cult wines

The name says it all: wines of the slopes. Vigneti del Versante is made from grapes from the Cancello Rosso parcel and the lower part of Pian Bassolino – sites, which lie at an altitude of 350 metres and have a soil of exceptional geological diversity. Calcareous clay, slightly decomposed marl, sandstone, flysch – layers from the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, interspersed with volcanic influences from nearby Monte Amiata. In the Cancello Rosso vineyard, an increased proportion of sand in the topsoil provides the typical spicy and nutty flavours of the berries; Pian Bassolino contributes with a calcareous density. Jan Erbach sees the Vigneti del Versante as the search for a harmony that is more than the sum of its parts – like the different voices of an orchestra that only find their sound together. Spontaneous fermentation, strict selection of grapes on the table, no technological additives, maturation in large oak barrels without filtration.

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."

After decades at Marcarini, Elvio Cogno bought his own estate in Novello in 1990, right in the heart of Ravera. A year later, the family planted a new vineyard, and in the same year he became a grandfather. The vines were named after the little girl: Elena, daughter of Nadia and Valter Fissore. To this day, the label features a chick that Elena drew herself when she was three years old. It would be hard to fit any more of her personal touch onto a bottle. Only the Nebbiolo clone "Rosé" was planted, chosen for its vibrant garnet-red colour and intense floral aromas.

In 1862, Luigi Pira founded a business in the village of Barolo that would later bear his name: E. Pira & Figli. The winery survived for generations until the family's last winemaker died without an heir. In 1981, the Boschis family took over. Chiara Boschis, who was still young at the time, recognised the potential of the name and the terroir and became the driving force behind the Barolo revolution: more freshness, more precision, less heaviness. Today she cultivates eleven hectares, divided between Barolo, Monforte and Serralunga – and owns less than one hectare in the most famous single vineyard in the entire wine-growing region: Cannubi.

On 18 and 19 April 2017, the temperature dropped to minus 4.5 degrees; the frost damaged two-thirds of the estate's vineyards, whilst in August the temperature soared to 39 degrees. The yield was 4,800 kilograms of grapes per hectare – 38% – and from these came a wine bearing the name of the estate’s founder: Annamaria Clementi Zanella, mother of Maurizio Zanella. In 1989, the cuvée was dedicated to her; it is produced only in the best vintages and exclusively from the finest plots, at that time still known as the Cuvée Annamaria Clementi Riserva. Since the 2008 vintage, it has been simply called Annamaria Clementi and is bottled without dosage.

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

Suisassi is rich and expressive. The bouquet convinces with aromas of sage, rosemary, wild flowers, liquorice, violets and plums. Very full and round on the palate with memories of berries, chocolate and nuts. Elegant and intellectual, still needs time. SUPERIORE.DE

One hundred and forty months. Almost twelve years in complete darkness, resting on the lees, in the historic vaulted cellars of Canale d'Alba, where wines have been maturing to perfection since 1878. No other Italian sparkling wine takes so much time. No other demands so much patience – and rewards it so overwhelmingly. Zero140 is the culmination of a journey that Enrico Serafino began in 1991 as a founding member of the Alta Langa project. In 2004, they dared to do the unthinkable with the first "Zero": a Pas Dosé from Piedmont, without any added dosage, without any concession to favour. In 2014, Gambero Rosso named this uncompromising purist the best Italian sparkling wine of the year. But the 140 goes much further – it triples the ageing time and makes time itself the protagonist.

For some years now, Riccardo Cotarella's Montiano has been characterised by great freshness and dark, concentrated fruit. In contrast to the vintages of the early 1990s, the wine has become much livelier and more dynamic. And the 2021 vintage brings a new nuance to this characterful Merlot: riper, denser and finer at the same time. The climatic conditions – an early summer temperature rise followed by cooler evening hours – allowed for slow, even ripening with perfect concentration levels. As always, the Montefiascone region delivers mineral-structured fruit and precise floral components.

