Chardonnay

Monteverro's Chardonnay is an exciting and multi-faceted expression of Tuscan white wine culture and combines Burgundian finesse with the radiance of the Maremma. The grapes come from carefully tended plots on limestone and clay near Capalbio, where the coastal microclimate with warm days and cool nights offers the Chardonnay an ideal ripening window. The vinification was carried out with Burgundian standards: slow fermentation in French barriques – partly new, partly used –regular bâtonnage and a fine lees ageing period of around ten months.

NA for Nals, MA for Margreid. A tribute to two outstanding vineyards where something special can be felt, seen and felt and which have inspired cellar master Harald Schraffl to create something equally special from their grapes. A wine and the essence that expresses the essence of the small parcels in its purest form, whose typicity tells the story of the South Tyrol of tomorrow, a timeless wine with recognition value in an international context.

Rich straw yellow colour, rich, complex aroma with a delicate, pleasantly creamy nose and the scent of citrus and pineapple, on the other hand lots of structured spice and a hint of vanilla. The winery's white flagship brings its primary fruit to the fore with impressive intensity, but it also offers plenty of exciting complexity in a second wave of subtle flavours that testify to extreme care and precision in winemaking. The lingering finish is refined with a subtle hint of bitter almond. SUPERIORE.DE

The name came first; the wine much later. As early as 1369, the Gauns are mentioned as the owners of a country estate in Margreid; in 1674, Emperor Leopold I knighted them, and the noble title "Löwengang" also became the name of the estate. In 1934, Alois III acquired the estate, including the buildings and vineyards, and recognised the potential of this site. His successor, Alois IV, turned it into a Chardonnay which, according to the estate, was the first South Tyrolean white wine to make its mark on international markets in the 1980s, and in 1995 he moved the company's headquarters from Bolzano to Margreid. The estate's finest plots lie at altitudes of between 230 and 330 metres, on gravelly, sandy and highly calcareous soils, and the oldest Chardonnay vines in the vineyard are between 65 and 75 years old. They are cultivated using biodynamic methods. The wine ferments spontaneously in barriques and large wooden casks, rests on the lees for several months and then matures for around a year in the bottle.

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta's Chardonnay combines the French tradition of grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing, year after year, one of Italy's most distinctive white wines. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 m and Maroccoli at 415 m above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, pan-fried fish, poultry in a butter sauce, or even on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

"Selva della Tesa" is no ordinary Chardonnay - it is the quiet antithesis to Ca' del Bosco's world of sparkling wines, a solitary vineyard, a monolith of fruit, minerality and ageing potential. Situated in the hilly landscape of Erbusco, the plot - planted with old vines on clay-limestone soils - produces the estate's most concentrated harvestyear after year. After manual harvesting and the typical washing process, the grapes are gently pressed and placed in small French barriques, where fermentation begins spontaneously. This is followed by eleven months of ageing on the fine lees, with regular bâtonnage. No new wood influence for its own sake, but targeted structural work. This is followed by bottle ageing - long enough to bring out the inner architecture of the wine.

"When we taste the Riserva Franco Ziliani, we hear our father's voice: direct, brooding and rigorous." – Paolo Ziliani. Created as a tribute to the 90th birthday of the visionary who, together with Guido Berlucchi, bottled the first 3,000 bottles of Franciacorta Metodo Classico in 1961, thereby changing the destiny of an entire region. With the 2011 vintage – only the second bottling since its debut in 2008 – this Riserva now becomes part of the permanent collection. A limited special edition becomes a living legacy. The philosophy behind it: time perfects. "Art is Timeless" is the mantra, and indeed, every bottle resembles a work of art. The hand-crafted brass label transforms it into a collector's item, of which only 4,732 exist.

The famous Castello della Sala stands on a hill above Orvieto – a medieval stronghold, surrounded by woodland and olive groves, deep in the tranquillity of Umbria. The Marchesi Antinori have owned it for generations; but what made it a wine legend was the first Cervaro della Sala in 1985: a white wine conceived like a red – barrique fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and a long ageing process. Producing a white wine capable of ageing for decades was by no means a matter of course in Italy at that time. But it became one. The winemaking process follows a principle once formulated by Renzo Cotarella and which still applies today: as little intervention as possible. The Castello's winery operates using gravity – no mechanical pumps, no unnecessary stress on the grapes. The harvest begins in the early hours of the morning, when temperatures are still cool. The Chardonnay macerates on the skins for four hours at 10 degrees, then ferments in barriques and matures with partial malolactic fermentation. The Grechetto remains exclusively in stainless steel – it brings the tension that the Chardonnay alone cannot provide. In February, the two are blended together.

Troy is no ordinary Chardonnay. Rather, it is the archetype of a Chardonnay, as Wolfgang Klotz, managing director of probably the most successful winegrowers' cooperative in South Tyrol, sees it. The grapes come from two selected vineyards in Söll, near Tramin. Not only does a Mediterranean climate prevail there, but also quite cold fall winds at night determine the vegetation. Both factors ensure optimal development of the plants and fruits. The berries are handpicked piece by piece and it is therefore clear to every wine connoisseur that this is an absolutely prestigious project of the cooperative. It is therefore not surprising that only 3,000 bottles of this vintage are sold in selected specialist shops and top restaurants.

