5-Grappoli Wines Bibenda

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Of all its wines, the flagship Tenuta di Trinoro offers the deepest insight into the Franchetti family's viticulture. The proprietary blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from limestone and clay soils is adjusted each year depending on the quality and quantity of the harvest. The grapes are always the best of the vintage and come from the very best plots. The unique style of this Tuscan wine icon is recognisable with every vintage.

The high density of the vines, planted in a south-facing amphitheatre, ensured perfect ripening in 2021. Costa Russi is full-bodied and fleshy and has a deep red colour. Beautiful scents of peony and lilies, followed by exquisite blackberry fruit combined with raspberry coulis and a hint of pepper. The fruit is slightly darker than the other Barbaresco wines from Gaja with a hint of spice and pungency. Excellent expression, vibrancy, freshness and charm. The tannins are deceptively soft and generous, this wine is wonderful now but will be even better in a decade. SUPERIORE.DE

Altesinos Montosoli displays the famous characteristics of this particular site, which are always characterised by a pronounced mineral intensity, with hints of crushed granite and lead pencil layers. The five-hectare vineyard has a higher concentration of Galestro clay-slate rock, and the altitude contributes to the freshness of the wine.

At the centre of the Via Bolgherese, that legendary wine route where the Tuscan dream and the Bordeaux vision merge into an indelible myth, lies a small kingdom of just 5.5 hectares. Here, nestled between the giants Ornellaia to the right and Sassicaia to the left, Antonio Moretti Cuseri and his sons Alberto and Amedeo tell a story of unbridled passion, a story called Orma. Orma means footprint. And this 2021 truly leaves one in the soul of the taster. The purest expression of an exceptional vintage, this organically certified Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc unfolds like a symphony in purple and garnet. The Mediterranean sun of Bolgheri, tempered by the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, gave the grapes that unique ripeness that only a few terroirs in the world are capable of producing.

Angelo Gaja's 2021 Barbaresco is a wine with poise and grace that has a lot to offer. Expressive spicy and floral notes are the first to open up, but what really stands out is the wine's nuance and delineation. The transparency is unmistakable. Sweet red cherries, mint, cinnamon and rose petals develop in the glass and add further nuances. The flavour is balanced and spicy, the tannins firm and the finish precise and long. This muscular monument of a red wine definitely needs a few more years of bottle ageing, with a little patience it will transform into pure elegance. Put simply, the 2021 is one of the best Gaja Barbarescos of recent times. SUPERIORE.DE

Here, excellence of man and nature come together with perfect precision and harmony. Powerful cherry and blackberry notes are followed by crushed minerals, liquorice, smoke and lightly scented cedar. Spreads evenly across the palate and its flavour intensity, power and volume last for minutes. The exquisite 2015 Cerretalto is concentrated and rich, but never too heavy or dense. It is a highly compelling Italian icon with the truly exciting world of perceived unlimited possibilities still ahead of it. We can be more than excited ... SUPERIORE.DE

Beguiling aroma of sweet, dark berries with hints of cassis, cedar and antique leather. Very balanced on the palate, of beautiful viscosity with an elegant melting. Fine-meshed tannin, restrained mineral tones and a wonderfully polished fruit accompany into a remarkable finish. For all its elegance, it shows pressure and power and, with the right dose of acidity, promises a long life and almost reaches the level of its famous big brother. SUPERIORE.DE

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is a fabulous, incredibly complete wine that rises from the glass with an explosive structure and vertical lift. The tannins are very present, but also beautifully matched by the aromatic intensity and overall drive of the wine. Dark macerated cherry, spice, leather, liquorice, plum and mocha add darker nuances. All elements are impeccably balanced. It is quite simply a majestic wine of true greatness and absolute class, but it is not obvious. The true essence of Nebbiolo! SUPERIORE.DE

At the time, Marco Dal Forno initially held back his Amarone from the 2016 vintage – he released the 2017 vintage earlier because 2016 was not yet ready. At Dal Forno Romano, the wine determines the schedule. This is all the more true for the large formats: they are released three years after the 0.75-litre bottle – i.e. another three years later than an already later release. What this means for 2016 can be felt in the glass. Created under conditions that demand everything in the Val d'Illasi: three months of appassimento in the well-ventilated drying rooms of the Lodoletta, controlled fermentation in steel tanks with computer-controlled pump-overs, new barriques made from French and American wood, then the large format that requires hours of aeration – that needs hours of aeration before it begins to open.

