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Bordeaux, Burgundy, Barolo. The eyes of the oenophile will light under these names. With centuries-old winemaking histories, the leading wine regions, such as the aforementioned trio, have high prices and break records at auctions.
So how did Bolgheri, an obscure Italian hamlet, acquire a wine notoriety comparable to that of these regions in just a few decades? For this coastal Tuscan region, which has obtained the DOC (Controlled Origin Designation) status for its famous red wines just 25 years ago, the answer lies in vision, innovation and the will to ignore the detractors.
The first wave
According to Riccardo Binda, managing director of the Bolgheri DOC Consorzio, the official body responsible for protecting the local wine industry, the Bolgheri story can be broken down into three phases. In 1944, Marchesi Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, grapes that had never been used before in this part of the country. Like the rest of Tuscany, varieties such as Sangiovese have been revered. After several years devoted to growing Cabernets for personal consumption, Incisa della Rocchetta, with the help of his nephew, Piero Antinori, published his first public vintage, Sassicaia, in 1968.
The big Tuscan community was in shock. "They said," Oh, what is this guy doing by planting strange grapes in an area where the wine is not suitable? It will be a failure, "says Binda. In a country proud of its hundreds of native varieties, these French grapes were an affront to tradition.
After the harvest, the workers select by hand the grapes that will be used and not used.
Courtesy of Ornellaia
Suitable for Sangiovese, no. But for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Bolgheri was ideal. "What really strikes you in Bolgheri is that we are only three or four miles from the sea and it really creates a very specific microclimate," says Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heinz. Bordeaux red and white wines Bolgheri, a succession of bottles that sell regularly at $ 230 or more. Heinz also oversees winemaking in Masseto, whose one-off Merlot costs about $ 700.
Heinz explains that the sea has a moderating effect, eliminating climatic extremes and creating a more predictable and milder climate. Winter and spring are generally frost-free. The results, according to Heinz, are "wines that have this sense of opulence and richness, while keeping a freshness and precision that characterize great wines. "It's easy to make very mature, showy wines, but getting wines that are both refined, elegant and complex is a lot harder," says Heinz.
Axel Heinz in the vineyard of Ornellaia.
Courtesy of Ornellaia
During the decade that followed, Piermario Meletti Cavallari, founder of Grattamacco, one of the first two wineries in Bolgheri, and Michele Satta, of his eponymous estate, began experimenting with Cabernet and other varieties of wine. Bordeaux. The region still remained largely unknown, but on the wings of Sassicaia, Bolgheri's presence was slowly beginning to infiltrate the wine community's consciousness. "Viticulture was not particularly developed," says Albiera Antinori, president of Antinori, an Italian winery whose roots go back to 1385 and who is now one of the largest wineries in Italy . "But these were new wines from a new region and there was curiosity; maybe it was because it was something unusual but obviously of high quality. "
In 1981, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta's cousin, Marchese Lodovico Antinori, took over a property, renamed Ornellaia and also started working with international grapes. These areas mentioned above, along with Sassicaia, are considered as the founders of the region.
The power of the press
In 1978, Sassicaia, a little-known cabernet-based company, beat the heavyweights of Bordeaux and the Napa Valley (awarded with the honors of the Paris ruling) by winning first prize in a competition sponsored by Carafe magazine. On the international level, these mixtures arouse a great interest, but many Italians remain cautious. The year 1983 saw the formation of DOC Bolgheri, but only for white and rosé wines. The controversial reds, which continued to shock drinkers with their impressive quality, remained classified as "table wine". In seeking a name to describe these quirks, the term "super Tuscan" has entered the lexicon of wine.
The cantina of Guado al Tasso, where the wine barrels age.
Courtesy of Massimiliano Londi
The wine critic Robert Parker awarded a perfect score (100 out of 100) to the 1985 vintage of Sassicaia. Suddenly, people have called for these "Super Tuscans" from this tiny coastal region. This wine, if one is lucky enough to own it, is valued at around $ 3,200 today. In 1994, the Bolgheri reds finally obtain the status of DOC. However, ask all the producers about the phrase "super Tuscan", and they insist that this sentence be deleted because the DOC now validates their quality.
The second wave
The second wave of Bolgheri in the 1990s was marked by the installation of families of highly esteemed winemakers in the region. The famous Piedmontese producer Angelo Gaja already had a growing interest in Bordeaux grapes after experimenting with varieties of his Darmagi cuvée in the north of the country. After learning about the success of his colleagues in Bolgheri, he headed south in 1996 to build his Ca'Marcanda estate, whose wines are regularly listed at more than $ 300 on wine lists. "Our goal is to age wines and express the personality and taste of a place," says Gaia Gaja, daughter of Angelo and fifth generation of the Gaja family. "Wine has a soul, which translates into terroir– and this personality needs time to make itself known. The major Italian wine houses such as Allegrini, Berlucchi and Frescobaldi (who bought Ornellaia) have also created properties for their portfolios. From the 1995 vintage, when wines began using the designated DOC label, wine prices jumped 185% in ten years.
It would seem counterintuitive to curb growth, especially given high prices – Ornellaia could cost $ 75 in 1999 (or $ 113 today) and even $ 240 in 2008, after the market meltdown – these ordered wines. But in 2011, at the request of winemakers, the Bolgheri DOC closed, meaning that no new wine could be tagged with DOC status, but that winemakers would only be able to work at it. with their existing vineyards and that no new area would be allowed in the DOC. According to Binda, vineyard area has increased tenfold since the 1990s, and the estate has decided to focus on what they already owned and maximize their current holdings.
Saved historical bottles inside the archivio storico to Ornellaia.
Courtesy of Ornellaia
Previously, "it was just an experiment," says Binda. "None of them has reached the maximum of its potential. Now, almost everyone understands the path they must follow with wine. "
Ornellaia, for example, has focused on Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. "We have discovered that there are beautiful soils very well suited to Cabernet Franc, which is certainly the grape variety that most excites us," says Heinz.
The next wave
This next step may well be Bolgheri's age, as the fields have had time to think about success while looking for ways to move forward. In a rare decree that will come into effect in a few weeks, each existing grower will be given 10 hectares of additional vines to qualify for DOC status to increase production. This means that the estates will be able to upgrade 10 hectares of existing vineyards and include the fruits in DOC-designated wines. However, new domains are still not allowed to join the 45-strong organization. The expansion "is not once in a lifetime … but more or less," says Binda. Thanks to this small expansion, winemakers will be able to cope with an ever-increasing demand while maintaining the integrity of the wine's high quality reputation.
Albiera Antinori believes that this allowance will also help improve quality throughout the region and "will remain focused on doing better, more than ever". [just] increasing quantity. Looking back, the meteoric rise of Bolgheri's reputation has stunned even the closest in history. According to Antinori, "It was a blow in the dark: between innovation, discovery of a new field, use of foreign varieties. It's a small miracle in Italy. "
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