Formats

Vorberg – the name gives away its location: on the steep southern slopes of the Tschöggelberg, at altitudes between 450 and 650 metres, a Pinot Blanc thrives that reveals the full potential of this famous South Tyrolean grape variety. The stony, sandy-loam soils, formed from weathered porphyry, with their high quartz content and slightly acidic pH levels, characterise a terroir of extremes: high water permeability, limited nutrient availability and naturally restricted yields. This microstress elicits unique, terroir-specific polyphenols from the vines. Hand-harvested, gently pressed as whole bunches, followed by natural sedimentation. Slow fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in large oak casks (70 and 30 hl), followed by partial malolactic fermentation and 12 months' ageing on the fine lees in traditional wooden casks.

Now a modern classic among the white Langhe wines, which carries history and at the same time whets the appetite for the future: Rossj-Bass was created in 1988, named after Rossana (Rossj), Angelo Gaja's youngest daughter, and also refers to one of the two original parcels of land – bass, in Piedmontese for the lower vineyard. Over the years, the socialisation of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in historically important cru sites in Barbaresco, Treiso and Serralunga created a stylistic signature with a clear identity.

Contrada Sciaranuova Vecchie Vigne is the most concentrated, broodingvoice from the Sciaranuova vineyard - a Nerello Mascalese from vines over 80 years old, grown at an altitude of 730 metres on the northern flank of Mount Etna. The ungrafted vines stand in an amphitheatre of dark, sandy volcanic ash, interspersed with basalt rock and characterised by enormous day-night amplitude. The 2019 vintage was one of the most balanced of the decade: a rainy spring was followed by a moderately warm summer and a dry autumn, which allowed for a late, very differentiated harvest.

Sergio Zenato died in 2004. In the 1960s, he founded a winery on Lake Garda that gave the Turbiana grapes of Lugana a platform they had never known before – and then, step by step, expanded into the hills of Valpolicella Classico. This Riserva bears his name because it embodies the very best that Sergio Zenato strove for. It is produced only in the finest vintages, from a rigorous selection of the oldest vines in the municipality of Sant'Ambrogio, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Sant'Ambrogio lies at the south-western tip of the Classico zone, near Lake Garda. The lake's waters temper the climate, slow down ripening and give the vines a balance not found on the more distant hills. Corvina and Rondinella, complemented by Oseleta, that almost forgotten indigenous Valpolicella variety which was only saved from extinction in the 1990s.

The small vineyard is located 500 metres above the Galatrona Tower and offers the best conditions for growing the French Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. Due to the limestone subsoil, this site is also known as a luxury site (campo lusso). Intense and generous bouquet of dark fruit, leather and chocolate. Complex and deep on the palate, very focussed and, with aeration, very elegant and aristocratic. A complete red that will not only delight Cabernet lovers. Only around 1,300 bottles of this spectacular wine can be produced per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

The Vigna Sorì Ginestra cru parcel stands proudly overlooking the rolling hills of Monforte d'Alba – one of the vineyards on which Conterno Fantino bases his entire winemaking art, true to the motto: "Il Barolo è il vino che ha fatto la nostra storia." (Barolo is the wine that made our history). The 2021 vintage, widely celebrated as one of the best of the decade, brought ideal conditions: a balanced ripening climate, cool nights paired with sun-drenched days. Hand-picking was carried out in mid-October – carefully selected, absolutely ripe. The ageing – around 24 months in French oak – was carefully chosen to anchor depth and elegance without masking the typical freshness of this unique Ginestra site.

The grapes for Istine's cult Riserva come exclusively from the estate's own vineyards Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole). Only 4,000 bottles of this breathtaking wine, which matures for 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, are bottled each year.

