Formats

More than two centuries ago, Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Princess of Piombino, had something planted on the iron-rich hills above Suvereto that was to change this landscape forever: Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon – grape varieties from the Bordeaux region. The Maremma, then still rugged and wild, became a testing ground for a woman with a keen sense of terroir. Francesca Moretti, daughter of Bellavista's founder Vittorio, is deliberately picking up where her mother left off with Petra. The name says it all. Petra. Stone. Endurance. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, hand-harvested from the Vigneto di Petra in San Lorenzo Alto. Limestone soils with just the right balance of clay and mineral structure, on slopes with a gradient of 10 to 15 per cent. Fermentation takes place with natural yeasts in large oak vats, followed by ageing for at least 15 months in French barriques – 25% new – and then at least 17 months' bottle ageing. The cellar, designed by Mario Botta, operates using gravity: no pumping, no stress.

San Giusto a Rentennano – the name is of Etruscan origin, and it embodies the passage of centuries. This medieval estate lies in the southernmost corner of Chianti Classico, where the region meets the upper reaches of the Arbia and the hills become more remote, quieter and rougher. A Cistercian monastery – San Giusto alle Monache – once stood here. In 1204, the Florentines fortified the site as a border outpost against Siena. The underground vaults dating from that period now serve as the cellars of Martini di Cigala. The family has owned the estate since 1914. Luca, Francesco and Elisabetta now run it guided by the conviction that has defined the estate since the early 1980s: Sangiovese needs no shortcuts. It requires low yields, fully ripe harvestand time. Organically farmed since 2006, with green pruning in July and August reducing yields by 30 to 50 per cent. 95% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, harvested by hand.

"Rich, brooding and convincing: Colle Sant'Antonio is a small selection of Garganega that I carefully choose in the vineyard and patiently wait for in the cellar." Graziano Prà

Contrada Arcurìa is situated directly opposite Alberto Graci's winery. It was here, on the north-eastern slope of Mount Etna in Passopisciaro, that the estate's history began in 2004, when the former Milanese investment banker acquired his first plot of land following the death of his grandfather, who had made his own wine in central Sicily. Covering 25 hectares, 18 of which are planted with vines, Arcurìa remains the heart of his estate to this day. Unlike the entry-level Bianco, this wine is made from 100% Carricante grown at an altitude of 600 metres, on brown, volcanic soil with a high proportion of mineral particles and plenty of iron. Following gentle pressing without contact with the skins, half is aged in 1,Liters and the other half in concrete tanks, followed by twelve months on the fine lees and a further twelve months of bottle ageing before the wine is released.

A wine that made history. When Francesco Ricasoli presented Casalferro for the first time in 1993, it marked the beginning of a new era for the venerable Castello di Brolio and cemented Ricasoli's membership in the elite of Italian oenology. Today, almost three decades later, Casalferro 2019 is a prime example of how a French grape variety matures to exceptional perfection on Tuscan terroir. Casalferro is the essence of three exceptional individual vineyards: Vigna Casalferro, Vigna Pecchierino and Vigna Sodacci. These 13 hectares of Merlot vineyards between 400 and 500 metres above sea level are the result of decades of meticulous terroir studies. Each site has its own personality: Vigna Casalferro with its sandstone and limestone soils, Vigna Pecchierino on pure Alberese limestone and Vigna Sodacci on iron-rich sandstone soils. They all share the characteristic altitude, which gives the grapes the crystalline freshness and lively acidity that characterise the DNA of the Brolio terroir.

In the 1990s, almost every winegrower in Tuscany planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. International demand was clear, the prices were right, and old indigenous varieties seemed old-fashioned and difficult by comparison. San Felice did the opposite. On a plot of land near the village of Castelnuovo Berardenga, the Vitiarium was established – an experimental vineyard where over 270 endangered Tuscan grape varieties were planted, in collaboration with the Universities of Florence and Pisa. Not for the market. For the future.

1976 – this was Maurizio Zanella's first rosé bottling from Ca' del Bosco. He simply called it "Rosé Ca' del Bosco". What was an experiment back then is now number 47 in a continuous process: since 2018, each edition has had its own number because Zanella and his team are convinced that each composition has its own sensory signature – and that this signature should be memorialised. Edizione 47 is based on the 2022 harvest year – a hot, dry summer in Franciacorta, which forced an early harvest on 6 August. 14 days, 7,800 kilograms per hectare, a harvest under pronounced water stress. The result is wines with good structure and pleasantly fresh acidity, with fruity notes over a clear citrus base. 80% Pinot Noir from twelve vineyards in Erbusco, Adro, Iseo and Passirano – on average 34-year-old vines – and 20% Chardonnay from seven parcels, half reserve wines 2021, half base wines 2022.

