The Super Tuscans
The Super Tuscans are the most significant development in Italian fine wine of the 20th century. They were born out of rebellion. In the 1970s, a small number of ambitious Tuscan producers frustrated by the restrictive DOC rules governing Italian wine, which at the time required blends that diluted quality, began making wines their own way, blending Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc in the style of Bordeaux, or producing pure varietal wines that the rules did not accommodate.
Because these wines did not conform to DOC regulations, they were classified as humble Vino da Tavola, table wine, regardless of their quality or price. The market decided otherwise. Sassicaia, released commercially from 1968, was followed by Tignanello in 1971, and then Ornellaia in 1985. Critics awarded them scores that competed with the finest wines of Bordeaux. Collectors paid prices that reflected their quality rather than their classification. The rules eventually changed, Sassicaia was awarded its own DOC in 1994, the first single-estate DOC in Italy, but by then the Super Tuscans had already proved their point.
Today, the finest Super Tuscans are among the most actively collected Italian wines in the world, combining the structure and ageing potential of great Bordeaux with the warmth, richness, and complexity that is uniquely Tuscan.
Tuscany's Key Appellations
Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany's most prestigious DOCG appellation and produces what many consider Italy's greatest age-worthy red wines. Made entirely from Sangiovese Grosso, known locally as Brunello, from vineyards around the hilltop town of Montalcino, these wines are structured, complex, and built for decades of development. The finest examples from producers such as Biondi-Santi, Soldera, and Canalicchio di Sopra can age for 30 to 50 years and beyond.
Chianti Classico occupies the historic heartland between Florence and Siena and is one of Tuscany's most important and varied appellations. The Gran Selezione tier, the top category, introduced in 2014, produces wines of genuine depth and ageability from producers including Fontodi, Isole e Olena, and Castello di Ama. Sangiovese dominates, expressing itself very differently across the appellation's varied soils and altitudes.
Bolgheri is the coastal appellation that gave birth to the Super Tuscan movement. Its warm maritime climate and varied soils, gravel, clay, and sand, proved ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and it remains the home of Sassicaia and Ornellaia, two of Italy's most celebrated and collectible wines.
Featured Producers
One of the great estates of Bolgheri and one of the most celebrated Super Tuscans in the world. Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-style blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, produced from the estate's exceptional coastal terroir. Rich, structured, and built for long ageing, it consistently ranks among Italy's finest wines.
The original Super Tuscan and one of the most important wines in modern Italian history. Sassicaia was the wine that proved Tuscany could produce world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, and it remains the benchmark of the Bolgheri appellation. In 1994 it was awarded its own DOC, the first single-estate DOC in Italy, cementing its unique status.
Tignanello is the wine that defined the Super Tuscan concept. Created by Marchesi Antinori in 1971, it was the first modern Tuscany wine to blend Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and the first to be aged entirely in small French barriques rather than the large Slavonian oak casks that were standard at the time. It remains one of the most consistent and sought-after wines in Italy.
Galatrona is one of Tuscany's most celebrated pure Merlot wines, produced by Petrolo from a single vineyard in the Valdarno di Sopra appellation. It is a wine that has consistently earned extraordinary critical acclaim and demonstrated that Merlot, in the right Tuscan terroir, can produce something as compelling as anything from Pomerol. For collectors who want something beyond the classic Bolgheri Super Tuscans, Galatrona is essential.
Why Collect Tuscan Fine Wine?
Tuscany's finest wines combine a number of qualities that make them compelling for serious collectors. The region's top Brunellos and Super Tuscans age beautifully over decades, developing complexity that rivals the finest wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The best producers, Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Antinori, have track records spanning fifty years or more, giving collectors confidence in long-term quality and secondary market liquidity. And the range of styles available, from the pure Sangiovese of Brunello to the Bordeaux-inspired blends of Bolgheri, means Tuscany rewards collectors with a wide range of interests.
Buy Tuscany Wines In Bond
All Tuscany wines purchased through Fine Wine Library are held In Bond, excise duty free, with guaranteed provenance. Whether you are buying for immediate drinking, long-term cellaring, or investment, our selection covers the region's most important producers and appellations.
Explore Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, and the Super Tuscans from Ornellaia, Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Petrolo Galatrona.
