Nelson Pari was a sommelier at London's 67 Pall Mall for over 4 years. He is now one of the leading new voices on Italian wine. He writes with authenticity and a passion that is highly infectious, backed up by incredible first-hand experience tasting and visiting all over Italy. If you love reading about Italian wines, why don't you sign up to his substack HERE. It is full of interesting insights without relying on scores.
Nelson recently returned from a tasting trip to Bolgheri to taste the 2022 vintage and has given us his views on the region.
Bolgheri is synonymous with Super Tuscan. Some people might even use the term interchangeably – but how helpful is that? When discussing vintage how much can we generalise about 2022 for Sassicaia and Ornellaia v. Siepi and Tignanello that are 100km inland?
The term SuperTuscan was useful, it gave to an upcoming category a strong and good sounding name. I think the term itself lost its meaning because people prefer to drink "a place" rather than "a category". It was just a natural process. And clearly that helps because Bolgheri and Chianti Classico are two completely different places.
2022 v. 2021 – what are key differences in the vintages we need to understand?
2022 is, in simple terms, the exaggeration of 2021. More rain (and frost) at the start of the year, way more drought in the later part.
Was the 2022 all about the heat? Can you taste the warmth of the vintage in most of the wines?
You cannot! The palates are not alcoholic and warm, but rather austere. What you can really feel from the vintage is what we describe in Italy as "crudo" (raw) : most of the wines are bone dry and tannic, but the aromas and the austerity are intense enough to achieve a perfect balance.
Did many producers make a better 2022 than 2021?
Overall yes! If you pick a random wine in the midst of the whole appellation you would be more satisfied with 2022 rather than 2021.
Are the best wines from Bolgheri generally at higher altitude?
Not at all. Sassicaia is a blend of high and lower altitude vineyards, Guado al Tasso is all on the sandy part at lower altitudes, etc, etc. I understand that many regions are obsessed with altitude but in the case of coastal appellation we need to think differently about climate because you have both the influence of the sea and the mountains.
What were the key decisions that winemakers took?
I think that the appellation is focusing more and more towards less extracted wines. And this is a general trend that you can see in any Bordeaux-blend appellation like Napa Valley.
When visiting Bordeaux we are often told a vintage is Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon vintage. Did one varietal shine the most in 2022?
It is hard to say. Bordeaux varietals have a strong link with soils and Bolgheri has many different ones for being such a small area.
What are the most exciting things happening in Bolgheri at the moment?
I think in general we are reaching the end of the Sassicaia vs Ornellaia style aka elegance vs extraction. As they are constantly evolving they are pushing the whole appellation to reflect more about winemaking choices and style. Ornellaia 2022 is the Mediterranean Leoville Las Cases (well done Marco, you nailed it!) while 2022 Sassicaia, after the success of 2021, is taking HUGE stylistic risks - the ones that you usually see in the careers of painters or musicians, not winemakers - with a wine that comes out of a Tuscan forest.
Where is the best place to eat in Bolgheri?
Every time I visit a wine place I always wanna find out what is the small niche osteria where the winemakers go to eat. In the case of Bolgheri the place to hit is "Ostinati dei Lassi" in the nearby village called, hilariously, La California.
Give us your top tip for an under the radar star in Bolgheri?
For many readers anything that is not Sassicaia or Ornellaia might be an under the radar star. So please, learn by memory the "SuperSeconds": Guado al Tasso, Le Macchiole, Argentiera, and Michele Satta. For the lovers of more niche wines Tenuta Sette Cieli and Fabio Motta are now two strong underground names in the market.
What was the best wine you tasted on this trip?
I always find that many critics (even if I am not one) recommend wines that are not in their cellars, so I would prefer to talk about what I will buy. On the top of the list there is 2021 Piastraia from Michele Satta.