Bibenda

The Paesaggio Inatteso selection comes from Camigliano's 3.5-hectare "La Magia" vineyard, which has mineral and calcareous soils. Only just under 3,000 bottles are bottled. It offers a more robust style and a stronger aromatic intensity than the Annata. Bright red with an amber-coloured rim. On the nose, round notes of walnut shells, roasted hazelnuts and linseed, as well as red plums, pomegranate seeds and green olives. Traces of incense and cardamom in the background. Full-bodied, lively tannins on the palate, with hints of red berries and flowers leading to an intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

A mere 2,500 bottles are produced from this 100% Syrah; it is aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, after which it is filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

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

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."

Tasting the different lots of Il Marroneto from the barrel is a fascinating task. The vines are all similarly situated at high altitude, on coarse sand of marine origin, and predominantly north-facing. While they have subtle differences, the distinct character of Madonna delle Grazie often merits a separate bottling - as the 2018 proves. The aromas take on the darkest, most heady purple florals, tangled in allspice and smoky incense. The wine is muscular with firm tannins that grip it tightly and don't let go, though it is never beefy, heavy or angular. At the moment it is still developing, but the finish already reveals a refined balsamic core and a spicy, salted plum. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Castiglione is produced from a large number of parcels throughout the Barolo zone, many of which are of such high quality that they could be bottled separately. The 2019 vintage is beautiful in the way it combines the vibrancy of the year with a soft, inviting textural presence. Fresh cut flowers, mint, sweet spices, aniseed and red berries are beautifully interwoven in the glass. As the wine progresses, it shines with exquisite finesse, floral aromas and an exquisite overall balance. Ripe, silky tannins support the impressive finish. The 2019 version gives a first impression of how great this vintage is at Vietti. This is first-class stuff. SUPERIORE.DE

Ten years. With the 2020 vintage, Appius is celebrating its first decade – and what a decade it has been. When Hans Terzer first bottled his dream wine in 2010, he had been nurturing the idea for a long time. During his walks through the vineyards, he had noticed that certain low-yielding old vines in the historic vineyards of Eppan produced a quality that demanded its own distinct identity – something distinct from the celebrated Sanct-Valentin range. Originally, the wine was to be called "Oans" – Piedmontese for "one" – but the name was already taken. So it became Appius: the Roman name for Eppan, derived from Appianum, the "estate of Appius".

Fantastic wine from terrific2019, which embodies the style of the winery just as convincingly as its high-altitude terroir. Fruity aromas of wild cherry, baking spices and savoury herbs characterise its hauntingbouquet. Elegance and fullness in the perfectly contoured flavour, which gives all the components the necessary freedom. One of the best Poggio Antico in a long time: deep, long and multi-faceted - a real beauty! 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

In 1974, a decision was made that nobody really understood at the time. Herbert Tiefenbrunner had the grapes from the Fennberg – a high plateau at 1,000 metres above sea level in the municipality of Margreid – a single-vineyard wine. Müller-Thurgau. At a time when single vineyard sites for white grape varieties were virtually unheard of in Italy. At an altitude where hardly anyone expected great wine. Named after Field Marshal Joseph von Fenner zu Fennberg, the Austrian officer who once owned this high plateau. Fifty years later, Feldmarschall is one of Italy's most iconic white wines.

When Lamole di Lamole acquired this two-hectare cru in 2017, they took on more than just vines – they took on a legacy. The Sangiovese vines, planted in 1994, grow here in the archaic "Alberello Lamolese" style – a bush-trained method that generations of winegrowers have wrested from the harsh highlands and which they have never been willing to give up. This natural terrace lies at an altitude of between 540 and 580 metres, facing south, caressed by the wind and bathed in the purest light. The ancient dry stone walls, built of ochre-coloured Macigno Toscano, absorb the sun's heat during the day and release it back to the vines at night – a dialogue between stone and plant that has continued for centuries. As early as 1800, the geographer Emanuele Repetti noted: "Buon vino di Lamole, lodata campagna" – fine wine from Lamole, a much-praised landscape. In 2018, the village was declared a Patrimonio Storico d'Italia. The 2020 vintage – only the third from this vineyard – demonstrates the true potential of Gran Selezione. The grapes undergo visual selection, ferment in 50-hectolitre conical vats using "macerazione differita", and mature initially in the same vats, then in 30-hectolitre oak barrels. The result? A wine that the winemakers themselves describe as lyrical and beguiling.

This impressive Sangiovese comes from the single vineyard "Vitticciana", which was specially created for a pure Sangiovese wine by the "Godfather of Carmignano" Ugo Contini Bonacossi due to its perfect orientation. It is only produced in the best years, when it presents itself as a multi-layered wine with fine fruit and fine-grained tannins. After a few years of ageing in the bottle, it can easily hold its own with some of the best Brunello di Montalcino. SUPERIORE.DE

In the past, the northern slope of Montalcino was not planted with vines, but was cultivated with cereals, olives and cherries. In this area influenced by the Apennines, the seasons are more pronounced, continental and the north wind significantly lowers the temperature in winter. It is therefore the coldest Brunello region at this time of year, but also the wettest. This northern slope is a gentle hill: a characteristic that is more reminiscent of the Crete Senesi area, right next door, than the two stiffer, steeper and warmer southern slopes of Montalcino.

A long, snowy winter. An unusually cool spring. When the 2021 growing season finally began, it was two weeks behind the average. A year that demanded patience, sensitivity and foresight – qualities that Hans Terzer has honed to perfection over more than 45 years as cellar master. The result of this challenging vintage is an Appius of rare verticality: a wine of the mountains, of light, of the alpine air. The twelfth edition of the cult wine collection shifts the balance: 73% Chardonnay dominates more strongly than ever before, flanked by Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and a reduced proportion of Sauvignon. The vines – aged between 25 and 40 years, growing on the limestone gravel and moraine soils of Eppan’s finest sites – yielded grapes of crystalline precision. Each variety was fermented separately in barriques and tonneaux, followed by twelve months' ageing in wood, and finally a further three years on the fine lees in steel tanks.

Appius is the winery's flagship wine. The elegant, very aromatic cuvée from the white varieties Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris matures for one year in wood and three years on the fine lees in stainless steel. The nose has a complex aroma of tropical fruit and floral notes, flint, white chocolate and mint. Powerful, expansive and long on the palate. A marvellous white wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red, intense, fresh aroma of dark fruit underpinned with delicate toasted aromas. Complex and full-bodied on the palate, with balsamic notes, perfectly integrated tannins and a finely balanced fruity-spicy finish. An intense wine that also doesn't want to be a lightweight and that plays off its power perfectly. SUPERIORE.DE

Pianrosso comes from a south-west facing vineyard in the Castelnuovo dell'Abate subzone at an altitude of around 300 metres with mainly Galestro soils. It is dark, rich and deeply seductive, showing ripe black fruit enveloped in hints of gravel, sage and exotic spices. Although it has a velvety and almost creamy texture, it finds harmony through juicy acids and a blend of ripe black cherries and plums. Notes of liquorice and baker's chocolate balance the salty minerality and fine-grained tannins of the Pianrosso in a long and dramatic final. For a wine with such power, this is a beautiful symmetry. Definitely put it away for a few more years. SUPERIORE.DE