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I remember the first night I tasted Tignanello and Sassicaia. It was in 1993 in San Francisco. A deuce dropped into my station carrying one of those Styrofoam two-pack wine caddies. The two men, fifty something, examined the wine list, 700 plus, for twenty-five minutes without so much as a glance at the menu. I knew I was in trouble deep. They beckoned me over to their table. "You got a nice wine list kid, but it's overpriced. Bring us a bottle of your Vernacccia di San Gimignano now--and we'll take a look at the menu." I braced myself to spend the evening with two wine geeks and three bottles of wine. While I served the Vernaccia, a fine example from Falchini and one I frequently used to satisfy my "value driven" guests, my two enophiles unsheathed the wine they had tucked away in the styrofoam and set it lovingly on the white linen. Super Tuscans. A 1988 Tignanello and a 1983 Sassicia. Both are proprietary names, the former a Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, the latter--Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Every Wednesday Square One served regional Italian fare. Tonight was Tuscany. It was no accident these guys were here. They ordered rich White Bean soup, followed by Rabbit Pappardelle, and then, Grilled Lamb. Fantastically, they offered me a generous glass from each legend. I responded in kind. I paced their dinner to match their leisurely enjoyment of those regal wines. It meant suffering the manager's wrath for not turning the table, but it was rare and satisfying to serve guests with such polished food and wine savvy. |
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I understood the cult popularity after one sample. Antinori pioneered the Super Tuscan movement in 1974
with the marketing of its own Tignanello and the Sassicia from San Guido. The wines reflect an international
style of winemaking. Non-traditional production methods, non-traditional varieties, and non-traditional
composition transformed the light fruity reds common to Tuscany into the intense medium and fuller bodied
style of the Bordeaux. Both wines ignored DOC/DOCG regulations by using
French barriques maturation and excluding white varietals from the cuvee.
Super Tuscans are long lived and appreciate bottle aging. These wines are concentrated, complex, oaked,
muscular and balanced. The two gents were certainly correct when they paired these regional wines with their
traditional cuisine.
I no longer have access to Wednesday night regional Italian menus, (or vintage Sassicia and Tignanello) on a regular basis, but there are reasonable substitutes. Give Pietra Santa's "Sassolino" from San Benito County, California a try. Great pairings include most char-grilled meats and game, roast pork, truffled pasta or Pasta Bolegnese, braised or spiced beef, and hard cheeses. --James Gallup |
