First of all, let me state that I love "Super Tuscan" wines. I have made kits of this wine and my own blends including some, but not necessarily all, of the following varieties: Sangiovese (of course), Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is no set blend of wines that make up a Super Tuscan although the wine usually has a dominance of Sangiovese and this stems from the way the wine was developed. It all started with Chianti DOC and DOGC, which by Italian law must contain at least 70% Sangiovese. If wine producers did not have that amount of Sangiovese, they had to designate the wine vino da tavola (table wine) which has a lesser connotation. In order to make the wine more attractive from a marketing standpoint, they started calling the wine Super Tuscan and this, being a very good tasting wine, just not Chianti, became very popular. Due to its popularity, producers began to experiment with other varieties to make up "the remainder," i.e. the part that was not Sangiovese, of the Super Tuscan. That was when Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were introduced to the blend. Soon, vineyards in Italy were planted with these two French varieties and they flourished in the Italian terroir. These varieties in large part are replacing the locally grown Italian components of Super Tuscan.
What all this means is that the taste of a Super Tuscan can vary due a. the varieties used in the wine, b. the amounts of each variety and c. the vintages from year to year. Therefore, it is difficult to say that one Super Tuscan is "better" that another. As in all wines, it is a matter of taste and what is "better" to one person may not be to another.
