St. Estephe is a district in Bordeaux, France.
The typical French Bordeaux blend consists of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc, with cabernet making up the major portion of the blend. Italian wines began to emulate Bordeaux blends in the late 1960s with the introduction of the "Super Tuscans", the name coined by the renowned wine critic, Robert Parker. It was meant to describe wines that replaced traditional sangiovese as the predominant grape in Tuscan wines with cabernet sauvignon, or include it in the blend.
Sassicaia
The first of the Super Tuscans was the 1968 vintage of Sassicaia, made in the image of fine red Bordeaux. It is typically a blend of at least 85 percent cabernet sauvignon and up to 15 percent cabernet franc. It has outstanding concentration and balance, with aromas of red cherry, and blackberry. The 1985 vintage was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker, who described it as "one of the greatest wines made in the 20th Century".
Ornellaia
Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia is an Italian winery known as a producer of Super Tuscan wine. Ornellaia is considered one of Italy's top Bordeaux-style red wines. The grape varieties are predominantly cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. It has superb balance and concentration, with aromas of black cherry, red currant and vanilla.
Tigniello
Introduced in1982, Tignanello has been made from 85 percent sangiovese, 10 percent cabernet sauvignon and 5 percent cabernet franc. It has an intense ruby red color with complex aromas of tobacco, curry powder and blackberry and blackcurrant jam. Tignanello is unlike other Super Tuscans that feature cabernet sauvignon as the predominant grape.
Solaia
Solaia was released in 1978 and consists of 75 percent cabernet sauvignon, 5 percent cabernet franc and 20 percent sangiovese. It is an intensely fruity and complex wine with good balance and soft tannins.
Tags: cabernet sauvignon, percent cabernet, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon percent, percent cabernet franc