Formats

Names carry stories. Dagromis tells of an encounter that took place in 1995, when Angelo Gaja acquired a ten-hectare estate in La Morra – from the hands of the Gromis family, who had lived there since the 19th century. "Da Gromis" means "by the Gromis" in Italian, a linguistic nod to the people who shaped these slopes for generations. It is a nod to the past and at the same time a statement of the present: Gaja in Barolo, not just in Barbaresco. The vineyards are located in two of Barolo's most important terroirs: La Morra and Serralunga d'Alba. The grapes from La Morra come from the legendary Cerequio cru – the south-east exposed part from which the great Conteisa also comes – and from the Silio vineyard. Grapes from Serralunga, directly adjacent to the Sperss vineyard, give the wine the strength and structure for which this municipality is famous. The vinification follows Gaja's philosophy of separate processing: each vineyard is fermented separately, macerated and matured for twelve months in small French barriques. Only then are the wines blended and matured for a further eighteen months in large tonneau barrels. A total of thirty months before the wine is bottled – time that you can taste.

Serpico is Feudi di San Gregorio's flagship wine – a grand, monumental Aglianico made from vines over 150 years old, grown in the legendary single vineyard "Dal Re" in Sorbo Serpico. The vineyard is situated on mineral soils of volcanic origin and is cultivated with great care by hand. 2016 was a year of moderate conditions, with a cool spring, a perfect ripening period in late summer and a late, selective harvest in October – ideal conditions for a wine of depth and balance.

Maroccoli, around four hundred metres above sea level near Sambuca di Sicilia – where limestone with sandy layers forms the foundation and cool night air from the sea provides finesse, while the days are flooded with Sicilian sunshine. Diego Planeta recognised early on that Syrah on this island could be more than just an international variety: a hymn to the Mediterranean light, dry heat and barren soil that forces the vine to fight. The microfauna here is extremely active, the vines have to conquer their water – and produce grapes of exceptional ripeness and concentration.

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 as Tuscan soul, 25 percent Cabernet Franc as Burgundian elegance and 25 percent Merlot as 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.

First bottled in 1967, Roncaglie (formerly Barbaresco Masseria) comes from a vineyard in Bricco di Neive and is essentially vinified and aged like a Barolo. Since the 2018 vintage, it now comes from a small parcel that used to belong to the Socré Barbaresco winery and is now deliberately released a year later to ensure greater harmony and balance. Floral and spicy notes merge with a core of rich, generous fruit in a generous Barbaresco based on pure resonance. Barbaresco Roncaglie is vinified and matured in the same way as Vietti's single-vineyard Barolos. This means long fermentation, six months in French oak and more than two years in barrique. This, together with the broad shoulders of Neive, results in a noble Nebbiolo with clear hints of Barolo and impressive depth. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-vineyard Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is, as always, one of the outstanding wines in this series. It shows the energy and tension so typical of this site, but with a slightly more mature profile than is the norm. Ovello dives straight into the volatile Nebbiolo aromas, with a focus on liquorice, tar, blue flowers and campfire ash. The palate is full-bodied, with flavours of crushed raspberries, juicy Marasca cherries, liquorice and nutmeg as well as firm, tight-knit tannins. The fresh acidity provides tension and balance. Looking at the timeline of Riserva wines, this wine reaches the magical threshold at which Nebbiolo begins to unfold its unique aromatic appeal and mystique ... SUPERIORE.DE

After almost thirty years of experience in the vinification of the famous Etna Rosso "Rovittello", the Benanti family decided in 2015 to extend the vinification, ageing and refinement of the wine to 60 months. The result is an exclusive Riserva, produced in small quantities from vines over 100 years old from plot no. 341, which is rightly considered one of the best red wines in the region. The Nerello grapes (85% Mascalese/15% Cappuccio) come from a terraced vineyard (pre-phylloxera) in the Contrada Dafara Galluzzo in the upper area of Rovittello, part of the municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia.

In the 1930s, Konrad Oberhofer was one of the first in South Tyrol to begin vinifying wine separately from a single, precisely defined parcel. No cuvée, no blending of different vineyards – just this one patch of earth, its vines, its character. An idea that hardly anyone understood at the time and which Paolo Foradori, Oberhofer's son-in-law, later elevated to a philosophy for the entire Hofstätter estate decades later. Pirchschrait – a historic part of the Kolbenhof farm in Söll – has been his monument ever since. What distinguishes the Pirchschrait from all other plots of the Kolbenhof is its tranquillity. Exposed to the east-west to north-east, with a slope angle of 35 per cent, it receives the least amount of sunlight of all the Kolbenhof terraces. While the other sites soak up the Mediterranean light, this one retains a cool precision – and that rare combination of long, even ripening and exceptional ageing potential that only shady sites can offer. The soil is a geological sediment from three eras: glacial dolomite, volcanic porphyry and sandstone all in one.