Monteverro – a classic French blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot – is a grand cru from the Maremma, brimming with opulence and complexity. A deep, dark ruby colour with a black core. Incredibly rich in aromas of dark fruit, chocolate and spices; soft and full-bodied, with polished tannins. One cannot overstate the sheer delight in the magnificence of this wine.  SUPERIORE.DE

Elegant and complex: Guado al Tasso with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as impressive as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and cardamom. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with a lot of sweet melting flavour, interwoven, dense tannins, supple and elegant, very long finish. An excellent wine that offers maximum drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 2020 is a wine for the ages, which needs 10 to 15 years in the bottle to really mature. Sorì San Lorenzo is often a great, virile wine. The 2020 has a lot of power, but at the same time you also find refinement and certain nuances that Sorì San Lorenzo has rarely, if ever, shown. Black cherry, cloves, menthol, liquorice, gravel and incense are just some of the many aromas and flavours that meld together in this dramatic and dramatically beautiful Barbaresco from the Gaja family. Sorì San Lorenzo 2020 literally explodes on the finish with an abundance of mouth watering aromas, flavours and textures. An outrageously beautiful, vibrant wine with real gravitas and power. SUPERIORE.DE

For us, the pure Cabernet Franc from Duemani is one of the best representatives of the grape variety and the western Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet has an extraordinary clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with a perfectly integrated woody note on the palate, its strength, structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-varietal Duemani is for us one of the best representatives of the West Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet of exceptional clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with perfectly integrated wood notes on the palate, its structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Two hands, one dream: When Elena Celli and Luca D'Attoma discovered the wild hills of Riparbella in 2000 – unploughed, stony and overgrown with macchia – they recognised the potential of this rugged terroir, situated at an altitude of between 250 and 300 metres. Here, where the salty breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea meets Mediterranean wilderness, one of Italy's most extraordinary Cabernet Francs has been produced for over two decades. Luca D'Attoma, legendary Oenologist and creator of iconic wines such as Le Macchioles Messorio, is committed to radical purity: biodynamic cultivation in accordance with Demeter guidelines, spontaneous fermentation in conical oak barrels, and 20 months' ageing in barriques comprising 80% new oak.

While the Barbaresco Costa Russi expresses itself more discreetly with purity and grace, the Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo struts in the front row. It has a firmer texture and is not as timid or restrained as the Costa Russi. The Sorì San Lorenzo site is closest to the warm air currents that flow down the Tanaro river valley, and this vineyard site is always the first to ripen and be harvested. A stronger mineral note can be found here, with iron rust, pencil shavings and potting soil mingling with the primary fruit, revealing an astonishing complexity and depth. SUPERIORE.DE

Cerretalto 2018 is an expressive, exuberant and impressive wine that opens with a dark ruby red colour and a rich texture. The bouquet is endlessly intense, closely followed by finely tuned aromas of black cherries, spices, grilled herbs, cloves, tobacco, damp earth and white truffle. Over time, elegant mineral tones unfold, and later these flavours transition into cola, liquorice and tar. The mouthfeel is silky and supple, and there is enough power to move the wine seamlessly across the palate. Cerretalto continues to develop endlessly over 24 hours in the glass. Clear case: this is a bottle for the back of your cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

"An expression of elegance in Serralunga", Luca Currado underlines at the tasting of Lazzarito, and we already agree with him on the nose. Gravel, pebbles, red fruits, rose petals, lavender and sage permeate this plastic and very lively Serralunga Barolo. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit. The balsamic symphony opens the doors to a sip that is undoubtedly powerful, but at the same time refreshing and rich in vitamins. With added aeration, Lazzarito delivers mint and balsamic herbs. Lazzarito sets the pace and never loses its rhythm, the great texture of the tannins flanks this palate spectacle in an ideal way and we will discover much more about this great Barolo in the years to come. SUPERIORE.DE

Three years after the Annata, Romano and his sons launch a small edition of the same vintage in large formats. Dark and dense, it reveals an intense bouquet with marmalade-like aromas of red and dark fruits, alongside which spices and wood, tobacco and chocolate echo. At the same time, the youthful, stormy taste is an overwhelming demonstration of power. SUPERIORE.DE

There are a handful of wines in Italy that make us nervous every year before the first tasting because the expectations are huge. Cerretalto is undoubtedly one of them. What's more, as in this case from an exceptional year like 2019, it didn't disappoint our expectations - how could it have been otherwise?