Falstaff | 95–100 Points

Avvoltore is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Powerful and explosive in the glass, it possesses remarkable intensity in all its dimensions, with great fruit and equally impressive tannins. Dark cherry, leather, smoke, tobacco, liquorice and grilled herbs form a virile, imposing Maremma red wine that will need at least a few years to develop its full expressive power. Once again, Morisfarms has done a great job with its flagship wine. SUPERIORE.DE,

A monumental and highly concentrated single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of sour cherries and subtle notes of cedarwood and liquorice. What makes it so fascinating is that Pietradonice is unmistakably recognisable as a Montalcino wine, yet with its herbaceous, spicy character it is as typical of Neri's style as it is of the grape variety itself – and thus, once again, seems to come from another, wider world. SUPERIORE.DE

Forty vintages. You have to let that melt in your mouth: When Pierluigi Talenti left the mountains of his native Romagna in the early 1950s and came to the hills of Montalcino, he not only found work at Sant'Angelo in Colle, but also his life's work. For over four decades, he shaped one of the appellation's most famous addresses as cellar master of Il Poggione – and is still considered one of the founding fathers of modern Brunello. He selected his own Sangiovese clones, set new quality standards and became a role model for an entire generation. In 1980, at the end of this era, he bought the Podere Pian di Conte – an old estate with a round tower overlooking the Orcia Valley – and began to press his own Brunello. Pierluigi died in 1999. Since then, grandson Riccardo has run the estate with the same tenacity, advised by Carlo Ferrini and supported by the knowledge that there is something special in these soils of sandy loam, clay and galestro.

A radiant ruby-coloured eye-catcher – underneath is the Barolo Arborina 2020, one of the most important wines from the house of Elio Altare. The grapes come from the single vineyard Arborina, a south to south-east facing amphitheatre in the hills of La Morra, whose calcareous and clayey soil is marked by elemental minerality. The 2020 vintage certainly presented a challenge: Periods of heat and rapid ripening demanded the utmost attention when working in the vineyard. Nevertheless, a concentrated, elegant result was achieved. The grape harvest followed with ideal timing, guided by finesse and a feel for the critical moment. The wine was aged for around 24 months in 30% new and 70% used French barriques before being left to mature in the bottle.

The grapes for the profound Le Vigne come from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba (for the power), Villero in Castiglione Falletto (for the precision), Vignane in Barolo (for the purity of the flavours) and Merli in Novello (for the fullness of the fruit). It opens wide with aromas of fresh red fruit and a delicate spicy note. Very intense on the palate, remarkably elegant, fine-grained tannins, extremely clear, structured and long. SUPERIORE.DE

Bricco Pernice, usually harvested slightly earlier, is a warm, south-facing plot in the prestigious Ravera vineyard at an altitude of 320 metres. Cognos Barolo offers the depth, richness and concentration that characterise this vineyard and the vintage. Blood orange, mint, sweet red cherry, star anise and a range of spicy notes lend it an impressive aromatic and flavour complexity. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, refined and expressive, with plenty to offer. Best of all, despite its potential, it is ready to drink after just a few years' bottle ageing. It is a graceful wine: polished, nuanced, elegant and impeccably balanced. SUPERIORE.DE

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

"In 2012, I bought the small vineyard Le Gonnare and began to cultivate it. It represents the excellence of the Bolgheri terroir. The soil is clayey and rich in skeleton, which allows for very gradual ripening, a particularly important aspect for Merlot. The character of the wine is therefore Mediterranean, but balanced." Fabio Motta

Siepi has always been more than just a vineyard – it was a vision waiting to become reality. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, this mystical place lies amidst dense oak forests near Castellina in Chianti: ten hectares of pure magic on Alberese soils, which even the ancient Romans knew how to appreciate. Paradoxically, the story of Siepi 2023 begins with one of the most challenging vintages of recent times. A mild winter with scant rainfall, followed by a rainy spring that pushed the Mazzei winemakers to their limits. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, a wine emerged that impressively embodies the estate's philosophy: "Great vineyards shine in difficult vintages."

In 2007, Franz Haas planted a single vineyard at an altitude of 750 metres, which was intended to encapsulate his understanding of Pinot Nero in the Dolomites. The name "Pònkler" refers to this exceptional parcel, where French clones thrive in extreme planting density on weathered porphyry soil. South-south-west facing, very low yields of between 25 and 30 hectolitres per hectare, only 2,500 to 3,500 bottles per year – these are the sobering facts behind a wine that culminates Franz Haas' three-decade-long obsession with Pinot Nero. Franz has vinified and meticulously documented 592 (!) different Pinot Nero versions in his lifetime. Every clone, every vinification method, every ageing process has been meticulously recorded – the search for the perfect Pinot Nero, which he demanded of himself but never thought he had achieved. Pònkler represents this tirelessness: the altitude gives the wine those ripe notes that only develop in the cool alpine climate, where the grapes have time to develop phenolic ripeness and freshness at the same time.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

Luigi Veronelli would have turned one hundred years old on 2 February 2026. This is no ordinary anniversary for Castellare di Castellina, because without Veronelli, this wine would not exist. It was 1976 when he was walking through the vineyards of Castellare with Paolo Panerai and stopped at the descent to the estate's most beautiful parcel. "Paolo, call it I Sodi di S. Niccolò," he said. And then, even before Panerai could explain the choice of grape variety, he haunting: "Forget the French varieties. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera – they are better." It was exactly what Panerai himself thought. The first harvest followed in 1977.

