The Wine's the Thing
Mitch Kornfeld
4/4

King Cab, Part IV -- Cabernet Sauvignon Goes to Italy

Cabernet Sauvignon in Italy is something of a special case. Unlike California and much of the New World, the Italians weren't looking around trying to figure out what wine grapes to plant. The Italian peninsula was already covered with grapes before cabernet arrived. Italy literally means wine. (In fact grapes got to France from Italy via the Romans. And the Romans got them from the Greeks, and the Greeks got them from the Middle East, their birthplace, but we're getting a little far afield.) 

The polite version of how Cabernet Sauvignon arrived is that the Italians wanted to do a little experimentation with non-indigenous varieties, cabernet was a natural choice, the vines and the wines were successful, and so we have cabernet growing in Italy. The not so polite version is that the Italians were getting their pants beat off of them in the international marketplace, exports of their wines were suffering, and they had to do something to upgrade the wines. This is probably yet another example of there being shades of gray and the truth lying somewhere in between, but if you gave me multiple choice and made me pick one explanation I would have to go with the latter over the former.

So the Italians tried their hands at the famed Cabernet Sauvignon and what was the result? It can only be called a resounding success. Cabernet helped to revitalize Italian wines in the international marketplace and helped spawn an entirely new category of wines usually referred to as Super Tuscans. Sometimes they are called Vino da Tavolas, table wines, but I prefer Super Tuscans. Ordinarily Vino da Tavolas are inexpensive wines that aren't good enough to gain Appellation status (called "D.O.C." in Italian, for Denominazione di Origine Controllata). The Super Tuscans start at about $25, so if you happen across a $7 Vino da Tavola know that it is not what I am talking about. Recently the Italians, in an effort to reduce this confusion gave them a new name, Indicazione Geografica Tipica, usually found abbreviated as IGT. I still prefer Super Tuscans.

Cabernet Sauvignon plantings in Tuscany began in the 1970's. At that time, and for some time before, Chianti, the best known wine of Tuscany, and arguably the most famous wine of Italy (though there were and are better Italian wines than Chianti), was having problems, both with image and with quality. Mel Brooks (quite the wine affectionado, by the way) might have said, "Chianti was having trouble what a sad, sad story. Needed a new larder to restore its former glory. Where oh where was he? Where could this man be? We looked around and now we found the man for you and me." "Springtime for Cabernet" anyone? Sounds good to me, but I digress. (If all that completely mystified you I'm referring to The Producers, Mel Brooks' best picture. I'm always surprised how many people haven't seen it. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and rent it ASAP. It's being made into a Broadway play and is in previews right now. I can't wait.)

Meanwhile, back in the Chianti region, or rather in the Chianti export markets, its image was of a wine served in a red- checkered-tablecloth-southern-Italian-red-sauce place, and presented in a rustic straw-covered flask of a bottle ironically called a fiasco (though it's not pronounced the same in Italian as it is in English, nor does it mean the same thing -- it refers to the straw). In other words, its image was becoming that of a cheap quaffing wine and not a world class wine that could compete with the likes of Burgundy, Bordeaux, or even Beaujolais, and that's not to mention the juggernaut of a wine industry that was burgeoning on the west coast of the United States. As for quality, while there were some very good Chiantis, there were too many poor ones, and there was a basic problem with some of the grapes that went into the wines, at least as that relates to competing against the Burgundies and the Bordeaux's, etc. 

The principal red variety of Tuscany and Chianti is called Sangiovese. Chiantis were principally Sangiovese, but they also had another indigenous red variety called Canaiolo, that you don't hear much about these days, and two, count 'em, two white varieties, Malvasia, and Trebbiano. (Yes you can put white grapes into red wine. It's not done much, and obviously the whites will lighten up the wine, but if done carefully in the right circumstances they can help. The best, and probably best know white grape used in reds is in the Côtes du Rhône, where about 5% Vigionier is sometimes blended in. Keep in mind that as a group CDR's are a rather rough and ready bunch and Viognier happens to be an excellent white variety, so it can work there.) Malvasia (called Malvoisie in French and Malmsey by the English) is actually a good variety for white desert wines, but the variety that was used more extensively was Trebbiano, and it is quite ordinary. Its best use is in making brandy, and that's very faint praise for a wine grape. (It is used extensively in the Cognac region, where it's called "Ugni Blanc," so even if you've passed on Italian whites or traditional Chiantis you have encountered it if you ever had a Cognac.) Basically, when the Chianti makers began to phase out the Canaiolo and the white varieties and began to add Cabernet Sauvignon they began to get somewhere. In addition to changing the grape "formula," they ditched the fiasci and went to straight-sided Bordeaux bottles, better, more modern, flashy labels, and better, more modern, flashy names.

I'm not a big fan of the term "Meritage." If you missed the last column, it's a made up term used in California to describe wines that are blends made of Bordeaux varieties. It's contrived and sounds pretentious, but it does have a meaning, and I wish that the Italians had invented something similar for the Super Tuscans. As mentioned, some people use "Super Tuscans," some use "Vino da Tavolas," and now we have "IGT's." At the beginning (late 1970's to early 1980's) we used to hear of "Super Chiantis," which was how they were often described. It all gets a bit confusing. What essentially happened was that a new category of wines was developed, but the developers essentially neglected to name it. That left every producer free to give the new wines new names and that's exactly what happened. If there were 100 producers, they gave us 100 new names to (try to) remember. To make things even more confusing they rarely include labels that explain what varieties and what percentages of each were used. You can find a 75% Sangiovese/25% Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and the bottle next to it on your wine store rack might be from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Sangiovese. 

