Supertuscan wines are high quality Tuscan wines, usually with the Toscana IGT label, produced outside DOC and DOCG regulations. This type of wine is made by blending typical vine varieties of the region with international varieties, in order to create wines with a soft, rounded, balanced flavour. Leonardo da Vinci Wines has also decided to pay tribute to this excellence, including S.to Ippolito – Toscana IGT Rosso among the high quality products that make up the Villa da Vinci collection.
S.to Ippolito Toscana IGT Rosso – awarded 99/100 by Luca Maroni in the 2020 Best Italian Wines Annuario – is created from the
harmonious fusion of the best red grapes, grown on the land around Villa da Vinci, in the Tuscan hills.
What are Supertuscan wines?
Supertuscan wines are revolutionary wines that came out of a brilliant, innovative idea. The term was coined at the beginning of the 1980s to describe red wines produced in Tuscany that for various reasons – from the geographical area to the choice of grapes and vinification method – do not fit into the production regulations for their region.
These wines are produced by using traditional Sangiovese with red grapes that are not native to or typical of Italy, such as the varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, and they do not follow the guidelines for DOC and DOCG labels.
To make these wines, a very important winemaking technique is used: blending, which involves mixing two or more wines together to obtain a unique blend. This technique gives the final product complexity, and maximises its taste-olfactory expression. Indeed, blending several varieties helps to enhance colours, aromas and textures, making a wine more complex and fragrant, if desired. The aim of this technique is to create an “excellent” wine by combining the expressive force of every grape, and bringing out the features of each variety used.
S.to Ippolito Toscana IGT Rosso is a red wine with an international heart, which contains all the harmony, texture and balance of the varieties that make it up: 40% Sangiovese grapes, 30% Merlot, 30% Syrah. Its balanced, rounded flavour is fragrant and full-bodied on the palate, with excellent persistence and a fruity aftertaste.
Leonardo da Vinci Toscana IGT Rosso S.to Ippolito: vinification and ageing
The Merlot and Syrah grapes are usually harvested at the beginning of September, while Sangiovese is harvested at the end of September/beginning of October. After macerating the skins for around 12 days, fermentation takes place at 28-30°C, with each variety separate. During this process, frequent, brief sessions of pumping over are carried out. Before bottling, ageing takes place in mostly new oak barrels, for a period of 12/18 months.
Leonardo da Vinci Toscana IGT Rosso S.to Ippolito: tasting notes
Balanced, soft and rounded. S.to Ippolito is an extraordinarily harmonious wine, with impressive structure and texture, able to bring out the aromatic integrity of each of the varieties making it up.
The typical characteristics of this wine are noticeable in its colour, a strong, clear, purple-red. S.to Ippolito Toscana Rosso IGT is harmonious and balanced, with an excellent persistence and a spiced aftertaste. It is characterised by hints of spices, most noticeably vanilla, and intense aromas of blackberry jam, from which clear notes of balsamic and mint come through.
Toscana IGT Rosso: pairings
Toscana IGT Rosso pairs very well with a variety of dishes, in particular with strong, intensely flavoured main courses based on red meat, game and roasts. It is also excellent paired with traditional Tuscan dishes, such as peposo or rosticciane, and with more classic dishes such as roast pork.
