0.75 liter

Emanuele Pangrazi is arguably the most ambitious winemaker in Lazio at present. With his extremely high planting density and radical yield restriction, he is charting a course that points the way forward for Lazio. Having carried out a thorough analysis of his terroir and the climatic conditions, it became clear to him in 2006 that he would primarily plant French grape varieties here, following the principles of the great wines of the Rhône. In addition to his famous Cuvée Habemus (Etichetta Bianca) and the San Giovenale Rosso (a blend of two vintages of Habemus), he also produces four single-varietal Habemus wines, albeit in extremely limited quantities.

A monument from Montepulciano – and yet not a stylistic muscleman: Kurni is the expression of an uncompromising philosophy that aims for density, balance and expression rather than volume. The vines are deeply rooted in the clay-limestone soils of the southern Marche region, are meticulously tended and produce minimal yields. The hand-picked grapes undergo a long maceration period before the wine matures for 18 months in new French barriques.

In Andrea Cortonesi's own words, 2019 was the first vintage since the legendary 1990 that gave him the feeling that everything was in balance. A slow start to vegetation after a rainy winter, a summer without heat peaks, even ripening until September. Harvest from 25 September – clean, healthy, concentrated. Already a stroke of luck for the Annata. For the Riserva: a perfect invitation. But not every vintage becomes a Riserva. And not every grape in the best vintage. Cortonesi only uses the oldest vines for the Riserva – planted in 1975, back when the word Brunello was hardly known outside Montalcino. Seven hectares, spread over sites between 150 and 350 metres in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, calcareous-clayey soils with marl and mineral structure. What grows here has decades of life in it.

Marco Bacci's Brunello Riserva from the dream vintage 2016 presents itself full and generous on the nose. Cascades of violet and black fruits wash over the senses with black cherry, blackberry jam and smoked tobacco. The opulent overall impression is completed with a hint of bitter almond and subtle notes of smoke and nuts. These give the wine a deep and dark character. Very well structured on the palate and built for a long life with its well-formed acid-tannin framework. SUPERIORE.DE

Pecorino – an autochthonous grape variety from the border region between southern Marche and northern Abruzzo, traditionally cultivated at high altitudes, where it develops its characteristic fullness and generosity. For the pepfamily, this wine was a new challenge when they planted one and a half hectares of vines in 2007: to vinify an unknown grape variety according to the same radical biodynamic principles as Trebbiano and Montepulciano and to subject it to the test of long maturation, which Emidio pepsees as the key to refinement and elegance. The first vintage, 2010, proved that Pecorino not only has immediate beauty, but also the ageing potential that Emidio describes as "the wine of the future". Today, this Pecorino is the winery's smallest production – a white rarity that shows how this noble grape variety can reach its peak under the hands of uncompromising craftsmen.

Viettis Barolo Riserva with grapes from Castiglione Falletto is matured for two years in large wooden barrels, then in steel tanks and then for several years in the bottle. Classic bouquet of wild berries, cherries and rose petals. Rusty minerals are accompanied by violets and candied orange peel. Juicy on the palate and extremely fresh and agile for its age, with wonderful balance and equilibrium. An inspiring wine that still has many good years ahead of it, but is already completely convincing today. SUPERIORE.DE

Spineda is an exceptional Merlot selection produced in honour of the Treviso family that began developing the Venegazzù area in the 1500s, where the very first Merlot was cultivated in Italy. The grapes come from a 2-hectare plot which, thanks to its soil and location, careful soil cultivation and extremely low yields, produces fruit of exceptional elegance. The label is a reminder of the deep connection with the territory and shows a section of a 19th century Napoleonic map of the Spineda lands with the vineyards and the rustic outbuildings that are still an integral part and centrepiece of the Conte Loredan Gasparini winery today.

"Calvari" Refosco is Paolo Meroi's masterpiece - a wine that explores the potential of the autochthonous Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso to its limits and is only produced 2-3 times per decade. The grapes come from ancient, tiny, low-yielding vines in a tiny, south-west-facing plot above Buttrio. The barren Ponca soil, strict selection and uncompromising manual labour make this wine a true rarity. The 2020 vintage, characterised by a harmonious vegetation cycle with a balanced sun and rainfall profile, produced perfectly ripe, concentrated berries with exceptional aromatic tension. After manual harvesting and gentle mash fermentation, "Calvari" matured for 24 months in French barriques before maturing for a further two years in the bottle.

