Doctor Wine

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.

Elena Fucci's exceptional Titolo wine is already built for the long haul in its "basic version". It will continue its steady development for at least the next 20 years, which is why it is particularly enjoyable when aged in magnum format. Dark ruby red in colour, the bouquet has aromas of ripe red fruit and a fine woody spice. The wine is assembled with enormous precision, offering a balanced intensity and a beautiful degree of fruit purity that speaks both in favour of the Aglianico grape and the extreme region that produces it. Titolo impresses with its fine texture and elegantly integrated tannins. This is the kind of masterful Aglianico performance we love. SUPERIORE.DE

Ginestra is a large and beautiful vineyard site in Monforte d'Alba, bathed in morning light and offering a panoramic view of the castle of Serralunga d'Alba. The flagship wine of the house with great personality and balance. The bouquet is multi-layered and multi-dimensional with dark purple, balsamic fruit on the one hand and impressive notes of spices, tar and tobacco on the other. In the glass, the Sori Ginestra is characterised by a pronounced, strong backbone of taut tannins and an acidity that leaves nothing to be desired for this cru in terms of structure, completeness and longevity. 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 spice, leather and tobacco notes give it a terrific complexity, which is then extended 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

Only 1,650 bottles of this 1.5 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Camagi" (mainly quartz and limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Campo di Camagi is a very precise and focused wine. The high quality of the Cabernet Franc grape is noticeable here with every sip. Black fruits and spices are in elegant unity here and the full, racy body of this exceptional wine will only fully reveal itself in many years. Please be sure to put this bottle far away! SUPERIORE.DE

Just 2,100 bottles of this 1.5 ha single vineyard Cabernet Franc "Campo di Magnacosta" (a former riverbed with mainly clay, gravel and crushed stone soil) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. The vines were planted in the mid-1990s and come from Pomerol. In terms of aromatic intensity, Magnacosta is probably the most sensually elegant representative of the house's three great site cabernets. It has great straightness, but somewhat less power and intensity. It subtly combines black fruit aromas with spicy notes, tar and antique leather. It is already silky and elegant and will certainly gain in finesse over the years. SUPERIORE.DE

Dark, bright ruby with garnet colour. Pure power of aromas, dense and complex with notes of black cherries, smoked ham, savoury herbs, tobacco, liquorice and many other nuances. Equally fascinating on the palate, firm tannins, impressive complexity and depth with noticeable potential for ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Barely 4,000 bottles are produced each year from the magical Anfiteatro, named after the historic vineyard of the same name, which was planted back in 1975. 100% Sangiovese, from high Galestro soils, make up this masterpiece, which impresses every year and which, along with Flaccianello and Cepparello, can place itself in the first rank of the super-Sangiovese of central Tuscany.

Currá is an archaic long-distance runner and presents itself very aristocratic when young with increasing bottle maturity or also good aeration. Then it reveals dark berries and a fine chocolate note in the bouquet. In its style, it is edgy at first, but then at no point denies its greatness and harmony. Tobacco, plums, smoke and tobacco: with every glass, this exceptional wine reveals new facets and a firework of impressions. This is Nebbiolo from 65-year-old vines at the highest level! SUPERIORE.DE

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 virtually abandon this noble site. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) became what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron, and is thus quite different from all other Fèlsina sites.

Just 2,100 bottles of this 1.5-hectare single-vineyard Cabernet Franc "Campo di Magnacosta" (a former riverbed with mainly clay, gravel and crushed stone soil) are sold worldwide in specialised shops and on the menus of the best restaurants. The vines were planted in the mid-1990s and come from the Pomerol region. In terms of aromatic intensity, Magnacosta is probably the most sensual and elegant of the estate's three great Cabernets. It is very straightforward, but somewhat less powerful and intense. It subtly combines black fruit flavours with spicy notes, tar and antique leather. It is already silky and elegant and will certainly become even more refined over the years. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby red, with a fine cherry scent, in which there are also hints of nuts and wild berries, vanilla, cinnamon, sage and tobacco. Concentrated, rich flavour with harmonious tannins and a long, velvety final. SUPERIORE.DE

Do you know the Basarin vineyard near Neive? You can expect a bright ruby-garnet colour and a wine from a particularly fine vintage: the bouquet is a cornucopia of wild sour cherry aromas, herbs, a little liquorice and tobacco. Firm and very clearly structured on the palate, muscular and yet with an elegance that never loses control due to its power. Basarin is a highly energetic and precise Nebbiolo that only reveals its complexity with a little patience and aeration. The neighbouring Neive terroir reveals itself with distinguished elegance and blends harmoniously with the volume and weight typical of the site - and with a depth that only vines over 50 years old can produce. SUPERIORE.DE