Dark, bright ruby with garnet colour. Pure power of aromas, dense and complex with notes of black cherries, smoked ham, savoury herbs, tobacco, liquorice and many other nuances. Equally fascinating on the palate, firm tannins, impressive complexity and depth with noticeable potential for ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Of all the grapes that Nonino distils for its cru line, none is as closely associated with the family as Fragolino. It grows on the company's own vineyard in Buttrio – the 40-hectare experimental garden in the heart of Friuli, which the Noninos planted with almost forgotten indigenous grape varieties. The name reveals the secret: Fragola means strawberry. This rare hybrid vine carries the flavour of wild wild strawberries – a flavour that is banned for wine production in the EU, but is fully justified in distillates. What is not allowed in wine becomes a revelation in ÙE. The whole grape – skin, pulp and juice – passes through Benito's copper steam still.

No grape variety bears its origin as confidently in its name as Traminer. Whether it really comes from the South Tyrolean village of Tramin or is actually older – its aromatic signature is recognised worldwide. It is one of the founding members of the Nonino cru line: Moscato Giallo, Verduzzo and Traminer were the first to be selected by Benito and Giannola for the ÙE experiment. The grapes grow in Cà Viola in Friuli, at an altitude of 500 metres, where cool nights concentrate the aromas. Harvested at perfect ripeness and processed immediately, they undergo the characteristic ÙE process: skin, pulp and juice distilled together.

1,900 bottles of this 0.8 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Tenaglia" (at an altitude of approx. 550m, mainly limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Impenetrable, dark wine with a bouquet of flint, crushed minerals and some chalk. The texture is rich and opulent, but always supple with a hint of minerality. Campo di Tenaglia is one of the juiciest Cabernet Francs we have ever had in the glass. Beautiful, long final and certainly great Storage potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Monforte d'Alba lies in the southern Barolo region, where the soils become heavier, richer in clay and higher in iron content. Those who grow Nebbiolo here produce a different wine to that made to the north and east – one that is more structured, darker and possesses a density that takes time to develop. In 2009, Chiara Boschis purchased a plot in the MGA Mosconi – the most recent addition to the estate's portfolio, and the one with the most intense character. 1.9 hectares at an altitude of 370 to 400 metres, south-facing. The soils are of Helvetic origin – calcareous clay-marl layers in a characteristic grey to slightly warm pink hue, depending on where calcium carbonate and iron shift the composition. In some places, these layers take on a reddish hue, tinged with iron and interspersed with pebbles. It is a soil that lends substance to the Nebbiolo, demands long ageing and produces a kind of vinous power that does not arise in this way in lighter soils. Chiara Boschis was the first Oenologist to obtain organic certification in Barolo. Today she works alongside her brother Giorgio – and the Mosconi bears the hallmark of both.

Anyone looking down on the vineyard from above will immediately understand why it is called Anfiteatro: the vines wind their way up a natural semicircle in concentric curves, as if nature itself had created a stage. Roccaldo Acuti planted the 2.4 hectares in 1975, the same year he took over the estate; in 1981 he bottled his first independent vintage, long before Panzano became synonymous with concentrated, high-altitude Sangiovese. The plot lies at an altitude of over 500 metres, on pure galestro – that crumbly, slate-like marl which forces the roots to dig deep and the grapes to retain their acidity. After hand-harvesting and spontaneous fermentation, the 100% Sangiovese matures in large, used wooden casks; as is the case throughout the estate, small new barriques are not used. The 2020 vintage is uncompromisingly ripe and dense, with powerful tannins and an acidity that lends the wine a sense of tension despite its full-bodied character.

Just 2,100 bottles of this 1.5 ha single vineyard Cabernet Franc "Campo di Magnacosta" (a former riverbed with mainly clay, gravel and crushed stone soil) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. The vines were planted in the mid-1990s and come from Pomerol. In terms of aromatic intensity, Magnacosta is probably the most sensually elegant representative of the house's three great site cabernets. It has great straightness, but somewhat less power and intensity. It subtly combines black fruit aromas with spicy notes, tar and antique leather. It is already silky and elegant and will certainly gain in finesse over the years. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby red, with a fine cherry scent, in which there are also hints of nuts and forest fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, sage and tobacco. Concentrated, rich flavour with harmonious tannins and a long, velvety final. SUPERIORE.DE

