Falstaff

Salcheto's sparkling garnet-red Vino Nobile delights us with its fragrant aroma of dried plum and a hint of cinnamon and clove. Lots of present fruit on the palate, with a fine, sweet melting flavour and a long finish. An authentic and pleasantly elegant organic wine from the heart of the Montepulciano region that is ready to drink when young. SUPERIORE.DE

1997 saw the birth of Bradisismo, named after the geological event that led to the formation of the Colli Berici. It is a successful symbiosis of the intense, concentrated flavour of ripe Cabernet cherries and the lively, spicy notes of Carménère. With its bouquet of small dark berries, spices, pepper and chocolate, it is a wonderfully inexpensive alternative to the great Bordeaux blends or Supertuscans. On the palate, it has a velvety texture, with a mix of dark fruits, cherries, floral notes and fine tannins that glide seamlessly over the palate. Deep, long finish and very good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

The A in the name of Boggina stands for the natural wine aged for around 6 months in 400-600 Liters terracotta amphorae, which is bottled in a run of just 5,000 bottles without the addition of sulphites. Light, bright garnet red in colour. The bouquet is ethereal, very delicate and nuanced, with a very precise interpretation of the fragrance of the Sangiovese grape. Medium-bodied on the palate, with an exceptionally beautiful structure and authentic Sangiovese fruit with a salty vein. The finish is highly drinkable, with silky tannins and beguiling length. A masterpiece of beauty and elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

Tenuta Il Poggione is situated on the south-western slope of the Montalcino hill, in Sant'Angelo in Colle – one of the most historically significant areas within the appellation. Lavinio Franceschi laid the foundations here at the end of the 19th century, as a founding member of the Brunello Consortium and one of the first to market this wine under its current name. Today, his descendants, Leopoldo and Livia, cultivate 140 hectares of vines, with vines up to 60 years old, and adhere to a winemaking philosophy characterised by classical rigour: natural yeasts, large French oak barrels, and time.

The wine comes from a neighbouring walled vineyard around the Villa di Trefiano, which produces a wonderfully elegant variant of Carmignano. Trefiano Riserva remains in used 350-litre tonneaux for 18 months after spontaneous fermentation. Bright, noble ruby red colour. Black cherry and cassis on the nose, with an intense, ripe and juicy plum flavour. Long, multi-layered and complex on the palate, the Riserva needs a little more air and shows a little more depth than the classic Carmignano. The 10% Canaiolo component ensures its irresistible fragrance and complexity, simply marvellous! SUPERIORE.DE

In the treasure troves of time, where ancient wisdom meets modern vision, Petruna Anfora is born – a tribute to the origins of viticulture and at the same time a revolutionary expression of pure Sangiovese. The hand-picked grapes for this extraordinary experiment in clay and time come from the unique single vineyard Casa al Coltro, where slate soils at an altitude of 350 metres force the vines to achieve the utmost concentration.

1997 saw the birth of Bradisismo, named after the geological event that led to the formation of the Colli Berici. It is a successful symbiosis of the intense, concentrated flavour of ripe Cabernet cherries and the lively, spicy notes of Carménère. With its bouquet of small dark berries, spices, pepper and chocolate, it is a wonderfully inexpensive alternative to the great Bordeaux blends or Supertuscans. On the palate, it has a velvety texture, with a mix of dark fruits, cherries, floral notes and fine tannins that glide seamlessly over the palate. Deep, long finish and very good ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Dark, concentrated ruby red colour. Complex on the nose with an abundance of ripe red and black berry fruit aromas, including sour cherry, blackcurrant and elderberry, followed by notes of dried violets, sweet spices, liquorice, cocoa powder, mentholated tobacco and eucalyptus. Rich and multi-layered on the palate, powerful and soft with youthful but well-integrated tannins and excellent acidity. Only reveals its large reservoir of impressions after some aeration. Very long on the finish, great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1985, estate manager Giuseppe Bianchini inherited the estate from the childless Countess Elda Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona – a vote of confidence that is renewed every year. Today, his children Paolo and Lucia continue the legacy, 55 hectares in the privileged area of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in the shadow of the Romanesque Abbey of Sant'Antimo. The 2021 vintage is considered one of the most brilliant of the last decade: bright September days and cool nights gave the Sangiovese that rare balance of aromatic precision and tannic finesse. 24 months in large Slavonian barrels, then further rest in the bottle.

Here, where Ornellaia once sourced its grapes before Marilisa Allegrini acquired this blessed land in 2002, a vision has been thriving since 2008 that only found its perfect form in 2019: Sondraia Bianco - a pure Viognier of such exceptional character that it effortlessly transcends the borders between the Rhône and Tuscany. From just 4.5 hectares, planted in 2008 with a density of 7,936 vines per hectare, a few thousand bottles of a wine are produced each year that epitomises the philosophy of three worlds: Stainless steel for purity of fruit, terracotta amphorae for the verticality of antiquity and French oak barrels for structural depth. The result of this composition is a wine of golden-yellow splendour that already tells its story in the glass.

It was a dream that engineer Gastone Bazzocchi planted in the Tuscan soil in 1947 – five hectares of Sangiovese on a hill he called Bòggina. Luca Sanjust, his grandson and former painter, now thinks of Paul Klee's "Angelus Novus" and Walter Benjamin's interpretation of this angel, who "looks to the past" while "a storm blows from paradise". This is Bòggina: a wine with its eyes turned to the past and yet mercilessly pushed into the future. Since 2011, Petrolo has been experimenting with the vinification of a special lot from the best grapes from this historic vineyard in terracotta amphorae from Impruneta – the pottery that has characterised Tuscan culture since the Etruscans. Fermentation takes place for two weeks in 300 and Liters litre amphorae with indigenous yeasts before the vessels are hermetically sealed. The wine macerates on the skins for eight months, protected by natural skin contact without the addition of sulphites.