There are wines that embody a vision. And then there is this Riserva – named after the man who, in 1977, stood on a hill overlooking Lake Iseo and decided to give Italy a sparkling wine to rival the Grands Crus of Champagne. Vittorio Moretti, a pioneer with an irrepressible spirit, created more than just a winery with Bellavista. He created a philosophy of perfection. The Riserva that bears his name is produced exclusively in exceptional years. It is the quintessence of what Franciacorta has to offer: the best soils, the most beautiful exposures, the oldest vines. Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, blended in almost equal parts, from historic plots more than 30 years old. Vinification takes place in small white oak barrels, followed by a long journey: seven years on the lees, during which the bottles are sealed with cork stoppers – a tribute to the traditional method.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

There are vineyards named after the place where they are situated. And there are vineyards that actually give the place its name. Podernovi is one such example – the three hectares of Sangiovese that have been growing on this plot for over thirty years are so inextricably linked to the hill that the vineyard and the district bear the same name. When San Polo bottled the first single-vineyard Brunello from this vineyard in 2015, it was less a debut than a recognition of what the soil had long known. Podernovi lies at 450 metres, facing south-east, where the view sweeps across the Val d'Orcia towards Monte Amiata. The soils are a kaleidoscope of Tuscan geology: marl and galestro – that schistose clay which lends the region’s finest Sangiovese sites their distinctive minerality – interspersed with loam, which stores water and nourishes the vines even during dry summers. What sets this vineyard apart from others is not only its terroir, but the rigour with which San Polo tends it: Four to five bunches per vine, no more – 700 to 800 grams per vine, a yield reminiscent of Burgundian standards, forcing the Sangiovese to achieve a concentration it rarely reaches elsewhere.

A mere 2,500 bottles are produced from this 100% Syrah; it is aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, after which it is filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

For Siro Pacenti, the term "Vecchie Vigne" is not a romantic gesture. It is an agricultural decision. The oldest vines on both family estates – Pelagrilli in the north and Piancornello in the south – have now been growing for up to 60 years. They are not replaced, but tended; where necessary, they are supplemented with massal-selected cuttings from the finest mother vines. What these vines yield each year is small – but of the highest quality. 2021 was a year of reduction. The April frost affected vines at all altitudes, decimating harvest volumes and concentrating what remained on the essentials. The harvest took place in unusually calm conditions – no rain, no pressure, and a precise choice of harvest. What arrived in the cellar was already exceptional. Fermentation in steel, 24 months in French barriques, two months in concrete, 22 months in bottle.

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 typically 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 in 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 1977, a 34-year-old manager from Bergamo came to the Tuscan coast. Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari had had enough of balance sheets and meetings – the wine journalist Luigi Veronelli had persuaded him that his place was among the vines, not in offices. What he found: a piece of land without electricity, without running water, overgrown and forgotten. Only the name reminded him of a distant past: Grattamacco – the slag heaps of the Etruscans, who smelted iron here two and a half thousand years ago. Five years later, in 1982, Meletti Cavallari bottled his first wine – as a simple Vino da Tavola, three years before Ornellaia even existed.

Amber-coloured grappa made from the marc of selected grapes from Friuli with an ageing period of eight years in small barrels of various woods. Soft, elegant bouquet, complex, velvety and persistent on the palate. We discover fruity and floral notes, vanilla and almonds, dried fruit and grapes. Serve this fine Riserva at room temperature in balloon-shaped glasses and allow the distillate to rest in the glass for a few minutes to allow the flavours to come into their own in full harmony. No added colourings. SUPERIORE.DE

Count Giuseppe Tasca d'Almerita created the first expression of the highest quality and longevity in Sicilian viticulture in 1970 with the Rosso del Conte – a wine that changed the oenological future of the island forever. The grapes come from the Vigna San Lucio, Regaleali's first large vineyard, born in 1959 at an altitude of 480 metres with a south-south-easterly exposure, where Nero d'Avola and Perricone have thrived in harmonious symbiosis for generations. The vines grow in the Alberello system, the oldest form of cultivation in the Mediterranean, on yellow-brown, loamy-sandy soils with calcareous inclusions. A philosophy of perfection that has developed over five decades through various ageing methods: from the original chestnut barrels to Slavonian oak and today's French barriques.

There are wines that are more than just wines – they are statements of intent. When Luigi Moio created his Grande Cuvée after twenty years of tireless work in the vineyards of Irpinia, he produced not only his flagship white wine, but a testament to his philosophy. This exceptional blend of 40% Greco di Tufo, 40% Fiano di Avellino and 20% Falanghina brings together Campania's three great indigenous grape varieties in a composition of rare harmony and complexity. The Greco comes from the finest plot of the Giallo d'Arles vineyard in Tufo, where marl-sand soils with a high clay content and valuable limestone deposits at an altitude of 400 metres create ideal conditions. The Fiano is selected from the finest plots of the Exultet vineyard in Lapio – here, at an altitude of 600 metres, porous layers of lapilli permeate the clay-rich subsoil, ensuring a constant water supply to the vines. Finally, the Falanghina thrives on the loose, clay-rich soils of the mid-slopes of Mirabella Eclano, where the west-facing aspect ensures optimal ripening conditions.

One may wonder whether Luigi Moio is a professor wearing a winemaker's hat or a winemaker wearing a professor's hat. His vintage presentations are academic in tone, his tasting room is run with the rigour of a lecture theatre, and his vineyards are planted according to criteria that only a mathematician or scholar could fully understand. Quintodecimo's winemaking philosophy, on the other hand, is relatively simple. The best vineyard sites are selected for each individual wine. Soils, sites and microclimates are researched with great care. Nothing is taken for granted.

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.