The "25 Anni" from Caprai has been THE ambassador for Umbria's top wines for many years. It captivates with a beguiling bouquet that combines black fruits with citrus fruits, exotic spices, a hint of oregano, menthol and a hint of cocoa. The texture is more like pure silk, delicately lapping the palate, leaving a satisfying mix of intense dark fruits, minerals and fine-grained tannin. There is so much depth and concentration to work with that even when it finishes youthfully structured and dry, it lingers for well over a minute with notes of redcurrant, sage and dark chocolate. This exceptional Sagrantino is undisputedly not only Caprai's top wine, but also one of Italy's most characterful wines, which, with a little more ageing, is an incredible pleasure and should therefore definitely be aerated for 3-4 hours when young. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1958, Bertani produced his first Amarone. The category was virtually non-existent, and "Amarone" is a new term for an age-old practice, yet most producers were still unsure whether this dry Appassimento wine had a future. Bertani, however, had no doubts at the time. Since then, the estate has been one of the leading voices behind a wine that is now considered one of the world's longest-lived reds. The key is patience. Corvina and Rondinella from the Tenuta Novare in Arbizzano di Negrar – vineyards dedicated exclusively to Amarone grapes – hand-harvested from the second week of September.

The exposed location of the estate on the Fennberg at around 1,000 m above sea level, with late autumn morning dew and high humidity, provides the ideal conditions for the development of noble rot (botrytis cinerea), which naturally leads to an additional concentration of grape sugar. The raisin-like dried grapes are harvested from mid to late December. After gentle pressing of the grapes, alcoholic fermentation takes place in small steel tanks, where the young wine rests on the fine yeast for around six months. The bottled wine matures in the cellar for another five years.

Every year, Fratta is a groundbreaking blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that you can't help but love. Fratta proved the Veneto's potential for winemaking when it was first produced in 1977, the year Angela Maculan (a second daughter) was born. Deep, complex fruit bouquet, rounded off with fine sweet spices, tobacco and coffee. On the palate, beautiful lines and a sharp focus with dry mineral tones framing dark fruits, dried cherries and exotic spices. Fratta is a bold and big wine and there is no doubting the broodingelegance of this highly personalised expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Tasca d'Almerita recalls the first vintage of their legendary Rosso del Conte from the San Lucio vineyard with this lush Riserva del Conte. Ruby red, the aromas of berries, cherries and spices have wonderfully taken the wood into their midst. A lively taste, dense tannins and an endless finish complete the perfect picture. SUPERIORE.DE

With the Pinot Nero Riserva Vigna Das Langefeld, the Pfitscher family has undoubtedly created an elegant top wine that perfectly reflects the identity of the terroir.

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 vats, and 20 months' ageing in barriques containing 80% new oak.

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.

Dreams sometimes have a very precise address. The Pfitscher family's is: Glen, above Montan, 500 metres above sea level, west-facing, clay and limestone underfoot. In 1984, when Klaus was – then 24 years old – planted this west-facing slope with Burgundian Pinot Noir clones, he knew what he was doing. Not as a calculation, but out of conviction: Something great would be created here one day. Three decades later, the time was ripe. In 2013, the family decided to vinify the parcel separately and give it a name – one that sounds like a promise: "Das Langefeld".

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 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.

Guado al Tasso is not only the name of the winery, but also the historical term for a ford in the torrent on the Marchesi Antinori estate. In the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the place where one encountered the "tasso" (badger) while travelling through the water on horse and cart. This poetic place name came to symbolise a wine that combines depth and movement: A Bolgheri Superiore with provenance, history and attitude. Despite the summer heat, the 2022 vintage produced an astonishingly balanced structure. Selective harvest in the best parcels between the hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea, fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 18 months of ageing in new French barriques, followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing.

On the full bouquet we find ripe dark fruits complemented by spiced oranges, sage and mint with a hint of green olive. On the palate, velvety textures are contrasted by cooling acids, while polished black fruits wash over the senses, leaving a mix of salty minerals and fine tannins with a hint of violet flowers. The finish is long, packed with masses of ripe blackberries, plums and sweet herbal tones, but also perfectly structured and, for all its youthfulness, very balanced and harmonious. Luigi Moio and his team have interpreted this vintage brilliantly and once again set new standards with this single-vineyard Aglianico. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

In 2001, the brothers Piero and Lodovico Antinori, together with their nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi, recognised the extraordinary potential of the hills of Bibbona in the Upper Maremma. Instinct, passion and centuries of family experience led to a plot-by-plot study that would ultimately result in the creation of Tenuta di Biserno. The terroir of these 40 hectares, situated at an altitude of 90 metres, is exceptionally complex: mainly alluvial and clay-limestone soils, which create the ideal environment for Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The varying exposures and the distance from the sea shape the varietal expression so strongly that the decision to create two production lines was inevitable: Biserno – the estate’s most prestigious and representative wine – and Il Pino di Biserno.