Down the coastal cypress avenue where Bordeaux grapes rewrote the rules of Tuscan wine.
In the 1970s and ’80s, a handful of Tuscan winemakers began planting Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot — alongside or instead of Sangiovese, often outside the strict rules of the traditional DOC(G) system, releasing the results under the simpler IGT Toscana designation instead. Sassicaia, from right here in Bolgheri, and Antinori’s Tignanello and Solaia are among the wines credited with starting the movement.
Bolgheri → Castagneto Carducci → Donoratico → Suvereto: about 22 miles, roughly 50 minutes of driving — starting down the famous cypress-lined avenue into Bolgheri itself.
Ornellaia sits at the premium end of our price scale, is appointment-only, and closes Saturday and Sunday — plan a weekday visit and book well ahead. Tenuta Guado al Tasso, Antinori’s Bolgheri estate, is the other: tastings are booked through the Bottega next to the Osteria del Tasso, right on the cypress-lined Via Bolgherese, and its Cabernet-Merlot “Il Bruciato” is an approachable first Super Tuscan.
Unlike Chianti’s clustered hill towns, Bolgheri sits on the coastal plain near the Tyrrhenian Sea — flatter, easier driving, and simple to combine with a beach afternoon nearby.