Falstaff

"Our Barolo (Classico) has been a successful synthesis of the various characteristics of the Massolino vineyards for over 70 years. Thanks to traditional ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels, we preserve its pure and unadulterated identity and its complex flavours." Franco Massolino

The small vineyard is located at an altitude of 500 m above the Galatrona Tower and offers the best conditions for growing the French grape variety Cabernet Sauvignon. Due to the limestone subsoil, this site is also called a luxury site (campo lusso). Intense and generous bouquet of dark fruits, leather and chocolate. Complex and deep on the palate, very focused and with increasing aeration very elegant and aristocratic. A complete red that will delight not only Cabernet lovers. Only about 1,300 bottles of this spectacular drop can be produced per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

Like a precious legacy, this wine rests in the history of the patrician Serristori family, who acquired the land of Donoratico in 1512 and built the magnificent villa in 1660. Today, from the shadow of these historic walls springs a wine that bears the soul of the Tuscan Maremma – where the salty whisper of the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the warm hills of Bolgheri. In the vineyards of Argentiera, the DOC Bolgheri estate closest to the coast and at the same time the highest, the grapes ripen between the Mediterranean scrub and the endless blue of the archipelago. Here, on just twelve hectares of the Villa Donoratico site, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot take root in sandy and rocky soils, while the subsoil is criss-crossed by marine flysch rock, a geological memory of seas long past.

Sauvignon Bianco Rachtl comes from a small micro-location of just 0.4 hectares. It gets its fine flint and graphite nose from the porphyry soils near Unteraicha in the municipality of Völs. Very subtle on the palate with fine saline acidity, fresh fruit and a long-lasting finish. If you can call one of the 2,000 bottles of this vintage your own, you can count yourself lucky! SUPERIORE.DE

This is the top wine from Il Poggione, and it is a must for anyone who collects wines from this famous vineyard. The estate's oldest parcel, Vigna Paganelli, is a 12-hectare vineyard that was planted back in 1964. It boasts a rich variety of old Sangiovese clones, which are used for the newer plantings.

Pietradonice 2020 is so easy and pleasant to drink that it is almost dangerous: the bottle is finished much quicker than you would like. In Montalcino, there are few alternatives to the local Sangiovese grape, and wines of this quality made from Cabernet Sauvignon can be counted on one hand. Rich, dark ruby red in colour, followed by ripe aromas of blackberries, plums, spices and sweet tobacco. Complex and multi-layered on the palate, with wonderfully polished tannins and already a beautiful accessibility. Juicy on the attack and on the palate, very well-developed fruit, monumentally long final. Giacomo Neri's Pietradonice is Cabernet Sauvignon at the highest level and has become a legend, as there is hardly a wine in Montalcino that can even come close to equalling it. SUPERIORE.DE

TAL 1930 commemorates the beginnings of the Santa Maddalena winery in 1930: a year of particular significance for the history of viticulture in South Tyrol and for the Bolzano winery. The contrast between mountain and valley – alpine and Mediterranean – determines the character of this exceptional cuvée. The vineyards for the white varieties Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio lie between the valley floor and the sometimes gentle, sometimes steep slopes of the famous Renon near Bolzano. The vineyards are situated at an altitude of 400 to 700 metres and vary greatly in location and temperature, due to the sun from the Dolomites and the sometimes strong winds of the Isarco Valley.

Sauvignon Bianco Rachtl comes from a small micro-location of just 0.4 hectares. It gets its fine flint and graphite nose from the porphyry soils near Unteraicha in the municipality of Völs. Very subtle on the palate with fine saline acidity, fresh fruit and a long-lasting finish. If you can call one of the 2,000 bottles of this vintage your own, you can count yourself lucky! SUPERIORE.DE

Querciabella's Riserva, with an annual production of 10,000 bottles, is a selection of the best lots. It blends fruit from Greve, where the vineyards lie between 350 and 550 metres above sea level, with grapes from the stony high altitudes of Radda and the chalky soils of Gaiole. Tantalising aromas of spring flowers, cranberries and potting soil are accompanied by vanilla and smoke. On the palate, it is polished and pure, with a delicious, tangy acidity and sinewy tannins. As every year, one of the most refined wines of the appellation. SUPERIORE.DE

Camartina has always been the winery's flagship, and Palafreno has now also taken its place at eye level. Compared to Palafreno (100% Merlot), Camartina consists mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives it a robust fruit profile and more freshness and straightforwardness. Sweet floral notes, red berries, mint and chalky notes give the 2019 rising top notes, energy and a fascinating liveliness. It is always elegant and even rather restrained at first. Camartina has a firm place in Querciabella's premium portfolio, not least thanks to its impressive finesse and intensity. Everything done right! SUPERIORE.DE

Gabbro, produced in small quantities of just 2,500 bottles each year, is the essence of Montepeloso's finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the vines are over 40 years old. Impressively complex bouquet of dark fruits, smoke and grilled vegetables. Powerful and muscular on the palate, revealing its pedigree and great class. Exquisite, complex, nuanced, persistent, long ... Gabbro really does offer everything you need for an unforgettable wine experience at world-class Cabernet level. SUPERIORE.DE