In the Montebuoni vineyard, high above the hills between Gaiole and Radda, a wine is produced whose name embodies a poetic philosophy. Haiku – the traditional Japanese verse form in three lines, whose power lies in its allusion to nature and which requires clear thinking and imagination. Marco Pallanti and Lorenza Sebasti did not choose this name by chance: like a perfect haiku, their wine combines three elements into a harmonious whole that captures the essence of Tuscan nature in its conciseness. The story of Haiku begins in 2009 with the acquisition of the Montebuoni vineyard, the replanting of which had already been completed in 2001. Three noble grape varieties found their ideal expression on these calcareous soils at an altitude of around 500 metres: 50 percent Sangiovese for Tuscan soul, 25 percent Cabernet Franc for Burgundian elegance and 25 percent Merlot for Bordeaux opulence. This tripartite division not only reflects the classic Haiku structure, but also Marco Pallanti's vision of a perfect balance between regional authenticity and international flair.

High above Sambuca Val di Pesa, just three kilometres south of the famous Tenuta Tignanello, rises the venerable Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo – a bastion of faith since the 10th century, where Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of the Vallombrosan order, once lived and died. Here, where wine of exceptional quality was already appreciated around the year 1000, only the finest Sangiovese grapes thrive on calcareous soils with a clay content at an altitude of 300 metres. The historical importance of this place is documented in hundreds of volumes in the Florentine state archives – centuries of Sangiovese cultivation and rural life, preserved for eternity.

Pirus – the Latin name of the pear. And when Nonino gives a fruit brandy this name, it says it all: it's about the essence of the fruit, not its disguise. Williams pears from South Tyrol and the Vinschgau Valley, harvested when perfectly ripe, form the basis. After being de-stemmed and cleaned, they are cut, mashed and fermented in stainless steel for around four weeks in the absence of air. Distillation takes place slowly in Benito's copper steam stills, with careful separation of the first and last run. Six to twelve months of resting in stainless steel rounds off the distillate without overpowering the fruit character.

Brilliant, rich ruby-garnet colour. Inviting nose with multi-layered notes of ripe plums, blackberries and a hint of fine leather. Juicy, ripe fruit in the attack, opens up with powerful, well-integrated tannins, savoury and long, firm pressure. A real long-liver from the top year 2019. SUPERIORE.DE

2018 – a year that will go down in Ferrari history. Pinot Nero and Chardonnay in perfect harmony - 70% red vigour, 30% white finesse. Perlé Rosé Riserva is not just any rosé sparkling wine. It is the essence of what Giulio Ferrari dreamed of over a century ago: Italian sparkling wines to rival the French greats. From the best plots of the family vineyards, between 300 and 700 metres above sea level, where the Dolomite winds provide the alpine freshness that makes a world-class sparkling wine possible. Five years pass while the Riserva matures on the fine lees and in the end you can taste every single week of the maturing period.

The farmers of Menfi call it "Burdisi". This is not a nod to France – it's dialect. "Burdese" is the Sicilian pronunciation of "bordolese", and it reveals just how naturally Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have become part of the landscape in this south-western corner of Sicily. Not as imported goods, but as part of the local vocabulary. Planeta has adopted the name – and turned it into one of the island’s most distinctive red wines. The vines are planted at the Dispensa estate near Menfi, at altitudes of up to 430 metres, in brooding, calcareous soils of medium texture. A site that provides the Cabernets with the necessary coolness to retain their aromatic precision. Limited quantity, selected plots, harvested in mid- to late September. Aged in oak for a wine made for long-term ageing.

Silvio Jermann was one of the first in Friuli to combine international grape varieties with local ones and to vinify them with Burgundian precision. This blend of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit comes from top-class vineyards near Farra d'Isonzo and Dolegna del Collio, on marl and sandstone soils with a perfect microclimate. 

The name is no coincidence. The plot of land where Giulia Negri's Pinot Nero grows is called La Tartufaia – the truffle ground. Serradenari has been famous for its white truffle for centuries, and the almost 300-year-old natural forest that surrounds the estate is its ideal habitat. At 520 metres above sea level, among the ancient oaks and hazel bushes, lies the north-facing vineyard, which is one of the highest in the entire Barolo appellation. Giulia Negri's father planted Pinot Nero and Chardonnay on the cooler northern slopes – a nod to Burgundy, which was unusual for La Morra. Giulia has turned this into a conviction. The soil here is Messiniano: calcareous clay, structuring, mineral, fundamentally different from the sandy Tortonian of the lower sites. Spontaneous fermentation in conical wooden vats with around 25 days of maceration, then around 20 months in French barriques and tonneaux of 228 and 350 Liters.

Oro – golden name, golden essence. This passito is a real masterpiece, with its bright amber colour and copper reflections, visually announcing its precious concentration and depth. The grapes (100% Moscato Bianco) undergo a deliberate drying process: Harvested late and stored dry until December before undergoing fermentation – including malolactic fermentation and maturation for 24 months in new barriques. A complex process during which the wine matures to a balsamic, honey-saturated elegance.