0.75 liter

Livio Felluga's new cru wines are the result of massalselection. For this purpose, selected vines are reproduced in particularly favourable locations in order to renew vineyards with particularly high-quality vines and to further improve the quality of individual varietal wines.

This smooth and exceptionally polished Valtellina Superiore comes from Sassella, one of the most famous villages in the Valtellina appellation on the north bank of the River Adda. Bright ruby red in colour. Camphor, wild roses, wild berries and hints of graphite and vanilla are the main characters in this fragrant red wine. Straightforward and elegantly structured, it reveals red cherry, pomegranate and liquorice on the palate, accompanied by present but fine tannins. The lively acidity provides the necessary drive, including further ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Siccagno is Arianna Occhipinti's personal monologue on Nero d'Avola – not a loud one, but a concentrated, quiet and deep-breathing one. The name derives from the Sicilian term for dry farming (sicco) and aptly describes the origins of this wine: deep-rooted vines in limestone soils near Vittoria, unirrigated, deliberately left to nature's care. 2021 was a year of bright sunshine, good air circulation and a growing season free from extreme heat or stress – perfect conditions for a delicately structured vintage. The grapes are harvested by hand, fermented spontaneously with natural yeasts, and macerated on the skins for around 30 days. The wine is aged for 24 months in large Slavonian oak casks – no rushing, no fining, no filtering. Just patience and trust in what the soil has to say.

In 1969, five years after the first Barolos and Barbarescos – , Bruno Giacosa bottled a Barbera for the first time. Not as a by-product, not as a clearance item, but as a statement in its own right: that Barbera, the everyday grape variety of the Langhe, is capable of more than its reputation suggests when treated with the right care. Today, this wine is one of the estate’s longest-standing labels. The grapes come from trusted vineyards in Neive and Alba – 30 to 38-year-old vines, facing south-west, from farmers with whom the estate has been working for decades. The vinification is rigorous and demonstrates just how seriously Giacosa takes this wine: 20 days of maceration in steel, full malolactic fermentation, followed by 14 months’ ageing in wood. For a Barbera d’Alba DOC, this is exceptional. The result is a wine that takes the grape variety far beyond its usual accessibility.

Montalcino is a hill. To be more precise: a single large cone of limestone, marl, slate and sand that rises above the Val d'Orcia – exposed to the north, south-east and south-west, characterised by three completely different climates. Most of the producers in the appellation have access to one of these slopes. Val di Suga has all three. Vigna del Lago in the north-west, Poggio al Granchio in the south-east, Vigna Spuntali in the south-west. Three soils, three microclimates, three characters – and a single winery that unites them all under one roof. The basic Brunello is the result of this unique position: a cuvée from all three sites that does not aim for simplification, but for synthesis. Fermentation takes eight to twelve days at a controlled temperature, with maceration lasting a further two to three weeks. Maturation in traditional 50-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months, followed by six months in concrete and then the bottle. The 2021 vintage brought a late frost in April – the harvest was reduced, the quality concentrated. A dry summer without extreme heat, a long, even autumn. The Consorzio and a jury of eight Masters of Wine agreed on three words to characterise the vintage: fragrant, precise, vertical.

Bertone – almost two hectares, planted in 2001 with Burgundian clones for great finesse – on the slope opposite the Cru Pernice. 400 metres, south to south-west facing, directly above Villa Fornace, the family's historic residence. Calcareous, clayey soil with sand and silt, a dry microclimate that accelerates ripening and concentrates the grapes. Small like a Burgundian plot, consistent like a family decision. 2021 was a year of balance at Oltrepò Pavese: a long, cool spring, a dry and structured summer. Fermentation in conical wooden vats, malolactic fermentation in barriques in spring, then twelve months in carefully selected French barrels of various origins – followed by at least one year in the bottle.

From the historic Mosconi cru hillside in Monforte d'Alba: Fides is Pio Cesare's clear commitment to the Barbera grape – for years from a singular parcel, with the strictest yield limits and tiny production. Hand-picked, followed by fermentation in stainless steel with around 30 days of maceration; malolactic fermentation takes place gently in tanks. Ageing: around 20 months in large oak barrels (botti), a small proportion in French barriques – enough to anchor depth and texture without masking the origin.

When Luciano and Luca Sandrone first laid eyes on the concave hillside of Valmaggiore in the 1990s, it was love at first sight. It was not just the history that captivated them – in the 19th century, the Nebbiolo grapes from this vineyard dictated the price for the entire region – but above all the unique combination of sandy soils and the microclimate of this natural amphitheatre. In Vezza d'Alba, on the left bank of the Tanaro in the Roero, lies this south-facing single vineyard with extremely steep slopes, where soft sandy soils lend the Nebbiolo that finesse and elegance for which the Roero region is famous.

