Decanter

Above the vineyard is a brown road sign: Passo del Lume Spento m. 621 s.l.m. The highest point of the entire Brunello appellation. The name is self-explanatory: The wind on this sandstone plateau was so strong that it extinguished the lanterns of the carriages that once crossed this pass. The light always went out. The place remained. No Brunello was allowed to grow here until 2016. The DOCG regulations set an upper limit at 600 metres – and Passo del Lume Spento is at 621 metres. When the rules were changed, Riccardo Campinoti was one of the first to take the plunge. The vines were planted in 2010 and 2012 – young, on a sandstone plateau with south-west exposure, which on clear days offers views as far as the Tyrrhenian Sea. Gaja and Marchesi Antinori have also bought in this zone since then. You don't have to be a clairvoyant to understand why.

Caramel-coloured Vin Santo with intense aromas of toffee and dark chocolate, enriched with acacia honey and Mediterranean herbs. Notes of freesia, candied orange peel and French pastry. On the palate, this fascinating sweet wine reveals a mixture of fig, almond and lemon flavours, followed by roasted coffee beans. The perfect balance between acidity and sweetness leads to a sensual finish. 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.

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 vineyards – 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.

"Pianrosso" – the red plain. When Giuseppe Bianchini began planting this vineyard in 1985, he knew that the heart of his heritage would beat here, on the iron-rich Galestro soils above the Orcia Valley. Eleven hectares between 240 and 360 metres, supported by the slate and marl subsoil that was once seabed before the nearby Monte Amiata left behind its volcanic minerality. Today, his son Paolo and his son Alex continue this legacy – three generations of Bianchini, who face Montalcino's hottest zone with organic cultivation and prudent restraint. The 2020 vintage demanded everything: July heat, which led to 15.5 per cent alcohol, but underneath lies the elegance for which Castelnuovo dell'Abate is famous.

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 estate primarily uses large Slavonian oak barrels (botti), discreetly supplemented by French oak.

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.

Brunello di Montalcino Casanovina Montosoli is one of those wines where you know you are in for an experience as soon as you smell the glass. Dark berries and cherries are followed by roasted nuts, gravel and slate. It is remarkably fresh and light on the palate, but also rich and exotic, with a silky texture that is layered with tart wild berries, savoury herbs and a hint of balsamic spice over a medium-bodied palate. Inner roses, violets, lavender and tart citrus - this wine is remarkably layered and has an unseen depth. The balance between lively acidity and increasing tannin keeps the experience alive. With only 3,800 bottles produced each year, Riccardo Campinoti creates a cru here that not only represents the individuality of Le Ragnaie wines perfectly, but is also hard to beat in terms of elegance and finesse. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Ravera comes from a single vineyard with almost 50-year-old vines. In the glass, it impresses with a strong, aromatic opening aroma. Bright, precise and finely chiselled, the Ravera captures all the goodness the vintage has to offer. Cherry, sweet mint, candy and expressive floral notes get an extra kick of inner sweetness from the Ravera's natural energy. There is so much to look forward to as the wine develops over the next few years! SUPERIORE.DE

Podere Uccelliera is located on the south-eastern slope of the hill of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where the view falls on the extinct volcano Monte Amiata and the breeze from the Orcia Valley blows through the vineyards. Not a large estate, not a marketing machine. Nine hectares, one man, one idea of wine. Andrea Cortonesi comes from a Mezzadria family that cultivated these lands for generations, long before Brunello was a word the world knew. In 1986, he bought the old Podere – with centuries-old olive trees, half a hectare of vines and the firm intention of creating something lasting here. He had previously worked at Ciacci Piccolomini, Poggio di Sotto and Mastrojanni – as a cellar master, as an observer, as a learner. What he took with him was not a recipe. It was a flair. He vinified his first Brunello in 1991.

The fruit for this Brunello comes from a 14.4 hectare south-facing vineyard with loamy soils and lots of boulders. Complex, dark and earthy bouquet of ripe black cherries, enriched with notes of dried flowers, spices, crushed stones and a hint of animal musk. The palate reveals silky textures and pure Sangiovese fruit, underpinned by earthy tones supported by a network of minerals and tannins. The mouthfeel is always lean, tangy and soft, although you can feel the wine's full body and great appeal at all times. The final is polished and refined and lasts for several minutes. SUPERIORE.DE

Altare's Barolo is a Barolo of the four cardinal directions. Not geographically, but in terms of character: from La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba and the municipality of Barolo, a wine emerges that does not let any single vineyard site take centre stage, but rather lets them all speak at once. A map of the entire appellation in 10,000 bottles. What gives each vintage a different character is the climate. 2022 was hot, dry and concentrated in the Langhe – a year that Parker ranked among the most extraordinary of the last decade. The vines were under stress; the grapes ripened early and fully; and the extraction from 4 to 5 days in rotary fermenters yielded denser fruit and softer tannins than in a cooler year. Twenty-four months in used French barriques gave the wine structure and complexity without overshadowing the warmth of the vintage.

