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Bolgheri & Super Tuscans
Tuscany · Coast, Italy
redDeep ruby
Bordeaux grapes with Tuscan sunshine: ripe, polished and grand.
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Line up two to four wines the way you'd say them. The guide covers 127 appellations and styles, and spelling doesn't need to be perfect.
Bolgheri & Super Tuscans and Pauillac side by side: structure on the WSET scale, grapes, aromas, drinking window, typical UK price and what to eat with each.
Bordeaux grapes with Tuscan sunshine: ripe, polished and grand.
The archetype of Cabernet power: cassis and cedar with firm, long-lived tannin.
The shape of each wine, then each measure on the WSET scale.
These are close in structure; the differences are mostly in grape, aroma and place.
Bolgheri & Super Tuscans: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Tignanello is Sangiovese-led)
Pauillac: Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant (often 70%+), with Merlot
| Bolgheri & Super Tuscans | Pauillac | |
|---|---|---|
| Grapes | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc (Tignanello is Sangiovese-led) | Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant (often 70%+), with Merlot |
| Climate | Warm coastal Mediterranean | Maritime, close to the Gironde estuary |
| Soil | Gravel, sand and clay | Deep gravel mounds over marl |
| Classification | Bolgheri DOC; Sassicaia has its own DOC; many are IGT Toscana | 1855 Classification: three of the five first growths |
| Drinking window | 10–30 years | 15–40 years |
| Typical price | £30–£300 | £40–£200 (first growths far more) |
| Food | Bistecca, game | Roast lamb, beef Wellington |
| Producers to know | Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), Ornellaia, Antinori (Tignanello) | Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Pichon Baron |