Bolgheri DOC Tuscany's Cabernet-Led Coast, Explained

Bolgheri DOC is the coastal Tuscan appellation around Castagneto Carducci where Bordeaux grapes lead. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc can each make up to 100 per cent of a red, while Sangiovese is capped at half the blend, the reverse of the classic Tuscan blend. The zone produces reds, a Superiore tier, whites from Vermentino and Sauvignon, and a Rosato.

Sassicaia comes from the same coast and put it on the map, but it answers to a separate disciplinare of its own, requiring at least 80 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon from Tenuta San Guido's vineyards. Everyday bottles labelled Bolgheri Rosso or Bolgheri Superiore fall under the broader Bolgheri DOC rules, which is where estates such as Ornellaia and Guado al Tasso sit.

For the reds and rosato: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc from 0 to 100 per cent each, Syrah and Sangiovese up to 50 per cent, and other approved Tuscan red varieties up to 30 per cent. The whites build on Vermentino up to 70 per cent with Sauvignon and Trebbiano Toscano, plus varietal Vermentino and Sauvignon bottlings at a minimum of 85 per cent.

Superiore is the ageing tier. The wine must reach at least 12 per cent natural alcohol and spend a minimum of two years maturing, counted from the first of January after the harvest, with at least one of those years in oak barrels. The Superiore wines are the coast's most structured and cellar-worthy, and estates reserve their best parcels for them.

Yes. The disciplinare defines a Bolgheri Bianco blend alongside varietal Vermentino and Sauvignon bottlings, each requiring at least 85 per cent of the named grape. They are crisp, saline whites shaped by the same sea air that tempers the reds, and they tend to be priced well below the famous names of the coast.