The 1.6-hectare Loreto vineyard is located on a slope right next to the winery and has an ideal south-east exposure. Vigna Loreto is only vinified in the best vintages and is an even more intense interpretation of the Sangiovese grape. On the palate, the texture is both creamy and robust, with a depth and fullness that make it very rich and exceptional. With further aeration, beautiful notes of black fruits, tobacco and spices. Aristocratic, powerful and very long. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that bear the name of their place. And there is this one – it bears the name of the beginning. "Campo delle Piane" was the name of the half hectare of land that Antonio Cerri farmed into old age, when the world around him had long since given up. When Christoph Künzli took over this inheritance at the end of the nineties, it became Le Piane. The wine, which today is simply called Piane, is the essence of this original story – and a tribute to an almost forgotten grape variety: Croatina. The grapes come from the estate's oldest plots, planted between 1910 and 1920 on the hills of Montalbano, Traversagna and Santuario. Centenary roots that reach deep into the volcanic porphyry. Fermented spontaneously, six days on the skins, then matured for two years – first in tonneaux, then in large Slavonian oak vats. No filtration, no intervention. Just time.

The essence of chance. There are wines that are only created when the stars are right – and Essenza from Fattoria Kappa is one of them. In the language of physics, Kappa means the constant, but at this extraordinary winery on the border between Bolgheri and Maremma, chance reigns supreme. Only in exceptional years, when the Cabernet Franc grapes reach their fullest maturity and complexity, is this rare cru produced – a gamble that only a few winegrowers in Tuscany dare to take. 2016 was one such year of perfection. After a cool, damp winter and spring, July finally brought the longed-for heat and dryness. A welcome rain shower in mid-August cooled things down and paved the way for a textbook September: warm days, cool nights and the dramatic temperature fluctuations that allow Cabernet Franc to reach its peak. While other producers opted for tried and tested Bordeaux blends, Andrea Di Maio – the agronomist from Livorno and one of the three souls of Fattoria Kappa – went it alone with this capricious grape variety.

When Sergio Rossi took over Podere Colombaio from the Biondi-Santi family in 1976, nobody could have guessed that the Milanese advertising expert would become one of the architects of modern Montalcino. He was one of the 24 founders of the Consorzio, one of the first 35 Brunello bottlers of an appellation that will number over 250 by 2024. What he brought with him: the legendary Sangiovese clones of Biondi-Santi, planted on marl and limestone in Canalicchio – vines that are now over forty years old. Brunello 2020 unites two souls: the cool elegance of the north from the historic Canalicchio parcels and the sun-kissed vigour of Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the south. The wine rests for three years in large Slavonian barrels and a further eight months in the bottle – time that you can taste.

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

More than a hundred years ago, a white bull named Desiderio lived on the Capezzine farm in Avignonesi. He was the largest bull in Tuscany at the time – and what's more, he is one of the recognised ancestors of the Chianina breed, the noble breed of cattle from which the Bistecca Fiorentina is cut. Anyone enjoying a Florentine-style T-bone steak today is likely to have a little bit of Desiderio's DNA on their plate. It was therefore a natural choice for Avignonesi to name its most powerful red wine after him. The label shows him – and changes with every vintage. The sky, lighting mood and details in the illustration tell of the climate of the year: whether hot or cool, dry or balanced. A quiet commentary on the vintage in pictorial form.

Masari only brings its famous Merlot to the cellar and bottle in the best years. Dark, deep garnet red in colour. Aromas of black, ripe fruit with spices, balsamic herbs, aniseed and liquorice on the nose. Well and firmly structured on the palate with silky tannins and a wonderful mouthfeel. Despite its maturity, it appears much younger as it has a harmonious acid wire on the finish. 100% Merlot - 100% terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

Not every year gets a name. 2016 has earned it – and Montalcino does not award such honours lightly. A mild winter, a spring with heavy rainfall that got the growing season back on track. Then, from the second decade of June, a gradual, gentle rise in temperatures throughout July. And finally an August that brought everything together: large daily temperature fluctuations, no rain, perfect ripening conditions. The Consorzio called 2016 one of its best vintages in decades. And Col d'Orcia turned the best site into a Riserva. The Poggio al Vento vineyard is located in the heart of the Tenuta, halfway up the hill above the Orcia Valley, at 350 metres. Planted since 1974. The name – "hill in the wind" – is the programme: constantly ventilated, south-facing, on calcareous, skeleton-rich soils. Grapes are grown here that Col d'Orcia reserves for the most demanding category in the cellar, and even then only when the vintage poses the question: Is this more than a Brunello annata? Can this wine last for decades? In 2016, the answer was yes.

