Decanter

"The Löwengang Chardonnay is an expression of classic refinement: An elegant, fine wine with good complexity, great structure and a pronounced body, whose origin characterises its character. When the Chardonnay came onto the market and a suitable name was sought, it was clear that the Margreid vineyard should take centre stage. It was the perfect opportunity to revive the name Löwengang and give the newly created, high-quality wines this name." Alois Lageder

You have to earn that nickname. They call the Montestefano the "Barolo of Barbaresco" – and anyone who's tasted a good vintage will understand why. The vineyard is situated just a few metres from Montefico; it shares its southern exposure and calcareous subsoil, but is significantly steeper. Excellent drainage, harvest late harvest, and a warmer microclimate thanks to protection from north winds: these are the conditions under which the Nebbiolo reaches maximum ripeness here – an almost smoky depth, full of power. The Produttori del Barbaresco have been vinifying Montestefano as a single-vineyard wine since 1974; the winemaking process has remained unchanged for decades: 28 days' maceration at 30 degrees, followed by at least thirty months in large Slavonian oak barrels.

South Tyrol's Chardonnay legend writes another chapter. Since 1994, the Löwengang has characterised the perception of Alpine white wine excellence like no other. The historic estate above Margreids holds a secret: Chardonnay vines, whose roots reach up to five decades deep into the South Tyrolean soil, thrive on barren limestone soils between 230 and 330 metres. The warm microclimate with its nightly drops in temperature produces grapes of concentrated minerality. The Lageder family gives this terroir free rein. Organic farming without compromise, spontaneous fermentation in hand-picked barriques from the Tronçais and Vosges forests. One third new wood lends structure, while eleven months on the lees give the wine its silky texture. A further twelve months of ageing in the cellar bring the final harmony.

Le Ragnaie is located on the highest vineyards in Montalcino. Riccardo Campinoti, who took over the estate in 2002 together with his American wife Jennifer, has created a vineyard here at an altitude of – 530 to 600 metres above sea level, surrounded by oak forests, olive groves and a small lake – has realised a philosophy that cannot be taken for granted in Montalcino: maximum transparency. No purchasing, no concentration through technology, no new barriques. Natural yeasts, concrete tanks, long macerations, Slavonian oak barrels. The wine tells what the vineyard says – and nothing more. The name of the estate refers to the ragnatela, the spider's web – the shape of the traditional bird-catching nets that were once spun here when Montalcino was poor and people caught birds to feed themselves. The history of Brunello has changed this. But the nets – in the figurative sense – have remained: fine, taut, precise. Brunello di Montalcino is the assemblage of all the parcels of the estate – a combination of the different exposures and altitudes of the central zone, vinified separately and only bottled together after three years.

A Barolo from a great vintage: the 2021 wine year brought a long growing season with clear day-night amplitudes and precise harvest: fully ripe phenolics, bright acidity, impeccable health. The grapes come from family-owned plots in Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte and Mosconi. Each vineyard is fermented separately in stainless steel; prolonged maceration with gentle extraction, followed by unhurried malolactic fermentation. For the ageing process, the winery primarily uses large Slavonian oak barrels (botti), discreetly supplemented by French oak.

The 2022 marks a significant transition: it is the last vintage that Paolo de Marchi characterised before Emanuele Reolon took over as technical director. But the signature remains unmistakable. Since the 1980s, de Marchi was one of the first in Chianti Classico to plant high-density vineyards with low-yielding Sangiovese clones on poor Galestro soils at an altitude of 400 metres – a revolution in quality. The cuvée of 90% Sangiovese, supplemented by 10% Canaiolo, ferments for twelve days in stainless steel using the characteristic délestage method, which de Marchi has been refining since 1996. Seven months of ageing in barriques of different sizes give the wine complexity without dominance.

This Nebbiolo comes from one of the best vineyards in the Roero and is vinified by Luciano Sandrone with the same care as a Barolo. Brilliant ruby-garnet colour. Wonderful aroma of light red fruit, mainly raspberry and cherry. Earthy on the palate with a lovely strawberry touch and an incredible amount of elegance. The fine-grained tannin is wonderfully integrated and, together with a subtle minerality, gives this Nebbiolo a race, depth and finesse that is unrivalled. SUPERIORE.DE

Contrada Feudo is located on the northern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of around 650 metres, where the vines are rooted in volcanically mixed, sandy and stony soils. Some of the plots with Nerello Mascalese are over 70 years old and deliver concentrated but cool fruit year after year. 2021 was a classic vintage on Etna with a pronounced balance: not too hot, not too humid – ideal conditions for a precise style. The wine is aged for around 16 months in used tonneaux, which emphasises the characteristics of the vineyard and refines the tannin structure.

