Doctor Wine

2019 is considered one of the vintage highlights of the last decade in Barolo: cool nights, sunny days and a long vegetation period led to perfectly balanced ripeness. In Bricco Pernice, this meant maximum aromatic clarity and structural depth. The high, south-westerly exposure in the Ravera cru site ensures an interplay of warmth and freshness, while the calcareous marl soils promote a taut, vertical style.

A wine that is only vinified in the very best years and then presents a breathtaking beauty with each edition. In depth, purity and structure, it is the archetype of a Brunello. It beguiles with a mix of sage, rosemary, tobacco, wild flowers and cloves through to a nuanced and endless finish. It is punchy and seductive at the same time and has great personality. Chapeau! SUPERIORE.DE

Rare, exceptional Merlot from the west of Tuscany: deep ruby red with violet reflections. The bouquet is multi-layered with hints of wild berries and blackberries, ripe cherries, but also liquorice and tobacco notes. Very structured and lively on the palate. The silky tannins emphasise the delicate minerality right through to the almost endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The pure, autochthonous Nerello Mascalese from over 100-year-old (ungrafted) vines in Contrada Rampante on the northern slopes of Mount Etna at an altitude of 950 metres starts with a sparkling ruby-garnet colour and impressively adds a captivating raspberry aroma, followed by fine spicy notes (ginger, allspice, clove). Compact, dense, fully fruity, tannic on the palate, yet always extremely relaxed, elegant and supple. Traces of salt and flint on the finish. Just over 2,000 bottles of this masterpiece are produced every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Sugarille 2019 is certainly one of the greats of its vintage. A crescendo of dark berries, Amarena cherries, tar, liquorice and smoky notes on the nose. The intensity continues on the palate: Sugarille is uncompromisingly powerful, with multi-layered fruit, striking tannins and wonderful acid wire. With increasing aeration, the impressiveness and opulence give way to a wonderful finesse that will continue to refine and develop with further years of bottle ageing. A wine as wonderful as it is today - and guaranteed to be even better tomorrow! SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Ornato is a great wine every year. With its wild herbs, minerals and ferrous notes, it captures the true character of Serralunga. Its bouquet shows small berry fruits and cassis, framed by gravel, forest floor, blue flowers and candied orange peel. The wine also has a dusty, mineral note and is very intense both on the nose and on the palate. Ornato starts with finely integrated tannins and an acidity that sustains all these fruit flavours. A wine that is consistently vertical, straightforward and frontal. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio al Vento from the dream 2015 vintage is dark, rich and seductive. It smells of ginger and hints of leather and tobacco before opening up further to reveal black cherry fruit and wild berries. Although cool and supple, it has a velvety texture that strikes a wonderful balance between the tart blackberries and exotic spices within. Its complexity is remarkable: sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, framed by youthful grippy tannins and hints of cranberries, spices and subtle saltiness. SUPERIORE.DE

San Leonardo is the flagship wine of the winery of the same name and, year after 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, all flanked by clearly defined tannins. A masterful, characterful red that, after a few more years of bottle ageing, rises to its true greatness and lives up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

The "Sassorosso" vineyard is located on a rocky promontory that is separated from the rest of the mountain and has been almost completely eroded by the glacier over the centuries. It is visually characterised by the unmistakable red colour of the ferrous inclusions in the rock. The overlying shallow soil layer consists of clay and sand and lies on friable, metamorphic rock into which the roots can penetrate. The unmistakably elegant and mineral character of the terroir is therefore particularly evident in this Nebbiolo.

The Ca' Guicciardi vineyard takes its name from the farmhouse situated at its centre. This single-vineyard plot is characterised by small, very steep valleys. Impressive rock faces alternate with terraces supported by some of the highest dry stone walls in the Valtellina. The distinctive colour of the rock, which tends towards a quartz-like white, significantly intensifies the sun's heat, resulting in higher temperatures and more light here than in other parts of the valley.

Rosso del Conte was Sicily's first answer to the question of whether the island could produce wines of international standing and longevity. Conte Giuseppe posed this question in 1970 – and the answer has been contained in every bottle coming from the high hills of Tenuta Regaleali ever since. The grapes – Nero d'Avola, Perricone and a small proportion of other varieties grown on the estate – ripen at an altitude of 480 metres, facing south-southeast, on loamy-sandy, slightly calcareous soil, trained using the Alberello system. Hand-harvested, traditionally fermented in stainless steel at a controlled temperature, 20 days on the skins, 18 months in new French barriques.

