The world of wine has lost one of its highest and great interpreters, the one
who made Italian enology great by starting a new and extraordinary era and
taking it to the top of the Olympus. On 6 February 2016 Giacomo Tachis passed
away, the man who, more than anyone else, has marked the irreversible path of
Italian wine, by starting what can be defined as a renaissance. The
greatest of them all, with no doubt at all. A great wine maker who has been
capable, before anyone else in Italy, to understand wine needed to change and
to change forever. Giacomo Tachis, who liked to call himself mescolatore
di vini (wine blender in Italian), was born in Poirino, in province of
Turin, Italy, on 4 November 1933. The same month in which was also born another
great figure of the Italian wine and who contributed to the greatness of
Italian enology: Luigi Veronelli. Two figures - Tachis and Veronelli - who have
strongly and indelibly affected the fate of Italian wine. The former in
vineyard and winery, the latter with his inimitable and unforgettable pen.
The king of Italian wine makers passed away at 82 and passing on a heritage of
magnificent wines, all capable of having relaunched the prestige of the Italian
wine in the world. The wines signed by Giacomo Tachis are in fact many and all
have been capable of surprising wine lovers all over the world. Writing a list
of wines created by the intelligence and talent of Giacomo Tachis would be
pretty long. It is however impossible not to mention his extraordinary
contribution to the wines of Tuscany, including those made at Antinori and
Marquis Niccolò Incisa della Rocchetta wineries. Tignanello, Solaia and
Sassicaia have in fact his indelible signature and they gave new life to the
enology of Tuscany while making it famous all over the world. The name of
Giacomo Tachis is also associated to another great wine created by the
far-sighted will of another nobleman of Italian wine: San Leonardo of Tenuta
San Leonardo - in Trentino - of Marquis Carlo Guerrieri Gonzaga. San Leonardo
is one of my favorite wines since ever, an absolute example of rare, noble and
refined elegance, an inimitable masterpiece of a Bordeaux-style wine.
In Tuscany Giacomo Tachis has also signed the wines of Querciabella, Castello
di Rampolla, Argiano, Le Pupille, Alberese and Falchini. Wherever he went to,
Giacomo Tachis has left his indelible mark with his wines. This is the case of
Sardinia, where he signed great wines such as Turriga of Argiolas, Terre Brune
of Cantina di Santadi and Barrua of Punica. Also in the other large Italian
island - Sicily - the Piedmontese wine maker left his mark and signature.
Including his collaboration with Istituto Regionale della Vite e del
Vino and Duca di Salaparuta and Florio wineries. In Sicily he also signed the
rare and exclusive wine Mothya produced with grapes cultivated in a tiny
vineyard in the island of Mozia. Among the many wines created by the talent of
Giacomo Tachis, there is also Pelago of Umani Ronchi winery - in the Marches -
where he also understood the potential of their territory for the production of
wines affected by noble rot and therefore by creating Maximo. In the Marches
region, he also participated to the interesting project Il Pollenza.
the great mescolavino (wine blender) - like he used to jokingly call
himself - graduated in 1954 at Scuola Enologica di Alba (Enological
School of Alba, Piedmont) and he has been a pupil of Émile Peynaud, the famous
French wine maker, one of the greatest in the 1900s. The first important
opportunity to show the world his talent and vision about wine was in 1961 when
he was hired at Marchesi Antinori winery and where he will then become chief
manager. Here Giacomo Tachis starts the Rinascimento of Italian wine, by
beginning a new journey that will be then followed by many, and created
Tignanello and Solaia. In a territory having a strong connection with its
traditions such as Chianti, Giacomo Tachis had the courage of blending
Sangiovese to the foreigners Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. He will
also age his wine in barrique - at those time quite unknown in Italy - and
makes one of the first wines in Chianti with no white berried grapes, the first
Sangiovese to be vinified in barrique. An affront, like to say, to that
tradition which will however and irreversibly change the fate of Tuscan wine
and, of course, of Chianti.
Giacomo Tachis was, first of all, a man of remarkable culture, curious and
always willing to experiment, looking at a too far away horizon, simply too far
away for many, but he then showed it everyone. To those who believe the style
of Giacomo Tachis was, like to say, of French or international character, they
should change their mind. This can also be because they never enjoyed the
intense emotions his wines were capable of giving. It should in fact be said
his respect for the territory and what the land of every place could offer was
of primary importance. This has bee proved by most of his wines, in which he
never forgot to pay a tribute to the grapes of the territory, such as
Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Cannonau, Carignano and Nero d'Avola, just to
mention a few. To understand him, we should recall what he said in 2010, when
he announced his retirement from the world of wine: «Let's respect nature and
the simplicity of wine. Reject chemistry the way we use it today and be careful
of genetics, because nature rebels». The teaching Giacomo Tachis gave us is
huge and fundamental, not only for the greatness of his wines, but also for his
wine vision and his extraordinary professional career.
The great Piedmontese wine maker also gave us a written proof of his thoughts
in the book Sapere di Vino (Knowing about Wine, as far as I know, it is
not available in English language). In his book, Giacomo Tachis tells about his
professional career and his significant wine vision, by setting the roots of a
future that, we hope so, will be continued by his many pupils. I never had the
privilege to personally meet Giacomo Tachis and I am sure it would have been an
amazing chance, as those who knew him have always told me he was a person of
remarkable knowledge and culture. In a world, including wine's world, where
there are many who show off an inconsistent and piteous vanity, listening to
the one who made the history of Italian wine - with facts - would have been
absolutely amazing and a true honor. I however have treasured the endless
emotions his wines gave me and, in this sense, I enjoyed many of them and I
keep a priceless memory for each of them. In this sense, it was an honor to
meet Giacomo Tachis through his wines, it certainly was a privilege of which I
thank him. A special thanks, nevertheless, for having started a new path for
the Italian wine and for having relaunched the enology of Italy. A deep mark
and clear path from which we cannot and we must not go back. Thank you Giacomo
Tachis: your mescolavino art is and will always be source of pride for
Italian enology and for those who love wine.
Antonello Biancalana
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