Troy is no ordinary Chardonnay. Rather, it is the archetype of a Chardonnay, as Wolfgang Klotz, managing director of what is probably the most successful winegrowers' cooperative in South Tyrol, sees it. The grapes come from two selected vineyards in Söll, near Tramin. The climate there is not only Mediterranean, but the vegetation is also characterised by rather cold downdraughts at night. Both factors guarantee optimal development of the plants and fruit. The berries are hand-picked one by one, so it is clear to any wine connoisseur that this is an absolutely prestigious project for the co-operative. It is therefore not surprising that only 3,000 bottles of this grape variety are sold in selected specialist shops and top restaurants.

Chardonnay in the Maremma – that sounds like a bad idea. The sun is too strong, the summer too long, the heat too Mediterranean. And yet: Georg Weber took up this challenge. Not because he had to, but because he loves Chardonnay – the great white Burgundy wines, their texture, their complexity, their ability to reflect a place rather than mask it. Capalbio is one of the very few places on the Tuscan coast where this gamble pays off: 30 to 80 metres above sea level, five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, clay-limestone with eroded stones, constant sea breezes, cool nights. Each plot is vinified separately – because Weber believes that the terroir should have the final say, not the cellar. Whole-bunch pressing, natural fermentation, ageing on the fine lees with regular bâtonnage, using gravity alone throughout the entire process. Matured in French barriques and oval concrete tanks – a combination that gives the Chardonnay structure and depth without weighing it down. Around 5,000 bottles. The terroir allows for no more.

There are wines that mark epochs. Gaia & Rey is undoubtedly one of them. When Angelo Gaja bottled the first bottle of this Chardonnay in 1983, it caused an outcry in Italy – and a revolution. The first Chardonnay in Piedmont, the first Italian white wine to undergo malolactic fermentation and ageing in French barriques. In a region that had exclusively produced red Nebbiolo wines for centuries, Gaja planted Chardonnay in a prime location in 1972 after a formative trip to the USA. What sounded like heresy became a legend. The name carries two generations: Gaia, Angelo's eldest daughter, and Clotilde Rey, his grandmother – the visionary matriarch who once led the winery into new dimensions. The vineyards are located in Treiso at an altitude of 460 metres, planted in 1979, supplemented by grapes from Serralunga d'Alba. Together they cover 3.6 hectares and are among the most exceptional Chardonnay vineyards in Europe. The soils are poor in potassium and nitrogen, the high planting density of 5,500 vines per hectare, drastically reduced yields to 30 hectolitres – everything is geared towards concentration.

Nibbio is a truly outstanding Chardonnay, hand-picked from a vineyard of just over one hectare on Monte Nibbio in Umbria, which is situated at a lofty height of 520 metres above sea level and belongs to the Castello della Sala estate. The site has cool north-eastern exposures and dense forests at lower altitudes that insulate the temperature. It is the second vintage of the latest passion project of Piero Antinori and his famous OenologistRenzo Cotarella. Nibbio combines Antinori's winemaking traditions with the unique characteristics of the terroir and follows on seamlessly from the path taken 35 years ago with Cervaro della Sala.

High above the Umbrian hills, where the shadows of Monte Nibbio cast their shadow over the ancient walls of the Castello della Sala, a bird of prey circles over a dream that has been decades in the making. Nibbio – the red kite – gave this mountain its name, and today the most ambitious white wine in the entire Antinori empire bears the same name as the majestic bird of prey that has watched over this spectacular landscape for centuries. It is the story of a man and his vision: Renzo Cotarella, winemaker and CEO of Antinori, was born here in Umbria and for decades cherished a dream that bordered on obsession. While the world celebrated Antinori's Tuscan red wine legends, Renzo saw something else – a terroir on Monte Nibbio that could produce the best white wine in Italy. A bold claim for a region that stands in the shadow of famous Tuscany, but Renzo had to prove it. Not only to himself, but also to Piero Antinori, who remained sceptical for years until he finally capitulated and even gave Nibbio his personal signature as the only wine of the entire Antinori dynasty.

Nibbio is a truly outstanding Chardonnay, hand-picked from a vineyard of just over one hectare on Monte Nibbio in Umbria, which is situated at a lofty height of 520 metres above sea level and belongs to the Castello della Sala estate. The site has cool north-eastern exposures and dense forests at lower altitudes that insulate the temperature. It is the second vintage of the latest passion project of Piero Antinori and his famous OenologistRenzo Cotarella. Nibbio combines Antinori's winemaking traditions with the unique characteristics of the terroir and follows on seamlessly from the path taken 35 years ago with Cervaro della Sala.

For more than thirty years, Vie di Romans has been vinifying only its own grapes in order to respect and express the respective vineyards of origin. The crus "Piere", "Vieris", "Vie di Romans", "Ciampagnis", "Dessimis" and others embody the sensory quintessence of their grapes of origin, each with its own recognisable and enduring historical character.

Selva della Tesa is no ordinary Chardonnay – it is the quiet counterpoint to Ca' del Bosco's world of sparkling wines, a solitary vineyard, a monolith of fruit, minerality and ageing potential. Situated in the hilly landscape of Erbusco, the plot – planted with old vines on loamy-limestone soils – produces the estate’s most concentrated harvestyear after year. Following hand-harvesting and the traditional washing process, the grapes are gently pressed and transferred to small French barriques, where spontaneous fermentation begins. This is followed by nine months' ageing on the fine lees, with regular bâtonnage. No influence from new oak for its own sake, but rather targeted work on the wine's structure. This is followed by over three years' bottle ageing to shape the wine's internal architecture.