The classic from the heart of Chianti Classico: Brolio combines the excellent drinkability of a young Chianti Classico with a complex, complete structure. The vineyards grow on the historic Castello di Brolio between 280 and 480 metres above sea level on five representative soil types – from sandstone to galestro and marine sediments. Intense ruby red colour. Fresh, floral nose with notes of chinotto, violets and mimosa, leading to fruity nuances of black cherries and sweet mint. Velvety and complex on the palate with great harmony, elegant structure and a long, mineral final. A textbook Chianti Classico from a historic terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

Terre Brune: A monument to Sardinian winemaking, shaped by the year 2020, which, with its balance between heat and cool nights, has wonderfully captured the essence of the island. For Terre Brune, this meant a late harvest accompanied by cool nights. The result: ripeness in harmony with freshness, expressive and enriching. The foundation for the winery's flagship wine is provided by old Carignano vines (95 per cent), complemented by a touch of Bovaleddu (5 per cent), growing on loamy-sandy, limestone-interlaced soil amidst the salty breeze of the Sulcis terraces. The vines withstand wind, heat and drought with stoic elegance; their strength lies in the terroir. Following traditional, temperature-controlled fermentation, Terre Brune is aged for 16–18 months in barriques, followed by a year in the bottle – a meticulous ageing process that intertwines structure and harmony.

Vulcaia Fumé is an exceptionally dense and aromatic wine that demonstrates its sense of balance in a unique way. Deep, sparkling golden yellow in colour. Impressive richness and opulence of flavours of passion fruit and other exotic fruits, then blood orange, elderflower, a hint of iodised salt, flint and a noble spiciness on the finish. Expands colossally on the palate, with a beautiful melt and excellently integrated wood. The finish reveals smoky notes with some sweet vanilla and caramel cream. A Sauvignon Bianco unlike any other in Italy. SUPERIORE.DE

Rocca di Frassinello is a bold, exotic wine. Ripe red cherries, kirsch, cinnamon and rose petals can be found in this extravagant red wine from the Maremma. The luscious fruit and silky tannins contribute to its great appeal. Over time, notes of sweet pipe tobacco, cedar and mint emerge, giving it a striking inner perfume and sweetness. This is Maremma in Purezza. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes the debut vintage of a great white wine from a classic red wine region. In a small edition of less than 6,000 bottles, an elegant and at the same time very independent Trebbiano was created, which rightly bears the label based on the famous "Castello di Brolio" Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. The white Trebbiano grape variety has a tradition of over a hundred years at Brolio, and the grapes for this white cru come from a small 1.18-hectare plot in the company's own Tarci vineyard. According to tradition, a monument was erected here to San Barnaba, the protector of the vineyards from hail.

Il Randagio (the stray) is wonderfully complex and nuanced. Initially quite closed, the delicately spicy nose creeps up with increasing aeration and opens further into a wonderfully complex bouquet of dark red to black berries. Rising floral, savoury and spicy accents point to a wine that says more about the style of the house than anything else. The palate is wide-ranging with delicate wild berry flavours, perfectly polished tannins and a fresh, very invigorating acid wire that uninhibitedly enhances the drinkability of this once again typically different red. The best days of this wine still lie in the future. SUPERIORE.DE

Dark and seductive with a blend of crushed plums, brown spices, cedar and a hint of cocoa. Its textures are like pure silk bordering on velvet, with a gentle blend of ripe cherries and redcurrants, underlined by salty minerals, while notes of citrus contrast towards the end. A web of fine tannin runs through the final, creating a gentle textural pull that balances balsamic herbs and a hint of mocha as blue and violet-coloured flowers slowly fade away. SUPERIORE.DE

Bright, powerful ruby colour, aromas of cherry, redcurrant, cocoa and tar. Juicy, spicy and bright, with firm acidity and taut tannins that give it definition and lift to the flavours. Very fresh and precise, persistent and smooth. It has outstanding potential. If you taste the decades-old wines from Mastroberardino (dating back to 1928), it becomes clear: these wines are monumental, immortal or at least for eternity. SUPERIORE.DE

Mazon is known as Italy's Grand Cru of Pinot Nero – warm, brooding, concentrated. What few people realise: The plateau has a downside. At the northernmost tip, where the terrain rises to 430 to 460 metres and the downdraughts become cooler, lies the Vigna Herbsthöfl – the highest and coolest parcel of the entire Barthenau estate. Here, vines from a special selection of the neighbouring Vigna Roccolo grow on calcareous, slightly sandy glacial deposits – a soil that gives the wine a minerality and lightness that the classic Mazon profile does not recognise. The Herbsthöfl was vinified separately for the first time in 2022 – the latest "Vigna" wine in the Hofstätter portfolio. It is no coincidence that Martin Foradori-Hofstätter immediately declared it a Riserva: the parcel has the format, and the vintage provided the quality. Harvested entirely by hand, completely destemmed, fermentation in concrete vats with remontage, followed by barrique, concrete, bottle – the same care as its big brother S. Urbano, but with a different response: fresher, more transparent, finer in texture.

"This is a project with which I am still celebrating the beginning of my adventure as a winemaker, which is why this Riserva bears my name. Valgella is the region where my exciting journey began, and this wine not only bears my signature, but also pays tribute to the steep slopes from which we have wrested its fruit with its elegant shyness."