Musings on the Vine – June 13, 2026
Tuscany’s vineyards tell a story that stretches back more than two millennia—a story of tradition, adaptation, and ultimately, rebellion. At our recent Musings on the Vine tasting, Super Tuscans Revisited, we explored not only a remarkable lineup of wines, but also the profound evolution of Tuscan winemaking that gave birth to one of the most influential categories in the modern wine world.
From Ancient Roots to Revolutionary Change
Wine has been part of Tuscany’s identity since the Etruscans, who cultivated vines and traded wine throughout the Mediterranean centuries before the rise of Rome. Under Roman influence, vineyard organization and winemaking techniques improved, establishing consistency and scale.
Through the Middle Ages, монаsteries preserved viticulture, refining practices and safeguarding vineyards. By the Renaissance, wine became a symbol of prestige, supported by influential families such as the Medici and early regulatory frameworks like Chianti.
Yet by the mid-20th century, rigid DOC laws often limited creativity. That tension sparked a revolution.
The Super Tuscan Movement
In the 1960s and 1970s, producers broke free from restrictive regulations—introducing Bordeaux varietals, lowering yields, and embracing French oak aging.
Icons like 2022 Tenuta San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri and 2020 Antinori “Tignanello” Toscana redefined Italian wine, proving that innovation could coexist with tradition.
The Tasting Journey: Wines and Pairings
Our tasting progressed from freshness to power, with carefully selected cheeses enhancing each wine’s character.
Opening Expressions: Brightness and Elegance
- 2021 Fabrizio Dionisio “Bolla Galeotta” Toscana Syrah Rosato Frizzante
Tart, minerally, crisp; apple, pear, dried strawberry.
Pairing: Stracciatella di Bufala – creamy and delicate, softening acidity. - 2024 Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia Toscana – vibrant coastal white.
- 2021 Fabrizio Dionisio “Linfa” Toscana Viognier – floral and expressive.
Emerging Depth: Approachability Meets Character
- 2023 Tua Rita “Rosso dei Notri” Toscana
Dark fruit, dried herbs, balanced acidity. - 2022 Fattoria Le Pupille “Poggio Valente” Toscana
Black cherry, plum, roasted game, long finish. - 2022 Tenuta Sette Ponti “Poggio al Lupo” Toscana
Jammy, rich, smoky, well-structured.
Cheese Pairing:
Nabbabbo (goat) – creamy, slightly tangy, enhances fruit and texture.
Structure and Identity: The Super Tuscan Core
- 2022 Antinori “Solaia” Toscana
- 2021 Tenuta di Biserno Bibbona Toscana
- 2020 Fabrizio Dionisio “Linfa” Cortona Syrah
- 2020 Antinori “Tignanello” Toscana
Themes: black cherry, cedar, herbal, structured tannins, long finish.
Cheese Pairing:
Pecorino Ginepro – earthy and aromatic with juniper complexity.
The Pinnacle: Power, Precision, and Prestige
- 2021 Tenuta Luce “Luce della Vite” Toscana
- 2021 Ca’Marcanda “Camarcanda” Bolgheri
- 2022 Antinori “Guado al Tasso” Bolgheri
- 2022 Ornellaia Bolgheri
- 2022 Tenuta San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri
Themes: opulent dark fruit, structure, balance, longevity.
Cheese Pairing:
Mountain Gorgonzola – bold, spicy, and powerful, matching intensity.
Tasting Results: Ranked by Points
The evening concluded with a group scoring that revealed clear favorites among this exceptional lineup.
| Rank | Wine | Points |
| 1 | 2021 Ca’Mardanda Camarcanda Bolgheri | 19 |
| 2 | 2021 Tenuta di Biserno Bibonna Toscana | 17 |
| 3 | 2022 Antinori Guado al Tasso Bolgheri | 15 |
| 4 | 2022 Antinori Solaia Toscana | 14 |
| 5 | 2021 Tenuta Luce Luce della Vite Toscana | 13 |
| 6 | 2022 Ornellaia Bolgheri | 9 |
| 7 | 2022 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Bolgheri | 7 |
| 8 | 2020 Fabrizio Dionisio Linfa Cortona Syrah | 3 |
| 9 | 2023 Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri Toscana | 1 |
| — | 2021 Fabrizio Dionisio Bolla Galeotta Toscana Syrah Rosato Frizzante | 0 |
| — | 2024 Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia Toscana | 0 |
| — | 2021 Fabrizio Dionisio Linfa Toscana Viognier | 0 |
| — | 2022 Fattoria Le Pupille Poggio Valente Toscana | 0 |
| — | 2022 Tenuta Sette Ponti Poggio al Lupo Toscana | 0 |
| — | 2020 Antinori Tignanello Toscana | 0 |
Scoring data sourced from MusingsSuperTuscansRevisited2026 – Scoring.docx.
Final Reflections: A Living Legacy
From Etruscan origins to modern innovation, Tuscany’s winemaking journey is one of resilience and reinvention. Super Tuscans represent more than a category—they embody a philosophy:
Honor tradition. Embrace change. Pursue excellence.
This tasting captured that ethos beautifully—from crisp, vibrant beginnings to powerful, age-worthy conclusions—each wine elevated by thoughtful pairings and shared discovery.
Super Tuscans Revisited – The Flight
2021 Fabrizio Dionisio “Bolla Galeotta” Toscana Syrah Rosato Frizzante
2024 Poggio alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia Toscana
2021 Fabrizio Dionisio “Linfa” Toscana Viognier
2023 Tua Rita “Rosso dei Notri” Toscana
2022 Fattoria Le Pupille “Poggio Valente” Toscana
2022 Tenuta Sette Ponti “Poggio al Lupo” Toscana
2022 Antinori “Solaia” Toscana
2021 Tenuta di Biserno Bibbona Toscana
2020 Fabrizio Dionisio “Linfa” Cortona Syrah
2020 Antinori “Tignanello” Toscana
2021 Tenuta Luce “Luce della Vite” Toscana
2021 Ca’Marcanda “Camarcanda” Bolgheri
2022 Antinori “Guado al Tasso” Bolgheri
2022 Ornellaia Bolgheri
2022 Tenuta San Guido “Sassicaia” Bolgheri
Super Tuscans Revisited – The Cheese
Stracciatela di Bufala
Stracciatella di Bufala is a cheese produced from Italian buffalo milk in the province of Foggia, located in the Apulia region of Italy, using a stretching (pasta filata) and a shredding technique. Stracciatella cheese is composed of small shreds—hence its name, which in Italian is a diminutive of straccia (‘rag’ or ‘shred’), meaning ‘a little shred’. It is a stretched curd fresh cheese, white in color, and made the whole year round, but is thought to be at its best during the spring and summer months. When mixed with thick cream, Stracciatella is also used to make burrata: this is a rich, buttery textured cheese, which comes enclosed in a bag of mozzarella and is thought to have been originally created in the early 20th century in Andria, on the Murgia plateau. It is also now made outside Italy, especially in the United States and Argentina. Since neither Stracciatella nor Burrata keeps well even when refrigerated, these cheeses need to be consumed promptly, while they are still soft and fresh.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Buffalo
Cheese Type: Soft
Nabbabbo
Nabbabbo is a washed-rind cheese that is slightly pink in color. The paste is bright white in color, characteristic of soft goat cheese, and has a creamy and supple texture that closely resembles other typical Lombard cheeses. It is aged for over 40 days, the result creating a mild, buttery and rich flavor that retains the distinctive aftertaste of goat’s milk with a hint of bitterness.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Goat
Cheese Type: Washed-Rind
Pecorino Ginepro
Pecornio Ginepro is a semihard sheep’s milk cheese that is bathed in balsamic vinegar (a regional specialty) and juniper berries and then aged in oak barrels. The deep brown rind that develops encases a bone white paste that is slightly granular and flaky. Full of flavor, musty aromas yield to a lingering fruity, woodsy finish with hints of juniper.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Sheep
Cheese Type: Hard
Mountain Gorgonzola
Mountain Gorgonzola is made in two styles; Dolce is sweet and creamy while the traditional ‘mountain’ variety offers some bite buried in dense, milky paste. Lombardian cheesemakers employ a two-step process in which pasteurized curds from morning and evening milkings are layered into each wheel. Blue veins develop over several months of affinage producing a firmer, more sliceable wheel than its gooey cremi-cousin. Moutain Gorgonzola embodies the spicy, earthy flavors of valley pastures, lending itself to almost any application.
Country: Italy
Milk Type: Cow
Cheese Type: Blue-Veined
Closing Reflections: What We Revisited—and What We Rediscovered
As the final glasses were poured and the last bites of Gorgonzola lingered, this tasting revealed something deeper than a lineup of exceptional wines. Super Tuscans Revisited was, at its heart, a study in evolution—of place, of philosophy, and of taste itself.
What stood out most was not simply the power or prestige of the wines, but the continuity between past and present. From the fresh, mineral-driven opening wines to the layered complexity of Sassicaia and Ornellaia, each glass reflected the same enduring principle: great wine is born from the tension between tradition and transformation.
The cheeses, too, played more than a supporting role. They framed the wines—softening edges, amplifying aromatics, and revealing nuances that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Together, wine and cheese created a dialogue that elevated the entire experience.
Key Takeaways from the Tasting
- Super Tuscans are defined by philosophy, not regulation
Innovation, freedom of blending, and a focus on quality remain their unifying traits. - Sangiovese remains the soul of Tuscany
Even in Bordeaux-style blends, its acidity and structure anchor the wines. - Coastal vs. inland terroir matters
Coastal wines (Bolgheri) showed richness and polish, while inland wines offered structure and savory complexity. - Oak integration is a signature element
The use of French barriques contributes to texture, spice, and overall harmony. - Structure and balance trump sheer power
The highest-scoring wines demonstrated not just intensity, but precision and integration. - Cheese pairings transform perception
- Fresh cheeses enhanced acidity and brightness
- Goat cheeses complemented fruit and texture
- Aged and blue cheeses elevated structure and depth
- Great wines tell a story over time
From first sip to final finish, the best wines unfolded in layers—rewarding patience and attention.
In revisiting Super Tuscans, we are reminded that wine is never static. It evolves—just as Tuscany itself has evolved—through bold choices, careful craft, and a willingness to challenge convention.
And perhaps that is the lasting impression of the evening:
the best wines are not just tasted—they are understood in the context of their journey.