Montefico lies between Montestefano and Ovello – long regarded by connoisseurs as the most precise and sophisticated wine in the Produttori range. The vineyard faces south to south-east, sharing its limestone-rich soil with its imposing neighbour, Montestefano, whilst at the same time being exposed to occasional northerly winds that blow through the narrow valley between Barbaresco and Neive, bringing a refreshing coolness to the early morning hours even in hot summers. This lends the Nebbiolo here a characteristic coolness, which it bears with dignity. The Produttori del Barbaresco vinify Montefico using the same approach as for all their other nine crus: 28 days' maceration, followed by thirty months or more in large Slavonian oak barrels – without haste, without compromise. The April frost of 2021 reduced the harvest to the bare essentials; the grapes ripened slowly and fully, and the harvest did not take place until after 8 October – under almost perfect conditions.

Deep, dark yellow colour. Rich, almost opulent impressions of candied apricots, orange zest and traces of fine yellow flowers on the nose. Fabulously viscous texture on the palate, multi-layered, very concentrated flavour of candied fruit with a wonderfully polished sweetness. One of Italy's greatest Vin Santo with a long, persistent finish and made to last. SUPERIORE.DE

When Elio Altare returned from Burgundy in the 1970s, he brought with him a conviction that nobody in Piedmont shared at the time: that Nebbiolo need not achieve greatness through age and ‘tannic mass’, but rather through elegance and precision. He shortened the maceration periods, introduced used barriques and pursued the ideal of a Barolo that is accessible without losing its soul. His dispute with his father over this has become legendary. That conviction has endured. Altareentry-level Barolo is the most complete expression of this conviction: no single cru, no selection from a single vineyard, but a blend from the appellation’s four major municipalities. La Morra brings aromatics and silkiness. Castiglione Falletto brings body. Serralunga d’Alba brings mineral rigour. The municipality of Barolo itself brings balance. 10,000 bottles from vines aged between 20 and 30 years, predominantly facing south to south-east.

Anyone looking for the truth in Sangiovese will find it here: Laura Brunelli's Montalcino has been a stunning wine full of vitality, life and energy for years. It displays an almost outrageous degree of clarity and openness. It unfolds brightly and radiantly with lasting purity, elegance and length. This Brunello shows extreme precision and focus, both on the nose and in the mouthfeel. Wild berries, blue flowers and liquorice come together in perfection, and it is impossible to surpass this quality at this price. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 was a strong year in Montalcino and this vintage shows balance and proud character. Opens with bright cherry fruit, menthol, balsamic herbs, minerals and soft earthy tones. On the palate, mint and sage form the backdrop to bright cherry with a hint of sweet spice. It's feminine and remarkably pretty, showing red fruits with savoury minerals and inner flowers that accumulate towards the finish. The tannins are round and nuanced, classically dry but in no way fatiguing or austere. This symmetry and great length are simply fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

When Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti bought a farmstead in the village of Notri, south of the medieval town of Suvereto in the Colline Metallifere, in 1984, they had no wine plan. They wanted nature, peace and quiet, a piece of land. The passion for wine changed that – slowly, inevitably, as it always does. The first vintage of Giusto di Notri was produced in 1992, named after San Giusto, the patron saint of Suvereto, and after the location of the estate itself. Eight years later, her Redigaffi was the first Italian wine ever to receive 100 points from Robert Parker. Tua Rita had redrawn the wine map of the Maremma.

For over 60 years, the Produttori del Barbaresco have stood for an uncompromising commitment to quality, supported by over 50 winegrowers who contribute their finest grapes from Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso to the cooperative. The Barbaresco 2022 is a prime example of collective precision and classic style: the Nebbiolo grapes come from selected municipal vineyards, some of which border the crus, on limestone and clay-rich soils. Vinification was carried out using traditional methods: extended maceration, ageing for 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a further period of rest in the bottle.

