Doctor Wine

Strong ruby red. Opulent aromas of dark berries, mint, spices, forest floor and undergrowth. In the balanced, powerful drink very clear, juicy and tight. Spreads comfortably with notes of plum, raspberry compote and chocolate. This great Amarone captivates from the first sip - its long, silky finish leaves nothing to be desired. SUPERIORE.DE

Le Lucére is not a wine for coincidences. The plot – almost 2.5 hectares, east-facing, Galestro and slate, vines that have been rooted in this soil for more than a quarter of a century – only becomes a single-vineyard bottling under certain conditions. 2018 was such a year, although the world of Brunello experts initially reacted cautiously. Wrongly so. The eastern exposure of San Filippo is a quiet privilege for cooler years: no blazing afternoon sunshine that burns the fruit and hardens the tannins. Instead – morning light, slow ripening, precision. The vines did not suffer. They concentrated. Caciorgna vinified in steel, fermented in concrete, put the wine first in barrique and tonneau, then in large 20 to 30 hectolitre barrels. More than three years of ageing, one year in the bottle. The wine needed the time.

Carricante is the white soul of Etna. While Nerello Mascalese attracts the attention of the world, Carricante works quietly and consistently – a grape variety that develops deep minerality on volcanic lava sand and an acidity structure that can last for decades. On the northern Etna slope, in the Contrada Cottanera, lies the vineyard to which this estate has given its name and to which it now dedicates its purest white wine. Hand-picked with careful grape selection. What follows is a conscious decision: 5 to 6 hours of maceration in the press – longer than most producers would risk with Carricante, and yet it is not a so-called orange wine. The skin contact gives texture, depth and a phenolic structure that supports the subsequent ageing. Fermentation in concrete vats at 14 to 22 °C – the material that breathes without overlaying. Then 24 months in concrete, 24 more in the bottle. A full four years from the vineyard to the glass.

The single vineyard Bufaleffi is considered one of the most historic cru zones around Pachino, the historic heart of Nero d'Avola. The deep red soils with a high iron and lime content, the hot climate tempered by the sea air at night and the organic cultivation form the foundation of this single vineyard wine. The ungrafted vines are over fifty years old, the yield is low and the harvest is selective and manual. After the classic mash fermentation, the wine matures for over two years in used barriques and then for a long time in the bottle – this gives it density, structure and expression.

This is more than a wine – it is the essence of a project born in 1999 with the vision of showing the world the finest that Bolgheri is capable of producing. From five selected vineyard sites between 80 and 220 metres above sea level – argentiera, Ginestre, Ventaglio, Porcarecce and Ceccosodo – a cuvée is created that has been a contemporary symbol of Italian winemaking since its debut vintage in 2003. Sourced from the best plots of the Tenuta, where sandy, calcareous and stony soils thrive between Mediterranean scrub and the salty breeze of the Tyrrhenian Sea, each grape embodies the unique terroir identity of this privileged location.

Barolo Ginestra Ciabot Mentin DOCG 2019 comes from one of Monforte's most prestigious parcels with a south-south-easterly exposure at an altitude of around 400 metres. The old Nebbiolo vines are deeply rooted in calcareous marl with veins of clay and sand, which gives the wine intensity and finesse. The 2019 vintage is considered one of the most classic of the last decade: long, balanced vegetation, mild summer heat and cool September nights produced grapes of rare aromatic precision. After being harvested by hand, the grapes were carefully vinified and matured in French oak for around 30 months.

Piaggia Riserva is pure elegance in a bottle: clear ruby red colour, almost impenetrable, very consistent. Raspberry compote, dried orange peel, roses, exotic spices and a hint of cocoa on the broodingbouquet. Silky and refined on the palate, with notes of violets, ripe red and black fruits in rapid succession. Its lively acidity retains exceptional finesse, although the primary fruit slowly asserts itself. Finishes long with a layer of sweet tannins and balsamic cherry flavours. Its finesse and balance are already astonishing at a young age, and the best will only come in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

San Leonardo is the flagship of the winery of the same name and one of the best red wines in Trentino every year. Opulent bouquet with nuances of dark fruit such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate notes of spices, leather and tobacco give it a terrific complexity, which is then enhanced on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, all flanked by clearly contoured tannins. A masterful red with a strong personality that will reach its true greatness after a few more years of bottle ageing and live up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. No overripeness, no heat scars, no compromises. And for an east-facing vineyard like Le Lucére – fully exposed to the first light of the morning – this meant that the Sangiovese Grosso was harvested with a ripeness that has rarely been so precisely predictable. Harvested early, fresh and concentrated at the same time. Caciorgna allowed the wine to pass through all of its stages: 13 to 14 months in barrique and tonneau, then almost 28 months in large containers – an ageing process that demands and receives depth. The result is a Le Lucére of princely stature.