Davide Rosso had long since successfully written the Serralunga chapter when he rode up Etna for the first time in 2014. He was not looking for a second mainstay. He was looking for a terroir that would challenge him – as the limestone marl of Serralunga had once challenged him. He found it on the northern slope of the volcano, in the Solicchiata fraction, and bought a 14-hectare estate in Contrada Montedolce in 2016. An old palmento, lava soil, 750 metres above sea level. But he didn't stop there. In 2023, he acquired two more hectares in Contrada Pietra Marina – one of the best white vineyards in the entire Etna region, historically famous for the quality of its Carricante, directly influenced by the nearby Alcantara River. The soils here are a unique mixture: volcanic sand and ash, enriched by fluvial silt and sandstone, shaped by thousands of years of tectonic and hydraulic forces. No other piece of land on Etna offers this specific dual character – volcanic energy and mineral river coolness in one vineyard.

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 has emerged that has been a contemporary symbol of Italian winemaking since its debut vintage in 2003. The 2021 vintage is the culmination of an extraordinary era: 48% Merlot is combined with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc to create a Bordeaux-inspired masterpiece that nevertheless breathes an unmistakable Tuscan soul. Sourced from the Tenuta's best plots, where sandy, calcareous and stony soils thrive between Mediterranean scrub and the salty tang of the Tyrrhenian Sea, each grape embodies the unique terroir identity of this privileged location.

Ruby red, with a fine cherry scent, in which there are also hints of nuts and forest fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, sage and tobacco. Concentrated, rich flavour with harmonious tannins and a long, velvety final. SUPERIORE.DE

Maternigo means "mother's land" and is also the name of one of the Tedeschi family's vineyards. The vineyards cover around 33 hectares in two municipalities, Tregnago and Mezzane di Sotto. The new Cru-Amarone Riserva Maternigo is only produced in the best years and its grapes come exclusively from the Barila vineyard. This single vineyard was selected after careful zoning and characterisation of the soil, which is characterised by very low vigour and consequently produces grapes rich in structure.

Grattamacco was the second winery in Bolgheri in 1982 and is still a firm favourite for great, terroir-driven wines with an independent character. The Rosso Superiore comes from high, coastal hillside vineyards with an excellent microclimate and matures for almost two years in French barriques after spontaneous fermentation. The cuvée deliberately does not follow the classic Bordeaux pattern: in addition to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Sangiovese also characterises the wine as an indigenous soul – a sign of identity, not convention.

Forty years. That's how long it took Ferrari to create the perfect Blanc de Noirs. Perlé Nero Riserva is a challenge within a challenge: to vinify a white spumante from 100% Pinot Nero without forcing the colour extraction, without manipulating the body. The result? Pure elegance. 2016 was a year for purists. A cool, precise vintage that gave the capricious Pinot Nero the structure that great Riserva Spumanti need. The Lunelli family knew that this vintage would make history. In fact, the 2012 Perlé Nero later became World Champion and the 2016 follows in the same tradition.

Le Macioche Riserva 2019 has the same slender and bright appearance as the Annata and the fine aromas of wild berries and cassis associated with Sangiovese. Racy and supple, it sweeps across the palate with a silky texture and shows tart wild berries and sour citrus fruit, all accompanied by lively acidity. The finish is long, with an earthy aftertaste. A very successful Riserva from a wonderful year, which has been interpreted very convincingly in this wine. SUPERIORE.DE

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

An exotic blend of sweet smoke and cloves gives way to dusty black cherries and a hint of sour citrus fruit as the 2019 vintage unfolds in the glass. After a while, there are hints of musk and floral undergrowth. Pure elegance on the palate, delicate and silky, but also with a core of salty minerals that adds unexpected depth to the vibrant flavours of tart wild berries and spices. Finishes with incredible persistence but also composure, structured yet primary, just as it should be at this young stage. The higher altitudes and almost minimalist winemaking at Le Potazzine have helped to produce one of the most balanced and interesting wines of the 2019 top vintage for us. 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.

The Sottimano winery has five vineyard sites, with the Pajoré site near Treiso having the poorest soil of all. These wines are therefore more elegant and mature. Pajoré is a super-classic, explosive wine, endowed with enormous depth and character. Although it has plenty of breadth and texture, it remains light on its feet. Lavender, mint, liquorice and purple berry fruit are beguiling and wonderfully vibrant in the glass. Pajorè is a spicy, elegant and sweet Nebbiolo that is fine yet covers the mouth well - and we are always impressed by its lovely savoury mouthfeel. SUPERIORE.DE