1.5 liters | Magnum

A dowry changed everything back then. In 1929, a triangular piece of land changed hands – not by purchase, but by marriage. Montefico has belonged to the Roagna family ever since, longer than any other vineyard in the portfolio. Almost a century later, this quarter of a hectare is still the most intimate chapter in its history. "Mont der fi" is what the Piedmontese dialect calls this location – the mountain over there, towards Neive. The small triangle lies exactly in the middle of the amphitheatre, at 230 metres, with a view of the neighbouring village. The soils of calcareous marl with a high proportion of active limestone are among the oldest in Barbaresco – seventy million years of marine sedimentation. The vines, all over 50 years old, are deeply rooted in this history. Of the four Vecchie Viti of the family, Montefico is the most intensely flavoured.

There are wines that define regions. Gaja's Barbaresco is one of them. It has been produced since 1859, over five generations, and in all these decades it has remained what it always was: the calling card, the brand ambassador, the essence of what Barbaresco means. While the single-vineyard wines – sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn, Costa Russi – show virtuosity, it is this classic Barbaresco that captures the soul of the terroir. It is the sum of fourteen vineyards spread across the municipalities of Barbaresco and Treiso, each parcel a mosaic stone in the big picture.

At Quintarelli, the release of magnum bottles also follows a relentless logic: what matures in 1.5 Litersneeds more time. The 2017 Amarone in standard bottles came onto the market in 2024 – after seven years of barrel ageing. The magnum will only be released now, in 2025, one year later, as the wine develops more slowly, more deeply and with greater inner harmony in the large format. The 2017 marks one of those exceptional vintages that Giuseppe "Bepi" Quintarelli's heirs deemed worthy of becoming Amarone. The cuvée of 55% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Sangiovese undergoes the legendary ritual: five months of appassimento until the end of January, deliberate promotion of botrytis, 20 days of maceration, 45 days of slow fermentation with wild yeasts, then seven years in large Slavonian oak barrels. This process takes on an additional dimension in the magnum.

A monument of wine! Brilliant dark ruby colour. Fresh, silky, elegant - and majestic. Blackberry jam, violets, bittersweet chocolate, plus crushed rock and minerality. An opulent wine with fabulously polished tannins and considerable ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

A monument of wine! Brilliant dark ruby colour. Fresh, silky, elegant - and majestic. Blackberry jam, violets, bittersweet chocolate, plus crushed rock and minerality. An opulent wine with fabulously polished tannins and considerable ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

At the time, Marco Dal Forno initially held back his Amarone from the 2016 vintage – he released the 2017 vintage earlier because 2016 was not yet ready. At Dal Forno Romano, the wine determines the schedule. This is all the more true for the large formats: they are released three years after the 0.75-litre bottle – i.e. another three years later than an already later release. What this means for 2016 can be felt in the glass. Created under conditions that demand everything in the Val d'Illasi: three months of appassimento in the well-ventilated drying rooms of the Lodoletta, controlled fermentation in steel tanks with computer-controlled pump-overs, new barriques made from French and American wood, then the large format that requires hours of aeration – that needs hours of aeration before it begins to open.

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Cerretalto wins in the exceptional 2016 vintage with beautiful, natural complexity and fine oak tones surrounded by cinnamon, clove, chocolate and exotic spices. On the palate, a dark, dense, ripe fruit and firm tannins. Incredibly long and deep with amazingly fresh acidity and fine salinity. For us, the perfect Riserva of this great vintage and made for decades! SUPERIORE.DE

Cerretalto 2018 is an expressive, exuberant and impressive wine that opens with a dark ruby red colour and a rich texture. The bouquet is endlessly intense, closely followed by finely tuned aromas of black cherries, spices, grilled herbs, cloves, tobacco, damp earth and white truffle. Over time, elegant mineral tones unfold, and later these flavours transition into cola, liquorice and tar. The mouthfeel is silky and supple, and there is enough power to move the wine seamlessly across the palate. Cerretalto continues to develop endlessly over 24 hours in the glass. Clear case: this is a bottle for the back of your cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Produced only in the best vintages and in small quantities, this Riserva follows the classic promise of a traditional and powerful Brunello that becomes softer and better with age. Poggio di Sotto has undoubtedly produced one of the best wines of the vintage. This Riserva 2019 fulfils the promise of its category. This wine offers intensity and complexity in abundance. The bouquet is more refined and deeper than that of the Annata; in addition to dark fruits and blackberries, this wine shows an additional dose of cloves and spices. In the mouth, the wine is supple and silky, but it also shows impressive power and length. Those who are prepared to wait ten years or more will be rewarded in the most excellent way with this Riserva! SUPERIORE.DE

2020 was the year in which the silence of the vineyards became a calculation. While the world stood still, Montalcino's winegrowers transformed the enforced slowness into precision: vineyard by vineyard, vine by vine, with an attention that other years would not have allowed. At Poggio di Sotto, this benefited a winery that is never in a hurry anyway. The summer of 2020 was hot – no question about it. But Monte Amiata, always vigilant behind the vineyards, moderated with its cool nights. Rain at the end of September, then a long, leisurely autumn with thirty days of marked day-night difference. Poggio di Sotto harvested late, only at the end of September – and took its time. In hot years, the estate characteristically chooses the deeper plots for its Riserva: cooler clay and Galestro, the natural brake against over-ripening. The result is a 2020 that carries the warmth of the vintage without being dominated by it.

