Poggio Al Sole Seraselva Toscana 2016

Tuscany is one of the very few places in the wine world where old school is actually not best. It’s so different from France; in Burgundy, the vines in Vosne-Romanee have long been priceless. But in Tuscany, grapes were grown along side corn and wheat just one generation ago. It’s one of the few place in the wine world where the young vines are better than the old. The Super-Tuscan is a fairly new idea, introducing the international varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to the rolling hills of Chianti Classico. Piero Antinori knew the land in the northeast corner of the appellation was very special for these varieties and created the benchmarks of Super Tuscans in Tignanello and Solaia. Both have been pulling down big scores and prices since their inception.

The 2016 Tig averages around $142, Solaia, a mind-numbing $400. For sure, a Saturday nighter. It’s easy to source Tignanello and Solaia. Sourcing other Super-Tuscans that rival Tig for a quarter of the price? Definitely harder. As with all real estate deals, location is everything and that’s where I started looking. From the middle of the original vineyard that sourced Solaia, you can look across at Giovanni Davaz’s gorgeous estate of Poggio al Sole. It’s an organic estate, set between 300 and 600 meters of elevation. Like Solaia, the Cabernet at Poggio al Sole is very special; fine, complex, incredibly long on the palate. But unlike Solaia or Tig, it’s $35 on 6 packs. No brainer.