Falstaff | 95–100 Points

Anyone looking down on the vineyard from above will immediately understand why it is called Anfiteatro: the vines wind their way up a natural semicircle in concentric curves, as if nature itself had created a stage. Roccaldo Acuti planted the 2.4 hectares in 1975, the same year he took over the estate; in 1981 he bottled his first independent vintage, long before Panzano became synonymous with concentrated, high-altitude Sangiovese. The plot lies at an altitude of over 500 metres, on pure galestro – that crumbly, slate-like marl which forces the roots to dig deep and the grapes to retain their acidity. After hand-harvesting and spontaneous fermentation, the 100% Sangiovese matures in large, used wooden casks; as is the case throughout the estate, small new barriques are not used. The 2020 vintage is uncompromisingly ripe and dense, with powerful tannins and an acidity that lends the wine a sense of tension despite its full-bodied character.

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

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

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

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

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.

A wonderfully concentrated and elegant wine that is already drinking excellently. On the nose, the typical varietal bouquet with light balsamic notes. Pleasantly straight and fine on the palate, silky and full of harmony. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

Where the sun sets – right where the light last touches the steep hillside plot before sinking behind the contours of the Val d'Orcia – lies Campo di Tenaglia. This vineyard covers just eight tenths of a hectare at an altitude of 500 metres, yet what grows here on rugged limestone and coarse, sandy soil possesses an intensity that stands out even amongst Trinoro's crus. The soil extends to a depth of over two metres; the roots of the Cabernet Franc vines, which are over 25 years old, reach down into the mineral, skeletal layers – and lend the wine its powerful character. Tenaglia embodies tension.

Gabbro in a small edition of just 2,500 bottles each year is the essence of Montepeloso's noblest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the vines are over 40 years old. Impressively complex bouquet of dark fruits, smoke and grilled vegetables. Reveals its pedigree and great class on the palate, powerful and muscular. Exquisite, complex, nuanced, persistent, long ... Gabbro truly offers everything that belongs to an unforgettable wine experience at world-class Cabernet level. SUPERIORE.DE

In 2011, Campo di Magnacosta was the first of three single-varietal Cabernet Franc crus created by Andrea Franchetti, who recognised that his vines – over 20 years old and with deep-reaching root systems – were capable of precisely reflecting the distinctive character of each individual terroir. This 1.5-hectare plot lies on the valley floor at an altitude of 400 metres, where an old stream disappeared beneath the surface and carved its way into the hillside – magna costa, the 'eating hillside' – leaving behind river sediments of gravel and silt. The vines were planted over two decades ago using cuttings from a vineyard in Pomerol, where Cabernet Franc has been grown for three centuries. This deep, well-drained soil gives the Magnacosta a character that differs fundamentally from its two siblings: the wine seems to burst with energy, is complex and relatively light in colour, yet deep and straightforward with an airy, fresh character.

Franchetti Rosso is Passopisciaro's flagship wine and a stunningly perfect wine. The grapes come from 1000-metre-high northern Etna vineyard sites, where the soils are ash and pumice. Franchetti is a ripe, exotic wine that envelops the palate with dark fruit. Refined tannins support the fruit, while an intense inner sweetness adds elegance and finesse. A thoroughly outstanding drop. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

The Riserva Lupi e Sirene (Wolves and Mermaids) label is reminiscent of the good old days when Podere le Ripi was so remote that the howling of the wolves was the only sound you could hear at night.

In the late 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he was about to create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the estate of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers above the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "The Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, yet at a fraction of the price of that legendary Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on south-east-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with a Tuscan soul. Clay retains the moisture that Merlot needs during the hot summers, whilst slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

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

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

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.

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.

There are vineyards that were planted by a father and vineyards that were planted by a grandfather. Vecchie Vigne has both. The oldest parcels of Pelagrilli – planted in 1970 by Siro Pacenti himself, still in production – make up one half of the wine. The other comes from partial plots in Piancornello, which Giancarlo's maternal grandfather planted in the 1960s and which the family acquired in 1990. Two locations, two climates, two soils: the sandy loam of Pelagrilli with its cooling westerly winds in the north; the pebbly soils over hard bedrock and Mediterranean warmth of Piancornello in the south. Siro Pacenti thus holds almost a fifth of all the Sangiovese Grosso vines over forty years old in the entire appellation. Giancarlo Pacenti applies the same philosophy to Vecchie Vigne as he does to all his wines – only with a different approach to the starting point. The berry selection is a two-stage process: optical sorter and hand-picking before and after vinification. No compromises. Fermentation in steel, then 24 months in customised French barriques, two months in concrete tanks, 22 months bottle ageing.

From deep moraine soil with a high salt and limestone content, Vigna Au first opens with flint and walnut and then beguiles with a complex bouquet of yellow, exotic fruits. Intense, juicy, with just the right amount of acidity, it has a maturation potential of at least 15 years. Just 2,000 bottles of this exceptional Chardonnay are bottled each year. SUPERIORE.DE