The vines cover two hectares directly below the small chapel that gave the wine its name. This is the steepest, oldest part of the estate, where Alessandro Mori heard the bells over the vines as a child. If there is a wine that is to become his legacy, then it must come from here. Brunello Madonna delle Grazie does not appear every year. There was none in 2002 and 2014 – the grapes were not good enough. This decision costs money, but Alessandro Mori has never acted on it. What distinguishes the Madonna from all other Brunellos in the appellation – even from its own basic Brunello – is the vinification. While the classic Il Marroneto is born with fermentation temperatures of up to 40°C and intensive extraction, the Madonna follows the opposite path: two days of rest after the harvest, then cool fermentation at 28°C for three to four weeks. The extraction is gentle, almost tender – more of an infusion than a maceration, closer to Pinot Noir than to classic Sangiovese. Then matured for 40 months in neutral vats.

There are vineyards that make no compromises. Bassolino di Sopra comes from the highest section of the Pian Bassolino vineyard – a single, clearly defined microclimate at 330 to 390 metres, south to south-west facing, with a view of Monte Amiata. The soil belongs to the Santa Fiora geological formation, which characterises the south-eastern slope of Montalcino: slatey siltstone with calcareous deposits, interspersed with clay and marl, with volcanic specks from the eruptions of the nearby volcano. An earth that carries millions of years – and shows it in every sip. Caroline and Jan only vinify Bassolino di Sopra in exceptional vintages. The selection is rigorous: multiple selections in the vineyard, double hand-picking, spontaneous fermentation on natural yeast, weeks of maceration on the skins, then years of ageing in large oak barrels. No intervention that is not mandatory.

There are a handful of wines in Italy that make us nervous every year before the first tasting because the expectations are huge. Cerretalto is undoubtedly one of them. What's more, as in this case from an exceptional year like 2019, it didn't disappoint our expectations - how could it have been otherwise?

The 50th harvest year of Sassicaia. It snowed in Bolgheri in February 2018. The last time this happened was in 1985 – the year that is considered the greatest Sassicaia in history. The Siberian "Burian" winter storm brought temperatures below zero for days, killed the pests on the vines and replenished the soil water reserves. A promising start. What followed was a cool, slow wine year: moderate spring, temperate summer, refreshing nights well into September. Tenuta San Guido began the harvest seven to eight days later than usual – and selected more rigorously than in most years: The vineyards in the lowlands were not included. The higher vineyards, Castiglioncello and Quercione, characterised the character.

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, the Antinori family discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico.

"Sassicaia really was our house wine back then," says Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, daughter of the president of San Guido, Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta. "It was more of a wine experiment that was only tested within the family and among friends, until we went on the market for the first time with the 1968 vintage. Today, this wine is all about elegance and balance. We like this style, which is not so much about the body. Sassicaia is a good representative of what we want to convey as a style."

There are vintages that are underestimated on release and only assert their true status over the years. The 2009 Sassicaia is one of them. When it came onto the market, critics debated 2008 and 2010, but anyone who listened carefully realised that the 2009 climate year in Bolgheri was simply perfect. A long, cold winter secured the water reserves. The spring began cautiously, the summer gifted the vineyards with warmth and pronounced day-night temperature contrasts – conditions that lead Cabernet Sauvignon to extraordinary phenolic ripeness on the gravel soils of Bolgheri. The harvest began at the beginning of September and was flawless.

"Everything was slow, calm and beautiful." This is how cellar master Carlo Paoli described 2013. After an April frost that regulated the natural grape yield, a summer without extremes followed – no heat spike, no stressful events, just a gradual, even ripening that gave the Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravel marl soils of Tenuta San Guido exactly what it needed: Time. Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, granddaughter of the founder, called the result a record year for Sassicaia. The harvest began at the beginning of September with the Cabernet Franc, which was the first to reach phenological ripeness, and ended at the end of September in the high vineyards of Castiglioncello.

Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is said to have once said that Sassicaia is always great in years with an eight at the end: 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008. The sentence sounds like a legend – but it holds water. 2008 was a year of transition: spring began cool, the vegetation was delayed by ten days, the summer gradually warmed up and led to a concentrated, structurally rich harvest. It was also the first year in which the new oenological team worked together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis – a baton that was passed in slow motion.

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard, the Antinori family and then Lodovico Antinori, with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate and terroir, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico and the Tenuta del Nicchio, which is now run by Lodovico and his daughter Sophia. SUPERIORE.DE

An unrivalled powerhouse and at the same time of a unique beauty and finesse. Villero (only produced in the best vintages) is an overwhelming interpretation of the otherwise rather austere Nebbiolo grape, which here displays a kaleidoscope of life and vigour.

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard, the Antinori family and then Lodovico Antinori, with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate and terroir, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico and later the Tenuta del Nicchio, which is now run by Lodovico and his daughter Sophia. SUPERIORE.DE