On the Tuscan Coast: New Releases

This year readers will find a wide range of outstanding wines from Italy’s Maremma, a stretch of coastal vineyards that runs from the province of Grosseto in the south to Livorno to the north. Although some of Italy’s most famous wines are found here, it is important to remember that Maremma, once an open, disease-infested marsh, has only been considered a world-class wine region for a few decades. Today, pretty seaside villages dot the coastline, but that, too is quite recent. Up until the 1970s or so, the nobles all lived in the hills, far away from the swamplands of the coast. That all changed when wines like Sassicaia, Grattamacco and later Ornellaia, Masseto and others exploded onto the global scene. For more historical perspective, readers might want to revisit my article from last year, as well as a superb piece from my colleague Ian D’Agata, also published last year.

2012 – Hot, Hot, Hot

For the second straight year, Maremma experienced a hot vintage with little rain and plenty of high temperatures. Rain arrived late in August and September, but interestingly, rainfall was less here than in Chianti Classico, so the wines were less shaped by the final phase of ripening. Overall, the 2012s are big, rich wines with plenty of Maremma radiance, but less of the extreme, over-the-top opulence that defined so many 2011s. Quality is consistently above average, although there are only a few truly thrilling wines. Where growers avoided roasted flavors, the 2012s offer plenty of near and medium-term appeal.

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri