1.5 liters | Magnum

Barolo Prapò comes from Serralunga d'Alba and is, as expected, the most powerful and structured of the various single-vineyard wines from this ambitious estate. At the same time, it is also the most closed at the beginning and, with its introverted nature, is made for a long ageing period. This site is one of the last where the grapes ripen, giving them plenty of time to develop slowly and carefully each year.

Sibi et paucis – for the few who understand that great wines are not in a hurry. Sandrone retains around 10 per cent of the production from each Aleste vintage and allows these bottles to mature for a full decade longer in his own cellar. What could have been released in September 2019 remains dormant until today – and is becoming something that goes beyond regular Barolo.

The Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2019 is a fully impressive creation with a unique and interesting interpretation of this classic vintage. The wine is bold and bright, with great intensity that accompanies it from start to finish. Dark cherry and blackberry flavours stand in balanced contrast to layers of spice, cumin and cardamom. Despite its intensity and richness, this Riserva is very balanced and never oversteps its bounds. The same applies to the mouthfeel. On the palate, it offers a dense, rich texture with complex fruit flavours and bright acidity. The 2019 vintage is once again an exceptional wine from this incredibly ambitious winery! SUPERIORE.DE

At Fuligni, the Riserva is not a matter of course. It is produced only when a vintage deserves it – and when the estate's oldest vineyards have yielded something that is more than just Brunello. More than just good. 1972, 1976, 2002: vintages in which Fuligni simply did not release any Brunello at all because the quality wasn't up to standard. Such consistency is rare, for one must be able to afford it and be willing to do so. It is also the foundation upon which a Riserva acquires its very special significance. 2020 was no easy year. Warm, dry, early-ripening – a vintage that many producers dismissed as too opulent, too soft. Fuligni saw it differently. The north-east-facing vineyards in Cottimelli, at altitudes of between 380 and 450 metres, on Galestro soil – stony, cool, with natural acidity even in hot years – tempered the heat and preserved the freshness. What proved a challenge in flatter, warmer sites resulted here in concentrated, healthy grapes with depth and surprising elegance. The estate's oldest vines, over forty years old, with reduced yields and highly concentrated juice, provided the grapes for this selection.

Ten years. With the 2020 vintage, Appius is celebrating its first decade – and what a decade it has been. When Hans Terzer first bottled his dream wine in 2010, he had been nurturing the idea for a long time. During his walks through the vineyards, he had noticed that certain low-yielding old vines in the historic vineyards of Eppan produced a quality that demanded its own distinct identity – something distinct from the celebrated Sanct-Valentin range. Originally, the wine was to be called "Oans" – Piedmontese for "one" – but the name was already taken. So it became Appius: the Roman name for Eppan, derived from Appianum, the "estate of Appius".

The single-varietal Duemani is for us one of the best representatives of the West Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet of exceptional clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with perfectly integrated wood notes on the palate, its structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

A long, snowy winter. An unusually cool spring. When the 2021 growing season finally began, it was two weeks behind the average. A year that demanded patience, sensitivity and foresight – qualities that Hans Terzer has honed to perfection over more than 45 years as cellar master. The result of this challenging vintage is an Appius of rare verticality: a wine of the mountains, of light, of the alpine air. The twelfth edition of the cult wine collection shifts the balance: 73% Chardonnay dominates more strongly than ever before, flanked by Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco and a reduced proportion of Sauvignon. The vines – aged between 25 and 40 years, growing on the limestone gravel and moraine soils of Eppan’s finest sites – yielded grapes of crystalline precision. Each variety was fermented separately in barriques and tonneaux, followed by twelve months' ageing in wood, and finally a further three years on the fine lees in steel tanks.

