Doctor Wine

The high density of the vines, planted in a south-facing amphitheatre, ensured perfect ripening in 2021. Costa Russi is full-bodied and fleshy and has a deep red colour. Beautiful scents of peony and lilies, followed by exquisite blackberry fruit combined with raspberry coulis and a hint of pepper. The fruit is slightly darker than the other Barbaresco wines from Gaja with a hint of spice and pungency. Excellent expression, vibrancy, freshness and charm. The tannins are deceptively soft and generous, this wine is wonderful now but will be even better in a decade. SUPERIORE.DE

In Piedmont, "Costa" is the name given to the side of a hill that faces the sun. "Russi" was the nickname of the tenant who once farmed this vineyard – a man whose real name has long been forgotten, but lives on on every label. When Angelo Gaja acquired the plot in 1967, he probably sensed that something special lay dormant here. Eleven years later, in 1978, he bottled the first Costa Russi as a single vineyard. Since then, the 4.35-hectare vineyard has taken its place in the triumvirate of legendary Gaja crus – alongside the powerful Sorì San Lorenzo and the mineral Sorì Tildìn. But Costa Russi plays a different tune: where the brothers offer muscle and tension, it responds with grace and fragrance. The south-west exposure at 230 metres above sea level, directly below Sorì Tildìn, gives the Nebbiolo the warmth that makes it soft and inviting without ever losing its structure. After three weeks of maceration and twenty-four months in oak – first in barriques, then in large barrels – the 2022 shows what Costa Russi is all about.

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.

At the centre of the Via Bolgherese, that legendary wine route where the Tuscan dream and the Bordeaux vision merge into an indelible myth, lies a small kingdom of just 5.5 hectares. Here, nestled between the giants Ornellaia to the right and Sassicaia to the left, Antonio Moretti Cuseri and his sons Alberto and Amedeo tell a story of unbridled passion, a story called Orma. Orma means footprint. And this 2021 truly leaves one in the soul of the taster. The purest expression of an exceptional vintage, this organically certified Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc unfolds like a symphony in purple and garnet. The Mediterranean sun of Bolgheri, tempered by the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, gave the grapes that unique ripeness that only a few terroirs in the world are capable of producing.

Campo del Drago is a single vineyard of just 1.5 hectares and is located on a high plateau in the Montalcino appellation with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The grapes from here are only vinified separately in the best years for the Brunello of the same name and the result is then eagerly awaited around 5 years later. Dark, concentrated colour with beautiful saturation and density. The bouquet reveals a unique minerality and complexity. The palate is intense, complex and deep. The tannins are present, but remain very elegant thanks to the Sangiovese acidity. Can still mature, but is already irresistible today. SUPERIORE.DE

Vietti's Ravera is one of the very big stars of Piedmont in its precision and structure. Rose petals, chalk, pepper and a hint of pomegranate make this Barolo one of the most sought-after in the appellation every year. With a little ageing, the strong tannins give way to an elegant impression that does not deviate one millimetre from the coveted style of this great vineyard. A monument of Barolo, which only a few other winemakers in Piedmont besides Vietti and also Giacosa bottle with such consistency! SUPERIORE.DE

Angelo Gaja's 2021 Barbaresco is a wine with poise and grace that has a lot to offer. Expressive spicy and floral notes are the first to open up, but what really stands out is the wine's nuance and delineation. The transparency is unmistakable. Sweet red cherries, mint, cinnamon and rose petals develop in the glass and add further nuances. The flavour is balanced and spicy, the tannins firm and the finish precise and long. This muscular monument of a red wine definitely needs a few more years of bottle ageing, with a little patience it will transform into pure elegance. Put simply, the 2021 is one of the best Gaja Barbarescos of recent times. SUPERIORE.DE

Roagna's Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti opens with a bright garnet-red colour and a deep, shiny glow. The fruit of old vines manages to reach the impossible point between power and elegance. The wine shows a delicate and bright bouquet, but also a compact fruit and a long finish. You can feel this extra fullness on the finish. The production is around 2,500 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

This breathtaking Barbaresco (total production approx. 1,300 bottles) shows more power and intensity than you would normally find in a Barbaresco. It opens with heady aromas of wild berries, new leather, undergrowth and menthol. On the palate, it shows ripe black raspberries, juicy cherries and liquorice before finishing on a tobacco note. It is still youthfully nervous and somewhat austere, it still needs some time to develop fully. SUPERIORE.DE

Here, excellence of man and nature come together with perfect precision and harmony. Powerful cherry and blackberry notes are followed by crushed minerals, liquorice, smoke and lightly scented cedar. Spreads evenly across the palate and its flavour intensity, power and volume last for minutes. The exquisite 2015 Cerretalto is concentrated and rich, but never too heavy or dense. It is a highly compelling Italian icon with the truly exciting world of perceived unlimited possibilities still ahead of it. We can be more than excited ... SUPERIORE.DE

