TASTING IN MAY 2019 TO COMPARE SUPERS-TUSCANS AND THEIRS ALTERNATIVES. WHICH SUPER-TUSCAN SHOULD YOU PUT IN YOUR WINE CELLAR? 30 CLIENTS OF ALFAVIN.CH GOT CHALLENGED.
On Thursday, May 16, 2019, La Grappe d'Or restaurant hosted Alfavin.ch's latest event, an exceptional tasting!
A client testimonial:
"In the cozy setting of the private room on the first floor, 30 people attended this event, ready to discover and blindly taste the finest "Super Tuscans". The expectations were very high! Tasting and noting two series of four wines. In fact, the organisers, willing to help a bit the guests, put in the first series, an "Ornellaia" and in the second, a "Sassicaia". Two iconic wines of Bordeaux style blends grown in Tuscany, with respective notes of 93/100 and 100/100 by the guide Robert Parker Wine Advocate.
The tasters - amateurs or connoisseurs - also had to distinguish between the 2015 and 2016 vintages. Relatively young, these wines generally reach good maturity after 10 to 15 years from bottling. During this tasting this aspect was confirmed by the presence of a certain acidity and grassy notes sometimes very pronounced in the presence of Cabernet Sauvigon. Some tasters therefore had difficulty in identifying the precious wines, while others recognized their potential. Despite this, the format of the experience, presented in an enjoyable and educative way, made this evening very rewarding,
With 15 minutes per series, each participant analysed and transcribed each wine individually. Then, small group discussions, composed of a heterogeneous audience, helped to refine the impressions as well as opinions on the wines tasted, creating a very pleasant atmosphere. At the end of each series, the different wines were unveiled after the participants had the opportunity to vote live via a mobile application.
Alfavin.ch's team has raised the bar by bringing together a diverse audience in the fascinating world of "Super Tuscans", all in an affordable and highly informative format. With great competence and professionalism, they have succeeded in creating a sensory journey around high quality Tuscan wines in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Definitely an event to be repeated!"
Series # 1
The first series featured wines of a very high standard.
In the blind tasting, Orma 2015 came out in first place. Its intense and complex nose on ripe fruit, followed by a powerful, round and fruity attack on the palate while maintaining a good freshness convinced the group of 30 tasters present that evening. The tannins were firm, but already well integrated. A great success!
The Serre Nuove 2015 placed 2nd. Despite a little reduction at the beginning, the nose settled after a few minutes of aeration in the glass. It is not surprising that this wine was placed before his illustrious big brother, because it is more accessible in its youth and delivers a pleasure and a high quality to the tasting.
Finally, L'Ornellaia 2015 and the 2015 Tignanello are great vintage wines. These wines will only demonstrate their true potential and personality in about ten years. Indeed, these wines are not yet ready to drink and present marked acidity and vegetal notes. These elements are positive and demonstrate the very high potential of these wines.
Rankings series 1 |
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All the wines are available on our online wine shop, from the links above.
Series #2
Some excitement could be felt for the tasting of this second series. Indeed, with its 100 Parker points, the Sassicaia 2016 was the wine that aroused the most curiosity.
In first place, we find the Oreno 2016. Despite his youth, it already has nice balance and great pleasure, odour and taste. The notes of black fruits, cherries and blackberries, embellished with sweet spices emphasize the elegance of its nose. On the palate, it is full-bodied, rich and a long lasting finish. Not surprisingly, despite its high ageing potential, it is already expressive and pleasant.
In second place, we find the faithful lieutenant of Sassicaia, the Guidalberto 2016. What charm and pleasure to taste. On an excellent vintage, Guidalberto delivers the best of its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. A generous nose of black cherries and blackberries with a smooth palate convinced the tasters.
The Sassicaia 2016 is placed in 3rd position. Honestly, this ranking is not a surprise and simply demonstrates, as for the Tignanello and Ornellaia in the first series, that this wine is not for drinking now. These wines consumed in their youth do not deliver by far the promises of their quality. The 2016 Sassicaia was revealed with an elegant nose, with vegetal notes such as pepper, an elegant and fine fruitiness. On the palate, we find this finesse despite a marked acidity, fresh fruit notes and a hint of bitterness on the finish. A wine to forget for a few years.
Finally, the surprise of the day was the discovery of this Crognolo 2016, produced by Setteponti (Oreno). A nice surprise, because with a very close rating, it is placed just behind the Sassicaia 2016. Composed mainly of Sangiovese, with a hint of Merlot, it presented a magnificent balance on notes of ripe red fruits. At the tasting, it was very pleasant and accessible. This Crognolo surprised the audience by its quality, but also by its price of approx. CHF 25.-. This wine is pleasant to drink now and in the next few years. However, in no case, will it be able to compete on the duration with its illustrious competitors of the day.
Rankings series 2 |
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All the wines are available on our online wine shop.
Discover also our wine subscriptions to offer as gifts or for yourself.
CONCLUSION
At the end of this evening, we found that:
Wines such as Oreno 2016 and Orma 2015, with a strong ageing potential, compete with the great Super Tuscans without any problems, perhaps even belonging ahead of them.
Super Tuscans such as Sassicaia 2016, Ornellaia 2015 and Tignanello 2015 are not ready to drink yet. These wines will express their true potential in a decade.
The second wines of these great producers are very good value for money to be consumed now or in a few years - Guidalberto 2016 and Le Serre Nuove 2015.
Finally, a wine like the Crognolo 2016 is a wonderful alternative to drink now and without breaking the bank. It even holds ist own against its illustrious competitors of the day. This is a wine worth CHF 25.- / bt.
Note:
In order for the wines to be on an equal footing, all the bottles were opened the same morning and each wine spent an hour and a half in a carafe. The wines were then bottled with just the cork during transport to Lausanne. The tasting took place between 19:00 and 20:30.