530 metres. This is the highest point in the entire Barolo region. Here, at the summit of Serradenari, where the Alps are visible to the north and the "Nebbia" of the Tanaro Valley lies below like a sea, grows the Nebbiolo that Giulia Negri calls her greatest surprise. When she vinified the parcel for the first time, she expected little – too high, too barren, too cold. What she found changed her idea of Barolo. The soil is silty-loamy, interspersed with strong limestone layers, sub-alkaline pH – the opposite of the sandy acidity of Serradenari, the opposite of the alkaline softness of Tartufaia. Limestone at this altitude, exposed to the west, with extreme daily temperature fluctuations: This results in grapes of extraordinary concentration and at the same time extraordinary freshness. 45 days of maceration in conical wooden vats, 30 months in Austrian oak.

The name is a tribute. Giodo – a combination of Giovanna and Donatello, his parents' names. Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy's most eminent Oenologist, has dedicated his life to Sangiovese – as a consultant to estates from Montalcino to Etna, and as the architect of some of Tuscany's most influential wines of the last three decades. It was never a question of 'if', but of 'when' he would eventually establish his own vineyard. In 2002, he found it: ten hectares in Sant'Angelo in Colle, south-west of Montalcino, seven of which were woodland and three set aside for vines. And the only grape grown here is Sangiovese – 15 carefully selected clones, planted with the patience of a man who knows that great wines are not made, but nurtured.

Appius is the winery's flagship wine. The elegant, very aromatic cuvée from the white varieties Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris matures for one year in wood and three years on the fine lees in stainless steel. The nose has a complex aroma of tropical fruit and floral notes, flint, white chocolate and mint. Powerful, expansive and long on the palate. A marvellous white wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Ceretto's Barolo Bussia comes from one of the most famous cru sites bordering the municipalities of Monforte d'Alba and Barolo, sourcing its Nebbiolo fruit from a 7,000 square metre plot in Bussia Soprana in Monforte d'Alba. Just 3,500 1/1 bottles and 200 magnums are bottled.

"Sibi et paucis" – for those who understand that great wines are in no hurry. From each Aleste vintage, Sandrone sets aside around 10% of the production and allows these bottles to mature in his own cellar for 96 months after ageing. What could have been released in September 2020 remains in storage to this day – and is becoming something that transcends ordinary Barolo.

"Vigna Rionda Riserva is for us every year the Barolo from Serralunga at the peak of its potential. It is the wine we are most proud of. Vigna Rionda, protagonist of the history of our winery, is one of the most sought-after and prestigious cru sites in the entire Barolo area. We are not just talking about microclimate and soil here: Something very special happens on this hill in Serralunga d'Alba, and this something gives the Vigna Rionda Riserva its life and makes it a truly unique wine." Franco Massolino

A lake next to the vineyard – that's not a metaphor, it's geography. Vigna del Lago is situated in the north-west of Montalcino, at an altitude of 280 metres, and the small lake that gives the vineyard its name tempers the otherwise continental climate of this exposure: harsh winters, very hot summers, and marked day-night temperature fluctuations. The soil is clay – heavy, water-retaining and cool. A combination that forces the Sangiovese Grosso to put down deep roots, ripen slowly and develop elegance rather than bulk. The vine stock is the densest in the entire Val-di-Suga portfolio: 7,500 vines per hectare – a figure reminiscent of Burgundy's planting densities. Double spur cordon training, careful foliage management, yield reduction through thinning. Hand-harvesting into crates takes place exclusively in the early hours of the morning. In the cellar: fermentation for eight to twelve days, followed by maceration for a further two to three weeks. Maturation in 40-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months, then in concrete tanks, then in bottle. No barriques, no influence from wood – pure terroir. 2021 was a fortunate vintage for Vigna del Lago. The late frost in April reduced the harvest – and concentrated the very best. No extreme summer, no stress.

Barolo Rocche di Castiglione comes from a parcel just above the Cascina Pira of Roagna. It offers a captivating blend of supple fruit, soaring flavours and structure. The 2018 is silky and sensual through and through, as wines from this vineyard tend to be. It is transparent, beguiling and mesmerising from the very first sip. SUPERIORE.DE