Grattamacco is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the latter grape variety certainly contributing to the fresh style of this wine. However, the overall picture is only complete when you realise that the vineyards used for this blend are among the best in the appellation. The Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso Superiore is characterised by its typical aromas of leaves and Mediterranean forest, with subtle flavours of kiwi peel, cassis, paprika and chocolate. Velvety, youthful and firm on the attack, less light than the Alberello, but more tightly woven and of great elegance. Its length is astonishing, great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

The Fracia vineyard has belonged to Nino Negri since it was established in 1897. It lies at the confluence of several Alpine valleys, and the vegetation in this area – with its lavender and rosemary – is distinctly Mediterranean. The result is a wine that is flavourful and floral, with a distinctive, spicy aroma. An intense ruby red colour with garnet-red highlights. On the nose, complex aromas of dog rose and violets, which develop into spicy notes such as rosemary and lavender. On the palate, it is dense, rich and has well-structured tannins. The well-balanced and fresh acidity leads into a long, very flavourful finish. An Alpine red that is already a delight to drink today, but with further bottle ageing, its complexity and power will really come into their own. SUPERIORE.DE

Messorio has been undisputedly one of the best and rarest Merlots in Italy since the mid-1990s. It was named after the Tuscan wheat harvest, the most fundamental moment in the agricultural year – was created in 1994 from Eugenio Campolmi's (†2002) personal challenge to Merlot. It was not to be a tame, predictable wine, but a spirited thoroughbred, ready to make a grand entrance. The 2019 vintage epitomises the elegance of slow ripening without extreme heat. A mild winter with little rainfall, followed by cool March days and gradually rising temperatures in April, led to cautious development. The rainy, cool May slowed down the vegetation, while the hot start to June required intensive foliage work.

The single vineyard Il Bricco, situated on both sides of the hilltop, the highest point is about 410 metres above sea level. Family-owned since the 1970s, you can expect great things every year. 2020 brought a stable summer, with a precise cooling in September and cool nights until the harvest. The result is very healthy, aromatically ripe grapes with clear fruit and balanced acidity – charming on the palate, yet precise and persistent. After separate fermentation of the batches in stainless steel, the wine is matured traditionally in large barrels and a moderate proportion of barrique is used for texture.

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

The Romanesque Pieve di San Marcellino was built in the year 1000. It still stands today – in the middle of the vineyards of Rocca di Montegrossi, seven kilometres south of Gaiole, at the southern tip of the Chianti Classico. The vineyard bears its name. And the vines that surround it are older than most of the appellations that appear on labels today. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is a descendant of Baron Bettino Ricasoli – the "Iron Baron" who defined the formula for Chianti Classico in the 19th century. Not as a marketing idea, but as a genetic link to this soil. The vineyard has been certified organic since 2010 and has been planted with Pugnitello alongside Sangiovese since 2006 – an autochthonous Tuscan grape variety that was almost extinct in the 1980s. Pugnitello deepens the colour, thickens the structure and sharpens the profile of the Sangiovese grape. Hand-picked, separate fermentation of both varieties on wild yeasts in upright wooden tanks, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, bottled unfiltered. Only produced in outstanding vintages – the 2020 is one of them.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Three years after the Annata, Romano and his sons launch a small edition of the same vintage in large formats. The 2015 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta is a particularly elegant, pretty and typical expression of the Dal Forno style. Black cherries dipped in rum, plum sauce, brown spices and a hint of cocoa rise from the glass. Silky and polished, it seamlessly washes over the palate with ripe red and blackcurrants, while leaving minerals and a fine layer of tannins behind. Spicy acids add tension as the wine tapers off in a structured way, with notes of mocha and mentholated herbs that linger. SUPERIORE.DE

2016 was not an easy year in Valpolicella – and Romano Dal Forno still delivered. That sounds obvious, but it's not: in years like 1992, 2005, 2007 or 2014, there was simply no Amarone. That is the currency in which trust is bought here. Dal Forno Romano has its own clock ticking for the release of the large bottles: they come onto the market three years after the 0.75 litre bottle. What this means for 2016 is obvious. After six weeks of appassimento, 36 months in new barriques and long maturation in the large format, this Valpolicella has reached a level of maturity that only the large glass can appreciate.

2017 was a year of drought in Sicily. Little rain, high temperatures, a yield of just 67 double centners per hectare – significantly below what San Lucio usually produces in more balanced years. The vines, accustomed for decades to this barren, calcareous soil, weathered the drought with the serenity of old Alberello vines. The blend for this vintage returns closely to the original proportions of 1959: 58% Nero d'Avola, 42% Perricone. Hand-harvested at 480 metres, south-southeast exposure, traditional fermentation in stainless steel, 20 days' maceration, 18 months in new French barriques made from Allier and Tronçais oak.

In 1959, Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita planted Perricone and Nero d'Avola on the San Lucio hill using the Alberello system – an investment in a future that hardly any Sicilian could have imagined at the time. In 1970, the first vintage was released: the first single-vineyard wine the island had ever produced. The 2012 vintage showcases the blend in its most complex form: 63% Nero d'Avola forms the foundation, complemented by 37% of other red varieties from the estate, including Perricone and small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Traditional red wine fermentation in stainless steel, 20 days' contact with the skins, full malolactic fermentation, followed by 18 months in newLiters made from Allier and Tronçais oak.