Decanter

The grapes for Clerico's entry-level Barolo come from younger vines in the top vineyards of Pajana, Ciabot Mentin and Percristina (Mosconi). The 2021 vintage is considered one of the best of the last decade: a balanced vegetation cycle with warm, sunny days and cool nights promoted even ripening and preserved the concise acidity structure. In the glass, it shines a rich garnet red with ruby-coloured reflections. The nose reveals a clear, complex aroma of ripe cherry, dark plum and dried rose, complemented by hints of violet, tobacco, liquorice and a fine, balsamic note. Powerful and precise on the palate, with juicy fruit, present, well-integrated acidity and taut, fine-grained tannins that promise a long development. The 2021 still needs to develop a little, but the essential components are already very convincing today. SUPERIORE.DE

A summer that Europe remembers as hot – and Montalcino as surprising. The vines of Col d'Orcia, deeply rooted in the calcareous, clay-poor soils of the Orcia hill, showed in 2020 what biodynamic cultivation means in years of stress: resilience. Early bud burst after a mild winter, followed by a balanced spring with well-distributed rainfall. The summer remained warm, but without extreme heat phases – sporadic downpours at the end of August cooled the soil at the last moment and allowed the grapes to develop aromatic compounds instead of simply ripening. In addition, there were pronounced day-night temperature differences in September. Harvest from mid-September, clean and structured. The result has a character that Montalcino connoisseurs describe as "captivante": simultaneously accessible and enigmatic. Maceration for 18 to 20 days, shallow 150-hl steel tanks, gentle extraction. Three years in large barrels, twelve months in the bottle: Col d'Orcia's traditional vinification process – unchanged for decades because it works.

Dark and seductive with a blend of crushed plums, brown spices, cedar and a hint of cocoa. Its textures are like pure silk bordering on velvet, with a gentle blend of ripe cherries and redcurrants, underlined by salty minerals, while notes of citrus contrast towards the end. A web of fine tannin runs through the final, creating a gentle textural pull that balances balsamic herbs and a hint of mocha as blue and violet-coloured flowers slowly fade away. SUPERIORE.DE

The great Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra from the historic Clerico vineyard. Bright garnet red colour. Open-hearted bouquet of ripe fruit and spices, the elegant tannins are accompanied by a pleasant freshness in the complex flavour, deep and long on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1977, a 34-year-old manager from Bergamo came to the Tuscan coast. Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari had had enough of balance sheets and meetings – the wine journalist Luigi Veronelli had persuaded him that his place was among the vines, not in offices. What he found: a piece of land without electricity, without running water, overgrown and forgotten. Only the name reminded him of a distant past: Grattamacco – the slag heaps of the Etruscans, who smelted iron here two and a half thousand years ago. Five years later, in 1982, Meletti Cavallari bottled his first wine – as a simple Vino da Tavola, three years before Ornellaia even existed.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

Bright, deep ruby red colour. The purity and brilliance of this wine are wonderfully evident as soon as you put your nose in the glass: precise aromas of red fruits, liquorice and minerals are lifted by an intense violet top note. Sweet and sexy on the palate, it then becomes somewhat masculine and broad-shouldered in the middle, showing impressive volume and depth with flavours of dark red cherries, menthol and minerals. Full-bodied and refined with elegant and intense tannins that draw you deep into the wine. This wonderful Riserva from the top 2019 vintage is a well thought-out and finely crafted Brunello that definitely needs a little more time to show its true greatness. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, shiny red colour. A beguiling blend of dark cherries, plums, mocha, liquorice, leather and cloves on the nose. Very compact and powerful fruit on the palate, characterised by deep intensity, dense layers and a velvety texture. Very focussed, balanced and certainly needs a few more years to develop fully. Outstanding elegance and length. In short: an absolute beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

There are places in this world that seem destined by a higher power to produce the extraordinary. The Oratorio di San Lorenzo is one such place – a small valley nestled in the rolling hills of the Colli Berici, where monks have lived in silent contemplation for centuries and where Stefano Inama has now completed his life's work. Here, in the shadow of a small 16th century chapel dedicated to St Laurence, only the very best vintages produce a wine that is more than any other: Oratorio di San Lorenzo – inama's red masterpiece and perhaps the purest expression of Carménère outside Chile. The story of this wine is one of vision and passion. When Stefano Inama decided to add red wines to his white empire in the late 1990s, chance led him to a sip from a nameless glass – that legendary moment of "love at first taste" that changed his life. The wine came from Carménère grapes, the almost forgotten Bordeaux variety that had been brought to the iron-rich red soils of the Colli Berici by French emigrants in the mid-19th century. Stefano immediately recognised the potential of this grape variety on this special terroir and acquired the twelve-hectare valley around the Oratorio in two tranches – an investment in the future that proved to be brilliant.

Dievoles Gran Selezione Vigna Sessina is dark, brooding and with wonderfully powerful cherry and blackberry flavours. Very defined and precise on the palate with an archetypal interpretation of the grape variety. Everything is in the right place here, the balance and clarity impresses with every sip. The finish has terrificlength and depth. This is Sangiovese in its purest form with infinite energy and expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

With the exception of 2016 and 2019, the last eight years in the region around Montalcino have been characterised by warm and dry conditions. For this reason, Il Poggione has started to prioritise irrigation for emergencies (which is becoming more and more of a necessity in the south-west of Montalcino) and is looking for a better balance in the higher vineyards. This is not the only reason why Il Poggione is one of the top producers every year, with an extremely fair value.

The 2019 Brunello vintage from Altesino stands proudly among its peers. The bouquet has a pronounced floral character with delightful notes of pressed rose petals and dried violets. The fruit tones are elegant and harmonious, ranging from light red cherries to redcurrants. Firm and well-structured on the palate, the multi-layered fruit is accentuated by a refined fennel and liquorice note. Long and stately in the final, great! SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE

A characterful expression of southern elegance, characterised by the terroir of the Maremma and a cuvée that ingeniously combines Syrah and Grenache. The vines for the Tinata grow on clay and limestone soils on a hillside not far from the Tyrrhenian coast near Capalbio. The 2021 vintage was balanced and almost ideal: a moderately warm summer, without drought stress, followed by a long, sunny autumn - the best conditions for fully ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Romano Dal Forno started out in 1983 with a proposition that he has proven every vintage since: a Valpolicella can compete with the greatest wines in the world. He learnt this from Giuseppe Quintarelli. He internalised it in the Val d'Illasi, where his vines grow on alluvial gravel and clay, at up to 450 metres, with a planting density that makes every yield a rarity. Valpolicella Superiore does not begin fermentation – it begins with six weeks of appassimento. Corvina, Corvinone, Croatina, Oseleta and Rondinella dry slowly in the air of the lodoletta, losing water and gaining soul. Then: controlled fermentation in steel tanks, 36 months in new French and American oak barriques, years of ageing in the bottle.

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

La Poja from the vineyard of the same name is a great terroir wine in which Allegrini does not dry the grapes. Made from the indigenous Corvina grape variety, this red wine opens with inviting aromas of ripe black-skinned berries, cedar wood and spices. The elegantly structured, full-bodied palate offers spiced blackberries, liquorice and black pepper alongside fine-grained tannins. Dynamic, precise and very elegant in all its components, it offers maximum enjoyment and promises a terrific development. SUPERIORE.DE