Only 1,650 bottles of this 1.5 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Camagi" (mainly quartz and limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Campo di Camagi is a very precise and focused wine. The high quality of the Cabernet Franc grape is noticeable here with every sip. Black fruits and spices are in elegant unity here and the full, racy body of this exceptional wine will only fully reveal itself in many years. Please be sure to put this bottle far away! SUPERIORE.DE

This Dry Berry Selection (Trockenbeerenauslese) from Petit Manseng is a rarity in a very small edition of not even 1,000 bottles. The overripe, dried grapes are harvested only at the end of November/beginning of December and pressed into this very fine and highly elegant passito. Strong golden yellow, rich bouquet with aromas of pickled fruits such as apricots and mild spices, on the palate a rich, fully ripe fruit with pleasant sweetness and harmonious, citrusy acidity. Remarkably long and persistent. SUPERIORE.DE

Monprà combines equal parts Barbera and Nebbiolo from vines in Monforte d'Alba, some of which are over 50 years old, at an altitude of 300-400 metres, from sites with clayey-limestone marl soils interspersed with sandy veins. Fermentation is temperature-controlled and takes place separately for each grape variety in stainless steel, while malolactic fermentation and 18 months of ageing take place separately in French oak. Only then are the batches blended – a precise, elegant blend that combines the fullness of Barbera with the noblesse of Nebbiolo.

"L'Insieme" is a small but concrete project of eco-solidarity. Just seven winegrowers from the Langhe have come together to support concrete solidarity projects every year with a part of the yield. The members include Elio Altare, Gianfranco Alessandria, Giuliano Corino, Federico Grasso, Giulio e Paolo Morando, Lorenzo Revello and Mauro Veglio. Under the label of the same name (L'Insieme: together, together, together), the wine producers support solidarity projects all over the world with 5.16 euros per bottled wine.

Aqua Vitae is the result of the collaboration between Distilleria Artigiana di Gioacchino Nannoni, which directly takes care of the entire process of distillation, maturation and bottling, and Azienda Agricola di Montevertine, which supplies the Sangiovese marc from the vineyard "Le Pergole Torte". After steam distillation, the wine is matured for about four years in oak Caratelli casks. Amber in the glass, soft, warm, intense and gently enveloping on the nose and palate - stylistically it is more like an Armagnac than a grappa. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Gli Angeli Riserva 2018 is stunningly beautiful. Its seductive presentation beguiles with rich dark fruits, sweet mint, spice and a grounding hint of floral undergrowth. Its textures are seamless, gliding over a core of fresh, bright acids that flank its black cherry and redcurrant flavours. Notes of liquorice, tobacco and sweet herbs linger long over a gentle layer of fine tannin. It has a juiciness, finesse and structure that will give it a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to virtually abandon this noble site. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) became what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron, and is thus quite different from all other Fèlsina sites.

Deep in the south-east of Monforte d'Alba is the historic Mosconi vineyard, whose reputation was already recognised by experts in the 19th century. It is one of the oldest known cru parcels in the Barolo region and was noted in early vineyard maps of the region as being particularly suitable for long-lasting, full-bodied wines. Its steep, south-west facing slopes have always been known for concentrated, powerful Nebbiolo wines. On a subsoil of compact, calcareous marl, criss-crossed by iron-rich veins, the vines are deeply rooted – a terroir that gives the grapes structure, warmth and distinctive flavour. The 2021 vintage showed its best face here: sunny days and cool nights ensured slow, complete ripening, while a dry autumn made hand-picking possible under ideal conditions. The grapes arrived in the cellar in perfect health, where they were vinified with respect for their origin. Around 24 months of ageing in French oak polished the structure without overshadowing the clear fruit character.

Only 1,650 bottles of this 1.5-hectare single-vineyard Cabernet Franc "Campo di Camagi" (mainly quartz and limestone) are sold worldwide in specialised shops and on the menus of the best restaurants. Campo di Camagi is a very precise and focussed wine. The high quality of the Cabernet Franc grape can be felt in every sip. Black fruits and spices are elegantly united here and the full, racy body of this exceptional wine will only fully reveal itself in many years. Be sure to put this bottle far away! SUPERIORE.DE