Beguiling aroma of sweet, dark berries with hints of cassis, cedar and antique leather. Very balanced on the palate, of beautiful viscosity with an elegant melting. Fine-meshed tannin, restrained mineral tones and a wonderfully polished fruit accompany into a remarkable finish. For all its elegance, it shows pressure and power and, with the right dose of acidity, promises a long life and almost reaches the level of its famous big brother. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigna Elena is a Ravera parcel of 1 hectare in size. Just 5,000 bottles of Cogno's famous Riserva come from here every year. The Vigna Elena 2019 has just the right balance between fruit and wood, which is often a real challenge in this category. The rather bright bouquet has red fruits and nuances of truffle, ash, dried citrus peel and pressed flowers. Elegant, brooding and powerful, as only a great Barolo can be, Vigna Elena possesses a wealth of nuances and dimensions from the very first sip. Exotic spice and orange peel notes, followed later by ripe raspberries, mocha and autumn leaves. The Vigna Elena 2019 is an absolute delight. SUPERIORE.DE

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

Above the Quintarelli family home in Negrar, north of Verona, lies a purpose-built, ventilated loft. Here, on special racks, the carefully selected, flawless grapes dry for four months, whilst the water within them evaporates naturally and the aromas concentrate inexorably. It is a process that cannot be rushed – and one that the Quintarelli family only dares to undertake in exceptional vintages. Corvina and Corvinone form the backbone of the blend, accounting for a good half of the total, complemented by Rondinella and small proportions of other varieties, which vary slightly from vintage to vintage. Pressing takes place traditionally around Christmas time, and the wine ferments to a largely dry finish – unlike many sweeter interpretations of Amarone. It is then aged for seven years in large Slavonian oak barrels, in the cellars that the family dug directly into the hillside beneath their house, surrounded by their own vineyards.

Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is a fabulous, incredibly complete wine that rises from the glass with an explosive structure and vertical lift. The tannins are very present, but also beautifully matched by the aromatic intensity and overall drive of the wine. Dark macerated cherry, spice, leather, liquorice, plum and mocha add darker nuances. All elements are impeccably balanced. It is quite simply a majestic wine of true greatness and absolute class, but it is not obvious. The true essence of Nebbiolo! SUPERIORE.DE

At the time, Marco Dal Forno initially held back his Amarone from the 2016 vintage – he released the 2017 vintage earlier because 2016 was not yet ready. At Dal Forno Romano, the wine determines the schedule. This is all the more true for the large formats: they are released three years after the 0.75-litre bottle – i.e. another three years later than an already later release. What this means for 2016 can be felt in the glass. Created under conditions that demand everything in the Val d'Illasi: three months of appassimento in the well-ventilated drying rooms of the Lodoletta, controlled fermentation in steel tanks with computer-controlled pump-overs, new barriques made from French and American wood, then the large format that requires hours of aeration – that needs hours of aeration before it begins to open.

Elegant and complex: Guado al Tasso with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as impressive as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and cardamom. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with a lot of sweet melting flavour, interwoven, dense tannins, supple and elegant, very long finish. An excellent wine that offers maximum drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

Guado al Tasso presents itself with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as convincing as its harmonious structure. Deep dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and leather. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with plenty of sweet flavour, elegant tannins and a very long finish. A finesse-rich red that offers maximum drinking pleasure and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

When a winery like Siro Pacenti meets a vintage like 2016 – one of the style-defining vintages in the history of modern Brunello –then you can confidently ask yourself what this wine is not yet capable of. Cool nights in September, excellent tannin ripeness, a season that forced no compromises and still gave concentration: 2016 was a year of precision, not abundance. And precision is what Giancarlo Pacenti has stood for for decades. The one and a half hectares of the oldest vines in Pelagrilli – planted at the end of the 1960s, beginning of the 1970s, massively selected, never renewed – yielded grapes of exceptional density and balance in 2016. Double hand-picking, fermentation in steel, 24 months in barrique, then bottle ageing.

Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo 2020 is a wine for the ages, which needs 10 to 15 years in the bottle to really mature. Sorì San Lorenzo is often a great, virile wine. The 2020 has a lot of power, but at the same time you also find refinement and certain nuances that Sorì San Lorenzo has rarely, if ever, shown. Black cherry, cloves, menthol, liquorice, gravel and incense are just some of the many aromas and flavours that meld together in this dramatic and dramatically beautiful Barbaresco from the Gaja family. Sorì San Lorenzo 2020 literally explodes on the finish with an abundance of mouth watering aromas, flavours and textures. An outrageously beautiful, vibrant wine with real gravitas and power. SUPERIORE.DE

For us, the pure Cabernet Franc from Duemani is one of the best representatives of the grape variety and the western Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet has an extraordinary clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with a perfectly integrated woody note on the palate, its strength, structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-varietal Duemani is for us one of the best representatives of the West Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet of exceptional clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with perfectly integrated wood notes on the palate, its structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE