Among the best and highest Italian enological expressions produced from international red grapes, Bolgheri Rosso excels, a type that has revolutionised the history of Italian enology since the second half of the 20th century. It gets its name from one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, located in the heart of the Livorno Maremma area, already celebrated by Carducci in his memorable verses. Rich, complex, elegant, soft, powerful, concentrated and full-bodied, these reds have a Tuscan soul and an international style. They are generally made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes, sometimes combined with Syrah and Sangiovese, and in most cases undergo long ageing in barriques. This production process, together with a generous and extraordinarily suitable territory, are the secret of famous and prestigious bottles that have become a point of reference in the wine world.
Among the best and highest Italian enological expressions produced from international red grapes, Bolgheri Rosso excels, a type that has revolutionised the history of Italian enology since the second half of the 20th century. It gets its name from one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, located in the heart of the Livorno Maremma area, already celebrated by Carducci in his memorable verses. Rich, complex, elegant, soft, powerful, concentrated and full-bodied, these reds have a Tuscan soul and an international style. They are generally made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes, sometimes combined with Syrah and Sangiovese, and in most cases undergo long ageing in barriques. This production process, together with a generous and extraordinarily suitable territory, are the secret of famous and prestigious bottles that have become a point of reference in the wine world.
The production area of Bolgheri red wine is located in the village of the same name and in the municipal territory of Castagneto Carducci, of which the village is a hamlet. The area is the heart of the Maremma Livornese area and is situated between the last offshoot of the Colline Metallifere and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The whole area was once very wild and uninhabited, populated by woods and marshes and rich in biodiversity. In this context, the village was probably founded in the early Middle Ages as a military settlement of the Bulgarians, allies of the Lombards, set up to ward off possible landings by the Byzantine army from Sardinia. From the 12th century onwards, there is evidence of the presence of an important castle, owned by the Della Gherardesca counts, who were the true masters of the place from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
The village was born and developed around the medieval castle, until it became, in our days, a historical centre of great importance, where time seems to have stopped. It can be reached along a provincial road of almost 5 kilometres that became famous, thanks to the poet Carducci, as Viale dei Cipressi. This road took on its current conformation in the second half of the 19th century, when it was enriched with 2,400 cypress trees on its sides. In his famous poem "Davanti San Guido", Giosuè Carducci imagines walking along the road and establishing a dialogue with the trees centred on a nostalgic evocation of childhood lost forever.
The fortune and success of the area's winemaking have fairly recent origins and began in the 1970s thanks to the brilliant intuition of Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta and the creation of the legendary Sassicaia. However, vine cultivation here has ancient origins that seem to date back to the presence of the Etruscans. Protagonists of the development of viticulture throughout the territory were then, from the end of the 17th century, the Gherardesca family, who had already defined and identified the most suitable areas for the production of grapes: San Guido, Belvedere, Lamentano, Felciaino and Grattamacco, where today the famous Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso is produced, vinified in oak vats and in barriques.
The first vine plantings of Sassicaia date back to 1944, when Marquis Incisa della Rocchetta, a great lover of French bottles, identified a hilly terrain from which to create a great red wine, capable of raising, also economically, his estates from the disaster of phylloxera. During the 1970s and 1980s, international critics acknowledged the great success of this label and of Tenuta San Guido. This great international success induced many local producers to follow suit and, in a short time, to achieve great fame throughout the world.
The production regulations for Bolgheri Rosso, with the establishment of the DOC, date back to 1983 and the formation of a Consortium of Protection in 1995. The founding members were Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta and five other producers, including Michele Satta. Today, around 41 wineries are members of the Consortium, all with land in the municipality of Castagneto Carducci, as prescribed by the DOC regulations.
This area of Tuscany, thanks to its hilly landscape, soil conformation, sunny microclimate and nearby breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea, has proved to be extraordinarily suited to the cultivation of international vines. For this reason, the DOC envisages the use of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes and, to a lesser extent, also Syrah and Sangiovese, allowing the use of other red grapes up to a maximum of 30%. An appropriate period of ageing is compulsory, stipulating that bottles may not be marketed after the 1st of September of the year following the harvest.
Labels marketed with the indication of Bolgheri Rosso Superiore must be aged for a minimum of 2 years, of which at least 12 months in oak barrels. Most producers use French oak barrels to achieve the softness and complex hints of sweet spices that are typical of the type.
Given the full-bodied, structured, rich, intense and powerful profile of these Tuscan expressions, it is advisable to pair them with savoury red meat dishes, including grilled meats, roasts, game and venison. Some interpretations can also be paired with mature or blue cheeses and many of these are considered meditation labels due to their elegant complexity.
On Callmewine you can find a wide selection of the best bottles of this type for sale online and offered at very competitive prices. Discover Bolgheri Rosso prices, history, characteristics, descriptions and pairings on Callmewine and buy the greatest and most prestigious labels that have become famous in Italy and worldwide.