Needless to say these wines will taste very different from one another. You can also find Super Tuscans made with other non-indigenous, a/k/a non-traditional, a/k/a international, a/k/a French varieties, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and even Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero in Italian). You even come across quite a few 100% Sangiovese wines. If you think about it, that's a good way to improve a traditional Chianti, just go with your best local variety. All that experimentation is well and good but I have a problem with them not telling me what's in the bottle. All you see is a bottle with a formidable label on it, with a formidable name, and, usually, a formidable price tag to match. If the wines weren't so damn good I could become very upset over the situation.

I can understand in, say, Burgundy, that they as a rule don't spell it out on the label that the red wine you are looking at is a 100% Pinot Noir. They have been making wine in Burgundy for centuries and it's not too much to ask that one has to learn what the red variety of Burgundy is. But here we have a completely new category, and some guidance is required. Is it really too difficult to put a simple statement such as "70 percent Sangiovese and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon" on the back label? If they want something in English that is more elaborate all they have to do is give a nice professional wine writer (who works for a nice internet journal) a bottle of one of their fine Super Tuscan wines and in one hour he will give them an informative and engaging back label that will have the buyers in the American market saying to themselves, "Wow I have got to buy this wine!" My price is only the remaining eleven bottles in the case. Very reasonable if you ask me.

Before I list the best of the Cabernet Sauvignon influenced Super Tuscan wines I just have to emphasize how good these wines are. Most of them are made with new French oak and have deep, even saturated flavors, along with expansive bouquets. They are usually more "New World" in style than traditionally European, that is, showing bright fruit rather than being austere and structured, not that they are without structure. I would start drinking them at about four or five years of age and prefer them in the range of seven to ten years old, though you could probably take them to fifteen years out.

Normally I defer to the traditional over the more homogenized "International Style," but this is a special case. It would be a mistake to put cabernet everywhere. I don't think it would be a good idea to use it to try to upgrade venerable Italian reds such as Aglianico del Vulture (pronounced a-lee-ah-knee-ko del vul-ture-a), Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello di Montalcino. If they started doing that some things good and unique would be lost, the homogenization could go too far. Tuscany is the exception that proves the rule. The wines really needed upgrading, and upgraded they were. A new exciting category was created, and the traditional Chiantis, in the face of all the new competition, have even gotten better. It turned out to be a win-win all around. The credit has to go to the Italian producers who did the experimentation and made the wines, but from my vantage point a nice chunk of the credit goes to good old Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course I'm probably at least a little bit biased because I'm a big fan of cabernet, and I'm a big fan of those New World-style California wines, but try these wines for yourself. They really are that good.

(Click here for table of Super Tuscan wines.)

As far as vintages go try to buy any remaining 1997's that you see. 1997 has been referred to as the vintage of the century in Tuscany. Usually when I see something about a "Vintage of the Century" from a particular region I take it with a grain of salt. There are many more of them than you would think. Bordeaux had a least half a dozen in the 20th century. When someone in the wine trade declares a vintage of the century you can almost hear the skepticism and sometimes a little sarcasm from the wine writers. Not this time. I'm not getting any of that. Not even a "Best year since 1971." This seems to be the real thing. The wines are not cheap, but if you are going to splurge, a '97 Super Tuscan would be the place to do it. 1998 was a pretty good year, as was 1999. '99 seems to have a slight edge. 2000 was a very hot year, which presented problems for the growers and winemakers, but the high quality producers should turn out some great wines.

One last note. The Super Tuscans have been so successful they are beginning to be copied in California, though one could argue that since Sangiovese as a rule doesn't do really well in California, it was only natural to blend it with cabernet. A couple of very good ones to look for are Siena from Ferrari-Carano, and Advventus from Rabbit Ridge (both are in Sonoma). They are about $25 and $30 respectively. I prefer the Rabbit Ridge.

Next week I plan to finish up with Cabernet Sauvignon by going to four countries and a U.S. state. See you then.

© Mitch Kornfeld 2001 All rights reserved

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mitchk@unionsquarejournal.com


Previously by Mitch Kornfeld...

King Cab, Part III -- California (03/21/01)

King Cab, Part II -- Bordeaux (03/07/01)

King Cab, Part I -- Some Basics (02/27/01)

For a Big Red, Think Petite (02/18/02)

Tannic Monsters from the ID (02/08/01)

New York Wine and Restaurant Deals (01/30/01)

Dad's Cardinal Zins and Other Clichés (01/20/01)

Some Basics for a Winter's Eve (01/12/01)

And if They're Spanish That's Fine (01/05/01)

Hello Carbon Dioxide (12/29/00)

Wines for Christmas (12/22/00)

Nouveau Beaujolais, Etc. (11/24/00)

Going to a Tasting 101 (12/01/00)