Intoxicating flavours of yellow fruits, pineapple, nutmeg and the faint memory of clove. An almost magical, bright sweetness on the palate, very complex and long. A great and extremely exciting Gewürztraminer from the registered single vineyard Vigna Kolbenhof. SUPERIORE.DE

On 11 September 2001 – the day that changed the world – luca Sanjust planted 5,000 Cabernet Sauvignon vines on half a hectare of natural terraces, directly below the medieval watchtower of Galatrona. "Campo Lusso" – the luxury field – is what the local farmers have called this place at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres, surrounded by the pristine forests of the Chianti hills. A place of such beauty and favourable climate that it really was a luxury. Here, where calcareous slate mixes with marl and sandstone, Cabernet Sauvignon finds the mineral complexity that distinguishes it from the usual interpretations of this Bordeaux grape variety. The Gobelet cultivation – that ancient bush form – forces the vines to reach the lowest concentrations, while the forests protect them from the cool down winds and the morning sun dries everything quickly.

Some wines carry the history of an entire movement within them. Camartina belongs to the handful of Tuscan icons who changed everything in the early 1980s – those rebellious Super Tuscans who did not care about the narrow rules of Chianti Classico and instead pursued their own vision of greatness. 1981 was the birth year of Camartina, and with this wine Querciabella not only laid the foundations for its own success, but also wrote Italian wine history. The name itself is the programme: a fusion of "Casaocci" – the first office on the first hectare of vineyard – and "Martina", the younger daughter of Giuseppe Castiglioni, the visionary founder. What originally began as a Sangiovese-dominated cuvée has undergone a fascinating evolution over the decades. Today, Cabernet Sauvignon is the clear protagonist with seventy per cent, while Sangiovese contributes thirty per cent, the elegant Tuscan linearity that distinguishes Camartina from other Super Tuscans. The reason for this lies in the Ruffoli vineyards near Greve in Chianti, where Cabernet has found a home on the arid sandstone soils, giving it an unusual finesse – lighter, more sophisticated, more refined than elsewhere.

The grapes for this remarkably Burgundian Gran Selezione come from the single vineyard of the same name in a 2.25-hectare Chianti Classico vineyard, which was planted in 1971 with a density of 3,400 vines per hectare and is south-facing on old terraces. Riecine has leased these plots since the 1980s, and in the 2019 debut vintage, the winery succeeded in acquiring this site, which is one of the best terroirs in the Chianti Classico region. The bottles are numbered and around 4,000 bottles and 50 magnums are bottled each year.

A wine of remarkable aromatic complexity. Amarone aficionados know how many allusions these wines are capable of evoking, and it is not difficult to discern mushrooms, forest undergrowth, truffles, Havana leaves and even wild violets in this wine's aromatic profile, as well as the usual confit cherries and plums. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably concentrated yet elegant, carrying this bundle of allusions effortlessly and seamlessly through the palate. The fine pearly tannins give it support and the concentration of fruit is so great that the acidity almost fades into the background. A dense, polished and stately wine of the highest calibre. SUPERIORE.DE

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.

Contrada Sciaranuova Vecchie Vigne is the most concentrated, broodingvoice from the Sciaranuova vineyard - a Nerello Mascalese from vines over 80 years old, grown at an altitude of 730 metres on the northern flank of Mount Etna. The ungrafted vines stand in an amphitheatre of dark, sandy volcanic ash, interspersed with basalt rock and characterised by enormous day-night amplitude. The 2019 vintage was one of the most balanced of the decade: a rainy spring was followed by a moderately warm summer and a dry autumn, which allowed for a late, very differentiated harvest.

The small vineyard is located 500 metres above the Galatrona Tower and offers the best conditions for growing the French Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. Due to the limestone subsoil, this site is also known as a luxury site (campo lusso). Intense and generous bouquet of dark fruit, leather and chocolate. Complex and deep on the palate, very focussed and, with aeration, very elegant and aristocratic. A complete red that will not only delight Cabernet lovers. Only around 1,300 bottles of this spectacular wine can be produced per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

1,900 bottles of this 0.8 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Tenaglia" (at an altitude of approx. 550m, mainly limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Impenetrable, dark wine with a bouquet of flint, crushed minerals and some chalk. The texture is rich and opulent, but always supple with a hint of minerality. Campo di Tenaglia is one of the juiciest Cabernet Francs we have ever had in the glass. Beautiful, long final and certainly great Storage potential. SUPERIORE.DE

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

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

Barely 4,000 bottles are produced each year from the magical Anfiteatro, named after the historic vineyard of the same name, which was planted back in 1975. 100% Sangiovese, from high Galestro soils, make up this masterpiece, which impresses every year and which, along with Flaccianello and Cepparello, can place itself in the first rank of the super-Sangiovese of central Tuscany.