Put four opinionated oenophiles in a room with four Tuscan reds and you’re sure to get a lively debate and a few surprises. Since our return from Tuscany [see our post], we’ve become evangelists for lesser-known wines from the Chianti region. So we threw down the gauntlet: we invited our wine-loving friends to a blind-tasting and dinner. They’d bring their 2019 Tignanello [the gold standard for Super Tuscans] and we’d put up three competitors, one of which we hoped would be equal to Tignanello.
Challenge accepted, game on!
In keeping with our Italian theme, we served a charcuterie plate during the tasting, followed by fettucine with Gary’s homemade Bolognese. We closed out the evening with a bottle of Tenuta Fredanno’s Tufantello, a late harvest wine from one of the Umbrian wineries [see our post] we visited in May. A blend of Grechetto, Malvasia, and Procanico, Tufantello is a refreshing and not-too-sweet alternative to white Port.
The Wines
Purists wouldn’t bless this tasting. There was no consistency in vintage, terroir, pricing, or composition. The through-line was the Sangiovese grape. Good enough for VinoDuo. We opened the bottles two hours before tasting to ensure proper aeration and Lisa covered them in burlap bags. Sangiovese not being her thing, she volunteered to keep tabs on which wine was which.
- Arillo in Terrabianca “Campaccio” 2020; Sangiovese (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (10%); $40
- Tenuta di Carleone “Uno” 2020; 100% Sangiovese [technically not a Super Tuscan. So sue us]; $72
- Volpaia Balifico 2021; Sangiovese (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (35%); $125
- Marchesi Antinori Tignanello 2019; Sangiovese (80%), Cab. Sauvignon (15%), Cab. Franc (5%) ($200 – $349 online)
Tasting Notes
Bottle #1 – Light, not complex, meat makes it taste a bit better with an OK flavor; Watery finish; Not good; Dry, thin and tinny. One taster correctly identified this as a 100% Sangiovese wine.
Bottle #2 – Better than Wine #1, more complex; chocolate added a bit more to the finish; Richer flavors but metallic finish; Beautiful nose with vanilla toast note, spicy caramel and green pepper flavors; Good tannic structure
Bottle #3 – Vegetal nose, deeper/dark red but alcohol level makes it harsh; Toasted oak nose with full-bodied dark garnet juice; Notes of bing cherry, blackberry on a full, smooth palate.
Bottle #4 – Best mouth-feel; Smooth! Wanted to keep drinking it!, like liquid velvet; Pronounced aromas of toasty vanilla oak and cassis; Just the right balance of tannins and dark red berry notes to stand up to Tuscan steaks
The Winners – Bottle #4 + Bottle #2
When the votes were tallied, the upstart Volpaia Balifico beat the OG Tignanello by a nose.
TOP RATED Volpaia Balifico 2021 – Bottle #4
Gary and Lisa adored this wine at the vineyard and were gratified that it beat out its much better known Super Tuscan competitor. We only bought a couple of bottles at the winery but are thrilled it’s available in the US for a pricey splurge of $125.
RUNNER-UP Marchesi Antinori Tignanello 2019 – Bottle #2
Our friends were surprised that the Tignanello wasn’t the clear favorite but were pleased to discover a less-expensive Super Tuscan that’s more readily available than the Tignanello.
Note: Fast on the heels of Tignanello was Bottle #3, Arillo in Terrabianca “Campaccio” 2020. And at $40 on Wine.com, it’s many times cheaper than the other Super Tuscans. We recommend it without hesitation.
What’s the moral of the story? Blind tastings are great for putting assumptions to the test. When the burlap bags came off, we found that Tignanello is still one of the great Tuscan reds but, at half the price, Volpaia’s Balifico deserves the same international recognition and top ratings. And for $40, Campaccio is a great substitute for the super-pricey Super Tuscans.
VinoDuo 