2020 posed a simple question for Montalcino's winegrowers: who has the better terroir? In a hot, dry year – august temperatures close to 40 degrees – it was not just the manual labour in the vineyard that decided, but the geology. Le Lucére responded with Galestro and slate: soils that hold water deeper, moderate temperatures and preserve freshness when patience and acidity have long since given way elsewhere. Organic farming since 2013 has paid off many times over in years like these. Living soils, deep-rooted vines, no drought stress that forces chemical interventions. Paolo Caciorgna didn't have to save anything. He just had to listen.

Il Nocio, a Nobile di Montepulciano from a single vineyard, impressively demonstrates the true essence of the Sangiovese grape and has also been one of the region's quality leaders for years. Deep red, intense aromas of sour cherry, redcurrant, rose petals, violets and sweet spices. Dense, juicy and elegant on the palate, with fresh, pure fruit and smoothly polished tannins. Lively mineral and floral nuances in the very long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Dark bouquet of cherry and plum sauces mixed with cloves and grapefruit peel. This is pure elegance, rich and supple, even polished in feel, while masses of mineral-tinged red berries flow over a core of vibrant acidity. The tannins arrive late and intermingle with a concentrated layer of primary fruit, leaving a classically structured impression. It is already clear that this wine will make its fans very happy in a few years' time. SUPERIORE.DE

Vecchie Vigne by Siro Pacenti is still one of the most modern wines to emerge from this sun-drenched appellation in southern Tuscany. The grapes come from old vines that are between 38 and 53 years old. You can immediately taste the great 2019 vintage and the richness and suppleness of its dark fruit and lush blackberry flavours. Vecchie Vigne offers that certain hint of exotic spices, savoury tobacco and even notes of talcum powder or buttered popcorn, which come from the oak - it is aged for 24 months in French barriques - which does it a world of good and makes it unmistakable. All the attributes of this exceptional wine are clearly pronounced and unmistakably convincing, all of which contribute to a creamy and infinitely long-lasting mouthfeel and make this wine one of the best of the vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

The project aims to highlight the link between the vines, the wines and their territorial origins. The Mastroberardino family wants to recreate the style of winemaking of the indigenous grape varieties of Irpinia (Greco, Fiano and Aglianico) that took place between the late 1950s and early 1970s for the Taurasi and between 1970 and 1980 for the two white wines from Irpinia. It is the unmistakable style (the stilèma) of a family that has interpreted the natural heritage of its territory over generations and that today impressively emphasises the genuine character of the terroir, which by no means can be expressed through high concentration and intensity alone.

San Leonardo is the flagship wine of the winery of the same name and, year on year, one of the finest red wines in northern Italy. It boasts an opulent bouquet with hints of dark fruits such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate hints of spice, leather and tobacco lend it a terrific complexity, which is then enhanced on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, the whole flanked by clearly defined tannins. A masterful, characterful red that, after a few more years of bottle ageing, reaches its true greatness and lives up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

Altesinos Montosoli displays the famous characteristics of this particular site, which are always characterised by a pronounced mineral intensity, with hints of crushed granite and lead pencil layers. The five-hectare vineyard has a higher concentration of Galestro clay-slate rock, and the altitude contributes to the freshness of the wine.

Geremia founded the Ricasoli family in the 7th or 8th century – at a time when Chianti was not yet the name of a wine, but a battleground between rival noble families. His descendant, Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, now runs the same estate, on the same land, in Gaiole in Chianti. And he named this wine after his ancestor. This is particularly intriguing given that the Geremia is not a Sangiovese. In 1997, Marco planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon across 2.5 hectares of his hillside – deliberately, out of curiosity, and with a clear question in mind: what does this terroir express in a different language? The calcareous-clay soils at altitudes of between 340 and 510 metres, the south-southeast exposure, the microclimate between Florence and Siena – everything that shapes Sangiovese is also available here to the Bordeaux varieties. Hand-harvested in baskets, fermented in temperature-controlled tanks, aged for 24 months in medium-toasted Allier barriques, bottled unfiltered, and aged in bottle for 18 months. Certified organic.

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to practically abandon this noble location. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) has become what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron and is therefore very different from all other Fèlsina vineyards.

The strong ruby-red Pinot Nero Schweizer, which is only produced in the best vintages, is a masterpiece. Its bouquet is large, complex and reminiscent of very ripe small wild berries. These special flavours are also found in the mouth, in combination with ripe, candied dark cherry and delicate floral and red berry notes. Juicy, wide-ranging palate, mouth-filling and with delicate, sveltenuances and an inviting and slightly tannic body which, together with the well-proportioned acidity, gives the wine a long life. SUPERIORE.DE