in 2015 as it seems everything was outstanding. It reminds me of the excellent 2007 vintage, which was a warm and beautiful grape growing season when everything from cabernet sauvignon to sangiovese were excellent. “It was a vintage in which you could pick when you wanted since the quality was fantastic for everything.” said Bibi Graetz, one of Tuscany’s best winemakers.
Below are more than 450 tasting notes of reds I tasted in Italy primarily during the summer. —James Suckling, Editor
(The tasting note for Mantellassi Sangiovese Maremma Toscana Il Canneto 2016 was deleted from this report as the description of the wine was correct but the score was a typographical error.)