Unmistakable interpretation of the Chianti Classico: sparkling ruby colour with a pronounced garnet hue. Very inviting aroma of cherries and delicate meadow herbs, with a nutty touch. Medium-bodied on the palate, again wonderfully juicy fruit, cool, mineral style, very finely structured and balanced, with lively animo, lingers quite long and makes you want the next glass. The perfect accompaniment to Italian dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

The Nero d'Avola grapes for the very rare Sultana come from a steeply sloping, bush-shaped vineyard facing north-west. The soil here is white with a limestone matrix, rich in minerals and drainage capacity. The pronounced slope and very poor soil reinforce the pedoclimatic characteristics in which the Nero d'Avola plants find a natural habitat. It is an extreme terroir, a combination of environmental and human factors, that distinguishes the Sultana vineyard from other vineyards. The light reflected by the white soils enhances the characteristics and ultimately the quality of the grapes from the vineyard. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1996, Elisabetta Geppetti bought a slope near Pereta. She called it Poggio Valente – the valiant hill, the brave hill. A name that says it all. The site lies at 280 metres, facing south-west, on sandy soils over sandstone rocks with clay inlays – a soil that gives the Sangiovese precision and elegance rather than weight and vigour. Elisabetta wanted something different here: a single-varietal Sangiovese cru in the Burgundian style, a wine that speaks its vineyard and nothing else. In 2014, she made a consistent decision: Poggio Valente left the Morellino appellation and has since appeared as a Toscana IGT. Not a step backwards – quite the opposite. A statement. This wine is bigger than its designation of origin, and Elisabetta did not want the lack of international recognition of an appellation to limit its ambition.

Della Bastonaca is the quintessence of the COS philosophy, grown on the historic estate in Bastonaca near Vittoria – where up to 75-year-old Alberello vines of Nero d'Avola and Frappato stand on calcareous red clay, criss-crossed by quartz veins and the constant presence of Mediterranean air. Biodynamics is not a statement here, but a lived practice – for decades, each vintage has been vinified in harmony with nature at the right rhythm.

"You should take that much time. Time and attention for the best of our Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Perfect harmony that is only achieved after 10 years of ageing in the bottle. Dense to the tips of your hair." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor

Bright ruby red colour. Refined raspberry and red cherry on the nose, with notes of quinine and flowers that develop with further aeration. Fresh flavours of red berries and smoked beef, with hints of violets and orange zest. Almost exotic on the palate with plenty of luscious extract sweetness and fine tannins and a fresh, mineral, dry finish. An exceptional red wine with a terrificarc of tension! SUPERIORE.DE

G.D. Vajra's Ravera (whose vineyard extends over the municipalities of Novello and Barolo) is always the most angular, powerful and vertical of their collection. It comes from soils with clay and sandstone at 320 to 340 metres above sea level. This is the ideal place for wines that show both power and elegance. The tannins are sweet, but every fibre of the backbone is dense and firm. Red and purple fruits with liquorice, tar and white truffle are neatly packaged here and only reveal themselves gradually, but then with beautiful precision and straightforwardness. The final has a wonderfully long aftertaste, superb! SUPERIORE.DE

The world-famous Caiarossa is an extremely exciting blend of the Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante varieties, with the rich, dark fruit flavours of the Cabernet grapes taking centre stage. On the nose, a beautiful first wave of dark fruits that never appear too ripe, which greatly benefits the elegance of the wine. The palate is very balanced and focussed with blackberries, cassis and slight hints of salty or rusty minerals. Caiarossa displays a good degree of elegance, not least due to its fine and taut tannins, and despite its density and complexity never comes across as opulent or even overloaded. SUPERIORE.DE

There are moments in the history of Italian viticulture that shine like beacons through time. 1962 was one such moment when Fabrizio Bianchi, driven by a vision and surrounded by the scepticism of his contemporaries, made a decision that would change Chianti Classico forever. He dared to vinify the grapes from a single vineyard separately: Il Poggio. What began as an experiment became a revolution – the first cru of Chianti Classico was born. Il Poggio – "the hill" – lies in the heart of Monsanto like a natural amphitheatre, surrounded by wild cypresses, juniper bushes and strawberry trees. Here, on the characteristic Galestro soils between 280 and 320 metres above sea level, the Sangiovese vines have driven their roots deep into the slate-like rock over the decades. These soils – a gift of geological history – give the wine the mineral depth and structural complexity that have made Il Poggio a living legend.