The Year of the super tuscanS
This year marks the 500-yr anniversary of the 'Renaissance Man', Leonardo da Vinci. So I wanted to dedicate this year in his honor by going to Florence and Rome - two cities that house his rare paintings. Florence - the birthplace of opera, and capital of Tuscany, home to three of the greatest Renaissance artists - da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Boticelli. Rome - the Eternal City, is also the home of many of their works. Both cities represent the pride of Italian culture in its art, food, and wine.
It was a great start in Florence when I checked into Hotel Brunelleschi, one of the most opulent boutique hotels in Italy, to see my name on the TV screen with music of Beethoven playing! And when I dined at a local favorite restaurant, Trattoria Dall'Oste, it was a love at first sight! When it comes to antiquity meets modern luxury, Rome is the vanguard. In terms of hotel and restaurant extravagance, Palazzo Naiadi and Imago restaurant were of first caliber!
This past year also saw the release of two of the best back to back vintages of Tuscan wines in Italy, 2015 and 2016. Some of Italy's most collectible wines are produced in Tuscany - known as the 'Super Tuscan.' I visited three wineries that are run by families of aristocratic lineage that stems back to the Renaissance.
My first visit was Sassicaia - the first 'Super Tuscan' wine, run by the Marquis Incisa della Rochetta family, also a world class race horse breeder. With their '15 vintage receiving 2018 Wine Spectator Wine of the Year, and their '16 vintage regarded as one of their best, they are on a roll!
Next came Ornellaia, home to eponymous Ornellaia and Masseto, one of the greatest Merlot in the world. It is owned by the Frescobaldi family that started in 1308! They sold wines to King Henry VIII and exchanged wines to Michelangelo for his paintings.
The last of the mighty Super Tuscans was Antinori. The family wine business goes back to 1385; along with Frescobaldi, one of the oldest family businesses in history. Their state of the art winery is a stunning architecture, and they produce two iconic Italian wines, Tignanello and Solaia.