Celestino Gaspari stood next to Giuseppe Quintarelli – in that cellar in San Pietro in Cariano, which is a place of pilgrimage for many wine lovers. He learnt the language of the Appassimento, the patience of the large barrels, time as an instrument. Anyone who knows this will be surprised when they look at the Metodo Classico label: dancing bubbles, delicate and light, like the exact opposite of what Zýmē is known for. That is the intention.

Gianfranco Gallo has a phrase that he always repeats: "Wine needs time to show what it is." This is not modesty – it is an attitude that characterises his entire winery. Since 1992, all Vie di Romans wines have only been released on the market two years after the harvest. The Chardonnay that bears his name is the most personal expression of this conviction. The vineyard is located in Mariano del Friuli on glacial gravel soils deposited by the Isonzo over thousands of years – gravel-rich, mineral-rich, aerated. The bora winds from the east create pronounced temperature fluctuations between day and night, keeping Mediterranean ripeness and Alpine freshness in a rare combination. Late harvest to achieve maximum aromatic ripeness. Control over oxidation from the first moment. Fermentation at a controlled temperature, nine months on the lees in barriques, then bottle ageing.

In a prime plot south of the legendary Bricco Boschis lies the Cavallottos' hidden gem: Vigna Cuculo. Here, where normally only Nebbiolo is supposed to thrive, brothers Giuseppe and Alfio have achieved an oenological miracle – a Barbera cru that combines its Piedmontese soul with the aristocratic elegance of its great Barolo neighbours. The name "Cuculo" – the cuckoo – could not be more poetic for this wine, which holds its own like a stranger in royal territory whilst developing its very own identity. The plot benefits from the unique microclimate of Bricco Boschis, that geological treasure where different soils converge in a symphony of limestone, marl and sand layers. This complexity of soil imparts a minerality and structure to the Barbera grape that goes far beyond what is normally expected of this variety. A west-south-west aspect and the calcareous-clay soils create ideal conditions for a wine of exceptional depth.

Rubatsch is a vineyard in Terlan at 250 metres, on a south-western slope with sandy soil on weathered porphyry rock. Two thirds of the Lagrein vines for this wine are rooted here, while the remaining third comes from the Seehof vineyard in Caldaro, where the soil is loamier and heavier. Two soils, two characters, one indigenous grape variety that belongs to South Tyrol like the Dolomites belong to the horizon.

When French noble vines were planted in the Tuscan soil of Felsina's Podere Molinuzzo in 1998, a visionary experiment of extraordinary boldness began. Pinot Nero in Tuscany? A seemingly impossible endeavour in a region dominated by Sangiovese. But Giuseppe Mazzocolin and Franco Bernabei, who had already initiated the Sangiovese revolution with the legendary Fontalloro, once again dared to do the impossible: to cultivate the Burgundian king grape variety under the Tuscan sun. The vineyard, which covers just 2.5 hectares, is strategically located on the border between Felsina and Castello di Farnetella, on soils of sand and clay with a significant stony and calcareous component. This geological peculiarity, combined with the cooler microzone of Podere Molinuzzo, creates ideal conditions for a grape variety that elsewhere in Italy only thrives in the foothills of the Alps.

It was Paolo Foradori who made Mazon what it is today. He married into the Hofstätter family in 1959 and dedicated his life to a single project: proving that the high plateau east of the Adige Valley is the most important Pinot Noir site in Italy. The experts have proved him right. Mazon, at 350 to 460 metres, exposed on the north side, on the cooler east side of the South Tyrolean Adige Valley – with limestone gravel and clay soils, which are mineralised by the rock formations of the Werfen Formation – gives the Pinot Nero a depth, concentration and complexity that cannot be found anywhere else in this form. The Riserva is the expression of the entire plateau: the wine that Foradori in Mazon always had in mind. 100% hand-picked, completely destemmed harvest, fermentation in concrete vats with remontage. Then maturation in barriques, then again in concrete – a sequence that treats structure and freshness equally – and finally two years of bottle ageing before sale.