Some grape varieties die out. Others survive, forgotten. And some are revived when the right family discovers them. When the Roagnas acquired a plot of land in Montemarzino in 2014 – previously owned by a cousin – it was more than just a land purchase. It was a commitment to Timorasso, that historic white wine grape of the Colli Tortonesi, which was once thought to be lost. On Tortonese soils, at an altitude of 450 metres with an east-facing aspect, there are now vines around 35 years old, rejuvenated through massal selection from historical genetic material. The harvest takes place in small crates, and the whole bunches macerate for a few hours in the press. The must undergoes controlled oxidation without the addition of sulphites before fermenting spontaneously with the wine's own yeasts and maturing for two years on the fine lees in large barrels.

Since the 2013 vintage, Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren have had their names featured on the label: ALESTE, a combination of Alessia and Stefano. The wine itself is older. As Barolo Cannubi Boschis, it was Luciano Sandrone's first wine, with the inaugural vintage dating from 1985. The vineyard is situated in the village of Barolo on a south-east-facing section of the Cannubi hill, at an altitude of 250 metres, in moderately compact marl soil. In the cellar, the must ferments spontaneously with natural yeasts in open stainless-steel tanks; malolactic fermentation and ageing follow in LitersFrench oak tonneaux, with 18 months' bottle ageing before release. The 2022 vintage is characterised by resilience: a dry autumn, early snow in December, 70 to 80 millimetres of rain within a few days in spring, followed by warm, dry weather with cool nights. The harvest took place around two weeks earlier than usual.

"The vintage we've all been waiting for" – this is how the international wine critics in Montalcino unanimously describe the 2019 vintage, with a level of enthusiasm rarely seen in such unanimity. Kerin O'Keefe described the 2019s as even more impressive overall than the already legendary 2016s. Andrew Jefford simply called it the best Brunello vintage he had ever tasted, even more dense and consistent than the much-praised Barolo from the same year. Winemakers such as Francesco Buffi of Baricci spoke of a vintage that took them back twenty years; others drew comparisons with the legendary 1988 and 1990 vintages. A magical year in which rain and sunshine arrived at exactly the right time – and in which the Riserva selections once again stood out from the already exceptional Annata wines.

Ten years. Appius celebrates its first decade with the 2020 – and what a decade it has been. When Hans Terzer first bottled his dream wine in 2010, he had already been harbouring the idea for a long time. During his vineyard inspections, he had noticed that certain low-yielding old vines in the historic vineyards of Eppan produced a quality that demanded its own framework. Something beyond the celebrated Sanct Valentin line. Originally, the wine was to be called "Oans" – piedmontese for "one" –but the name was taken. So it became Appius: the Roman name for Eppan, derived from Appianum, the "estate of Appius".

The name says it all: wines of the slopes. Vigneti del Versante is made from grapes from the Cancello Rosso parcel and the lower part of Pian Bassolino – sites, which lie at an altitude of 350 metres and have a soil of exceptional geological diversity. Calcareous clay, slightly decomposed marl, sandstone, flysch – layers from the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, interspersed with volcanic influences from nearby Monte Amiata. In the Cancello Rosso vineyard, an increased proportion of sand in the topsoil provides the typical spicy and nutty flavours of the berries; Pian Bassolino contributes with a calcareous density. Jan Erbach sees the Vigneti del Versante as the search for a harmony that is more than the sum of its parts – like the different voices of an orchestra that only find their sound together. Spontaneous fermentation, strict selection of grapes on the table, no technological additives, maturation in large oak barrels without filtration.

Emanuele Pangrazi is probably Lazio's most ambitious winemaker at the moment. With his extreme planting density and radical yield restriction, he is following a path that is trend-setting for Lazio. After he had fundamentally analysed his terroir and also the climatic conditions, it was clear to him in 2006 that he would plant mainly French grape varieties here according to the principle of the great wines of the Rhone. In addition to his famous Cuvée Habemus (Etichetta Bianca) and the San Giovenale Rosso (assemblage from two vintages of Habemus), he also vinifies four single-varietal Habemus wines, but these are absolutely small.

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."

The grapes for Vietti's Riserva come from the best Barolo vineyards, primarily Scarrone and Bric del Fiasc. The production is just 5,000 bottles. Opens with aromas of dried cherries, which combine with sweet spices, while a hint of truffle, dried violets and bay leaf emerge. On the palate, there is a beguiling elegance and depth with perfectly developed fruit flavours and melting tannins. The great thing is that you can drink this wine the same day you buy it. But you don't have to, because the potential is great! SUPERIORE.DE

After decades at Marcarini, Elvio Cogno bought his own estate in Novello in 1990, in the heart of Ravera. A year later, the family planted a new vineyard, and in the same year he became a grandfather. The vines were named after the little girl: Elena, daughter of Nadia and Valter Fissore. To this day, the label features a chick that Elena drew herself when she was three years old. It would be hard to fit any more of her personal touch onto a bottle. Only the Nebbiolo clone "Rosé" was planted, chosen for its vibrant garnet-red colour and intense floral aromas.