The Romanesque Pieve di San Marcellino was built in the year 1000. It still stands today – in the middle of the vineyards of Rocca di Montegrossi, seven kilometres south of Gaiole, at the southern tip of the Chianti Classico. The vineyard bears its name. And the vines that surround it are older than most of the appellations that appear on labels today. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is a descendant of Baron Bettino Ricasoli – the "Iron Baron" who defined the formula for Chianti Classico in the 19th century. Not as a marketing idea, but as a genetic link to this soil. The vineyard has been certified organic since 2010 and has been planted with Pugnitello alongside Sangiovese since 2006 – an autochthonous Tuscan grape variety that was almost extinct in the 1980s. Pugnitello deepens the colour, thickens the structure and sharpens the profile of the Sangiovese grape. Hand-picked, separate fermentation of both varieties on wild yeasts in upright wooden tanks, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, bottled unfiltered. Only produced in outstanding vintages – the 2020 is one of them.

Serralunga d'Alba. Anyone who hears this name knows that this is where the masculine, powerful side of Barolo is born. Not the Burgundian elegance of La Morra, not the finesse of Barolo – but structure, tannin and longevity. The Cerretta vineyard is located on the south side of Serralunga, surrounded by legendary crus such as Lazzarito and Vigna Rionda. Sandstone, limestone, chalk – a terroir that gives Nebbiolo strength and depth. Elio Altare has been cultivating 20-year-old vines with a southern, south-eastern and south-western exposure here for decades. The "Vigna Bricco" – the highest point of the vineyard, where the sun shines the longest, where the grapes reach perfect ripeness.

As always, Castiglione is mainly based on grapes from Ravera, with smaller portions from Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. Every year it is a dazzling wine that shows how convincing even an "entry-level wine" from a top producer can be. Rich, voluptuous and explosive, it has enormous fullness and resonance from the very first sip. On the nose, bright red cherry and plum fruit, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and spices. Its silky tannins are accompanied by a beautiful, mentholated brightness. A real charmer! SUPERIORE.DE

Lisini's vineyards are located between Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate on the inner edge of the Sesta area and are cleansed by the constant breeze from the Tuscan coast. The stony soils with a significant proportion of limestone and the altitude of over 300 metres help to maintain the freshness of the wines. The 2018 is wonderfully fragrant, almost exotic. Plump red fruits and sweet summer herbs fill the mouth, but instead of being heavy, it is balanced and transparent. The powdery tannins are fine and lead to a long, maritime finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The farmers of Menfi call it "Burdisi". This is no nod to France – it is dialect. Burdese is the Sicilian pronunciation of “Bordolese”, and it reveals just how naturally Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have become part of this landscape in south-west 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 wood for a wine made for long ageing.

"The wine must be nurtured until it is ready to face the world on its own." Mateja Gravner, Josko's daughter, describes the estate's philosophy more precisely than any technical specification ever could: every wine is a child that is raised until it can embody its own soul and character. For his 2016 Ribolla Gialla, this meant: hand-harvesting in the Dedno vineyard, Alberello training, and biodynamic cultivation. After gentle pressing, the grapes are transferred to deeply buried Georgian qvevris, sealed with solid granite lids. There, in the darkness of the earth, spontaneous fermentation begins – without temperature control, without selected yeasts, on the skins for seven months. After the amphora comes six years in large Slavonian botti, followed by half a year of bottle ageing. No fining, no filtration.

Bricco di Treiso 2021 comes from the single vineyard of the same name, one of the highest parcels in the appellation, where the vines are rooted on calcareous marl soils in a cool microclimate. The 2021 vintage brought ideal conditions: a cool spring, followed by a balanced summer and a long, dry autumn – perfect for the slow ripening of the Nebbiolo. After a long maceration period, the wine matured in large oak barrels and a small proportion of barriques. In the glass, it is garnet-red in colour with delicate orange reflections and notes of rose, sour cherry, liquorice and light spice on the nose. On the palate, it is powerful yet finely characterised, with precise acidity, cool fruit and saline depth. The tannins are present but silky and interwoven – a Barbaresco of austere beauty, great transparency and with long ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

The Rosso della Centa is a 100% Merlot that comes from a small vineyard on the south-western slopes of the hills of San Giorgio in Brazzano. Red grapes are grown on this one-hectare plot of land, most of them Merlot. The soil of this marvellous field is typical of the Collio, as it was formed by the fragmentation of the alternating layers of marl and sandstone that form the foundation of the hills. The slopes are very steep, which is why the field was terraced and stabilised with dry stone walls.