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 vineyards – 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 parcel-by-parcel study that would eventually become the birth of Tenuta di Biserno. The terroir of these 40 hectares at an altitude of 90 metres is of extraordinary complexity: mainly alluvial and clay-limestone soils that create the ideal environment for Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The different exposures and the distance from the sea characterise the varietal expression so strongly that the decision in favour of two production lines was obvious: Biserno – the most prestigious and representative wine of the estate – and Il Pino di Biserno.

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.

Riserva is not an automatic process at Fuligni. It is created when a vintage deserves it – and when the estate's oldest vineyards have produced something that is more than Brunello. More than good. 1972, 1976, 2002: vintages in which Fuligni simply did not bring any Brunello onto the market because the quality was not right. This consistency is rare, because you have to be able and willing to afford it. It is also the foundation on which a Riserva acquires its very special meaning. 2020 was not an easy year. Warm, dry, early ripening – a vintage that many producers dismissed as too lush, too soft. Fuligni saw it differently. The north-east-facing sites in Cottimelli, between 380 and 450 metres, on Galestro – stony, cool, with natural acidity even in hot years – dampened the heat and preserved the freshness. What was a challenge in flatter, warmer sites resulted in concentrated, healthy grapes with depth and surprising elegance. The oldest vines on the estate, over forty years old, with reduced yields and highly concentrated juice, provided the material for the selection.

In 1978, the first bottle of Brunello from Casanova di Neri found its way onto the market – then still called "Vino Rosso dai Vigneti di Brunello", five years after the first harvest. Giovanni Neri had found his dream and his son Giacomo began to realise it. The white label was there from the very beginning – and still is today. The Brunello White Label comes from specially designated vineyards around Podere Fiesole to the east of Montalcino – the same vineyards from which the estate has been making its Brunello for over four decades. After a cool, slow spring, 2021 brought a balancing, dry summer and even ripening into September.

The name is a tribute. Giodo – composed of Giovanna and Donatello, the names of his parents. Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy's most important Oenologist, has dedicated his life to Sangiovese – as a consultant for estates from Montalcino to Etna and as the designer of some of the most influential wines in Tuscany over the last three decades. It was not a question of if he would found his own winery at some point, but when. In 2002, he found it: ten hectares in Sant'Angelo in Colle, south-west Montalcino, seven of them woodland, three for the vine. And the vine here is exclusively Sangiovese – 15 carefully selected clones, planted with the patience of a man who knows that great wines are not made, but accompanied.

In the early decades of the 19th century, one man shaped the landscape of Bolgheri like no other: Guidalberto della Gherardesca, ancestor of the Incisa family, who commissioned the construction of the area's first mills and churches, laid out fields and designed the Viale dei Cipressi – that famous avenue of cypress trees immortalised by Carducci, which still marks the entrance to Tenuta San Guido today. This wine is dedicated to the pioneer of this landscape. Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, who had long maintained that he wished to produce just one wine, recognised in the mid-1990s the potential of new plots along the Viale dei Cipressi, on clay-loam soils that proved particularly well-suited to Merlot. The first harvest was in 2000. Today: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, from vines with an average age of 18 years. Hand-harvested, short maceration, indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 12 months in French barriques, approximately 40% of which are new.

A classically composed and perfect introduction to Altare Nebbiolo from its own vineyards in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba. With its modern character (use of barriques), the Elio Altare winery has always been one of those producers whose Barolo wines appear less hard and brittle when young and rarely beg for more than 10 years of further ageing in the bottle.

Michele Satta is one of the pioneers of Bolgheri – in 1982, he founded his winery as one of the first in this now world-famous Tuscan coastal region. While the big names all around were focussing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Satta took an unconventional step: with Marianova, first vinified in 2015, the second generation of the family created the first Bolgheri Superiore to be made entirely without Bordeaux grapes. Instead, this wine combines equal parts of the best Syrah and Sangiovese grapes from the Vignanova vineyard – the grape varieties that have most strongly characterised Satta's Bolgheri experience. Vinification takes place in cement vats with 30 per cent whole-cluster fermentation and malolactic fermentation in barriques. Ageing lasts 18 months in Liters amphorae and barriques, followed by further bottle ageing.

Il Caberlot is normally only bottled in magnum format. Here we offer a few bottles from a small edition, which were bottled in the 0.75 litre bottle (demi-magnum) with the addition of the name "Sommelleria" especially for restaurants.

No other point in the Barbaresco geography is as geologically charged as Rabajà. Where the two ridges of the village meet – one sloping westwards towards the Tanaro, with loose, calcareous soil; the other facing north, with compact, calcareous subsoil –lies the vineyard. The secret of its complexity lies in the intersection of the soils: Rabajà combines what is otherwise separate. The south-westerly exposure provides warmth; the limestone gives tension. The result is a wine that does not play off elegance and power, but rather blends them together. The Produttori del Barbaresco first bottled Rabajà in 1970 – the entire production was purchased by Ristorante Guido in Costigliole d'Asti, a silent sign that this wine would become more than just an insider tip right from the start. Vinification: 28 days on the skins, thirty months or more in wooden barrels, one year in the bottle.

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.