In 2020, too, the Consorzio del Vino Brunello officially ranks among the denomination's rare five-star vintages – a warm, promising season without the climatic extremes that characterised other years. At Poggio Antico, this regional excellence is combined with a unique, twofold turning point: it was the estate's very first certified organic harvest, whilst at the same time a year that demanded everything from the vineyard. A late spring frost reduced the harvest by around forty per cent, at precisely the moment when the new ownership team led by Marcel Van Poecke was fully implementing their vision of plot-specific, organic cultivation for the first time. What nature took from this vintage in terms of quantity, it gave back in density.

There is one decision that can only be made in the basement – and that cannot be planned. When assembling the Barolo Castiglione, Eugenio Palumbo discovered individual barrels that were more than their intended destination: wines that, in their combination of intensity, elegance and tannin structure, carried a potential that went beyond the scope of the Annata-Barolo. The decision to bottle them separately was not a strategic one – it was a reaction to what lay dormant in the barrels. The base comes from the best single vineyards of the house – parcels whose character would have remained invisible in the blend, but which are fully revealed here. Three weeks of maceration in steel, malolactic fermentation in wood, then the extended maturation in large oak barrels that the Riserva designation requires. 2018 was a year of unusual harmony in the Langhe: an April frost, which naturally regulated the harvest, was followed by a balanced summer with good temperature fluctuations and clean, slow ripening until October.

In 1862, Luigi Pira founded a business in the village of Barolo that would later bear his name: E. Pira & Figli. The winery survived for generations until the family's last winemaker died without an heir. In 1981, the Boschis family took over. Chiara Boschis, who was still young at the time, recognised the potential of the name and the terroir and became the driving force behind the Barolo revolution: more freshness, more precision, less heaviness. Today she cultivates eleven hectares, divided between Barolo, Monforte and Serralunga – and owns less than one hectare in the most famous single vineyard in the entire wine-growing region: Cannubi.

While Tenuta Sette Ponti takes its name from the seven bridges over the Arno, Sette is named after the up to seven different vineyards that provide the fruit for this 100% Merlot wine: these are the Cypress, Salvareccio I, Salvareccio II, Poggio Sinistro, Sorbaccio, Nocetta I and Nocetta II vineyards. Aromatic and earthy, fragrant notes of cherry and cool blue fruit introduce a ripe and fresh palate that is light on its feet, vertical and balanced. The mid-palate has a stony element, while the red and blue fruits are supported by a network of tannins and good acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

Only 3,000 bottles of this wine from the highest vineyard in Montalcino are bottled. The choice of the vineyard, which is situated over 600 metres above sea level, is also due to climate change, where winegrowers are increasingly looking for cooler sites for the Sangiovese - and the result is once again a Brunello in a class of its own: leather, tobacco, small red berries and a surprisingly fresh, clearly mineral note on the nose. Although the wine appears very graceful and bright, it is powerful and long. Its grippy tannins and finely knit acidity emphasise our impression that this wine still has a long life ahead of it. SUPERIORE.DE

Since the 2015 vintage, Le Ragnaie has been vinifying another single-vineyard Brunello, which comes from the famous Montosoli vineyard and therefore also bears the black label. Only just under 3,000 bottles of the 2018 vintage will be released, and we are delighted that we were able to obtain at least a few of them. On the nose, graceful tones of wild cherry, pressed blueberries and small blue violets growing deep in the forest. The flavours are more vertical, with cola and medicinal tones rising straight from the top. The attack is compact and lean, with a long, medium-bodied persistence that leaves a precise and sharply drawn trail of fruit flavours. This expression and class can only be found in the wines of the Montosoli vineyard and this wine, rich in finesse, is a real treat! SUPERIORE.DE

Just 300 metres from Casa pepand yet a completely different world: Branella, 2 hectares acquired by Emidio pepin 1981 – a vineyard that had already been planted in 1966 and was registered in the 1984 land register. The south-western orientation differs from Casa pepdirect southern exposure, and while silt dominates there, Branella shows an extraordinary geological diversity within the plot: In the northern, higher part, classic "speckled" blue-toned marl, in the centre a pronounced sandy zone with a lower, almost neutral pH, underneath deeper deposits of clay and calcium carbonate. The sandier, cooler soils allow the roots to penetrate deeply, while the mottled lenses of precipitated limestone create a different perception of acidity and freshness. Chiara pepand geologist Brenna Quigley realised in their multi-year study that these terroir-related differences justify vinifying Branella as a wine in its own right – a wine that does not possess the exuberant power of Casa pep, but rather agility, precision and a faster rhythm.