Just like the famous I Sistri, the “Collezione Privata” is a single-varietal Chardonnay. Since the early 1980s, the former LitersGiovanni Mazzocolin had sourced some of his Chardonnay vines from Burgundy, and so a micro-site was cultivated here right up until the 2000s; the grapes from this site are used to produce the gently vinified “I Sistri Collezione Privata” is made. A bright, intense straw-yellow colour with golden highlights. A delicately reductive nose of spices, peach and exotic fruits, with subtle hints of vanilla. Creamy and full-bodied on the palate; the perfectly balanced acidity lends it structure, whilst the fresh juice, combined with a mineral-salty note, carries this complex white wine into an exciting and spicy finish of quince and orange. The clearly recognisable Burgundian style of this great Chardonnay will continue to develop with further bottle ageing, not least due to the subtle barrique ageing. Very attractive at an even more attractive price! SUPERIORE.DE

The Conca d'Oro – the golden basin. This is what the winegrowers of Panzano call the natural depression in the terrain south of Greve, where the sun arrives earlier and stays longer than elsewhere in Chianti Classico. The slope, the Galestro-Alberese soil, the air circulation between the hills: everything comes together to create a microclimate that gives the Sangiovese the depth and fruit ripeness that is exceptional elsewhere, year after year. Gagliole lies at the centre of it all – a small, carefully managed winery that has been showing what Panzano can achieve in this price range since the Riserva première in the 2018 vintage. 100% Sangiovese from vines over twenty years old, organically farmed, hand-picked, fermented in steel. What follows is a well thought-out ageing process: ten months in small used oak barrels, then five months in cement tanks – a combination that gives the wine structure without over-moulding it. Only 11,000 bottles.

From Vittoria to Chiaramonte Gulfi, always following the limestone trail. Along the Iblean Mountains, the ancient sea, the flint – and the Grillo. This is how Arianna Occhipinti describes the journey that gave rise to this wine. She wanted to see how Grillo would fare at 240 metres, on the limestone hills of her homeland, where the subsoil consists of ancient marine sediment rather than the red sand on which her other wines are grown. The vineyard lies on the Promontorio Serra San Bartolo, a rocky ridge that separates two geological worlds: on one side, the historic contrade with red sand and tuff, Occhipinti's familiar terrain since the very first vintage. On the other side, compact limestone. Serracalcara lies exactly in between. The soil reveals both facets: white sand with iron inclusions on the surface; beneath this, at a depth of 30 to 40 centimetres, layers of marine limestone that are seabeds millions of years old. Cultivated biodynamically, using the "Guyot basso" training system with double branching, at a density of 5,291 vines per hectare.

A great Friulano from small plots: Paolo Meroi vinifies his single-varietal white wine from vines over 40 years old on barren flysch soils around Buttrio and Rosazzo – a terroir that provides depth and precision. The wine is matured traditionally in barriques with long lees contact, which gives the wine structure and subtle maturity. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with golden reflections. The nose is complex and finely interwoven: ripe pear, white peach, candied citrus fruit, lime blossom and a hint of herbal honey. Delicate hints of hazelnut, beeswax and wet stone in the background. Powerful, silky and elegantly textured on the palate. The acidity is well integrated and the salty minerality characterises the long, powerful finish. A Friulano of a special calibre – dense, complex and with an unmistakable character of origin. Paolo Merois' signature is palpable: authentic, precise, fully committed to Friuli. SUPERIORE.DE

A wonderfully matured Salice Salentino with character and depth: Per Lui Salice Salentino Riserva comes from selected Negroamaro vineyards that are deeply rooted in the iron-rich soils around Salice. Extended ageing in wood – partly in barriques, partly in tonneaux – lends the wine density and expression without compromising its balance. In the glass, it is a deep ruby red with a slight garnet rim. The nose is warm and complex: black cherry, plum, dried herbs, a hint of tobacco and a touch of cedar. On the palate, it is structured and powerful, with well-integrated tannins, juicy fruit and a spicy finish. An elegant, mature Salice Salentino that reveals its finer, more serious side – very much in the style of the great wines of southern Apulia. SUPERIORE.DE

"Querciabella" – beautiful oak. The name suits an estate that has ranked among the defining producers of Chianti Classico since 1974. Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni was one of the first in the region to convert to organic viticulture – as early as 1988, when the very idea of "organic" winegrowing still raised eyebrows. Today, Querciabella follows a rigorously organic approach, shaped both in the vineyard and in the cellar by a particularly mindful use of natural resources and clear ethical principles. That Daniele Cernilli (Dr. Wine) named the estate "Cantina dell'Anno" in 2024 came as little surprise to anyone familiar with these wines.

The Colline Metallifere – the Metalliferous Hills – take their name from what people have been extracting from the ground here for thousands of years: copper, iron and silver. An ancient mining landscape, part of the UNESCO Geopark since 2024, set amongst volcanic and limestone soils that bear witness to three million years of geological history. 500 metres above sea level, in the Alta Maremma, Demeter biodynamic. Elisabetta Foradori – the woman who brought Teroldego back to life in Trentino – founded Ampeleia together with Giovanni Podini and Thomas Widmann, because they believed that this place, with Cabernet Franc, could express something it has never expressed elsewhere.