Formats

2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. No overripeness, no heat scars, no compromises. And for an east-facing vineyard like Le Lucére – fully exposed to the first light of the morning – this meant that the Sangiovese Grosso was harvested with a ripeness that has rarely been so precisely predictable. Harvested early, fresh and concentrated at the same time. Caciorgna allowed the wine to pass through all of its stages: 13 to 14 months in barrique and tonneau, then almost 28 months in large containers – an ageing process that demands and receives depth. The result is a Le Lucére of princely stature.

The small, 80-year-old vineyard of Pietrabona on the island of Giglio produces an Ansonica of outstanding quality, and so Bibi Graetz decided to vinify the grapes separately in small batches. The vines stand on a bed of rocks and granite sand less than 50 metres from the sea, resulting in a wine with a subtle aroma of ripe oranges, fine spice, flint and minerality.

A monumental and highly concentrated single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of sour cherries and subtle notes of cedarwood and liquorice. What makes it so fascinating is that Pietradonice is unmistakably recognisable as a Montalcino wine, yet with its herbaceous, spicy character it is as typical of Neri as it is of the grape variety itself – and thus, once again, seems to come from another, wider world. SUPERIORE.DE

Sugarille has always been the most aristocratic of the estate's three Brunellos. On the palate, it has a dense core of primary fruit, excitingly surrounded by a salty, mineral vein that we otherwise only find in Giacomo Neri's Tenuta Nuova. This wine awakens the imagination, because it never reveals too much of itself, but first opens up slowly, then in a well-proportioned manner with a mysterious depth and race, flanked by direct and linear tannins that round off the polyphonic palate concert excellently. Simply marvellous! SUPERIORE.DE

"Ca' Marcanda" is a Piedmontese term meaning "the house of endless negotiations". For eleven months in the late 1990s, Angelo Gaja travelled back and forth from Barbaresco to Bolgheri, holding one discussion after another, until the owners of the plot at the foot of the Colline Metallifere finally signed on the dotted line. By 1996, the land belonged to him. Six years later, the cellar was complete: two-thirds underground, seamlessly integrated into the landscape, just as Gaja had envisaged. A place where wine can be produced with minimal intervention. From the very beginning, Camarcanda was a Bordeaux blend. But which one? For decades, Merlot dominated – accounting for up to 50% – and gave the wine body and approachability. With the 2013 vintage, the last to include Merlot, a new direction began. Since then, Cabernet Sauvignon has taken the lead, accompanied by Cabernet Franc. In the 2023 vintage, this evolution is complete: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. For the first time, this blend is considered the established standard of the estate. A turning point in the history of the wine.

From some of the oldest Sangiovese vineyards comes Colore every year, the maximum expression of Bibi Graetz' dream. The barren, sandy soils at high altitudes create the perfect terroir for a wine that can tell the true story of Tuscany and its inhabitants. The grapes for Colore were selected from vineyards in Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena. Each vineyard was harvested up to eight times in order to achieve the optimum ripening time for as many grapes as possible. Each parcel is matured separately in barriques for almost two years before the final blend is decided. Only the best Sangiovese barriques from each vintage become Colore. SUPERIORE.DE

From some of the oldest Sangiovese vineyards comes Colore every year, the maximum expression of Bibi Graetz' dream. The barren, sandy soils at high altitudes create the perfect terroir for a wine that can tell the true story of Tuscany and its inhabitants. The grapes for Colore were selected from vineyards in Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena. Each vineyard was harvested up to eight times in order to achieve the optimum ripening time for as many grapes as possible. Each parcel is matured separately in barriques for almost two years before the final blend is decided. Only the best Sangiovese barriques from each vintage become Colore.

A wonderfully mature Salice Salentino with character and depth: "Per Lui" Salice Salentino Riserva comes from selected Negroamaro plots that are deeply rooted in the iron-rich soils around Salice. The long maturation in wood - partly barrique, partly tonneau - gives the wine density and expression without jeopardising its balance. Dark ruby red in the glass with a light garnet-red rim. The aroma is warm and complex: black cherry, plum, dried herbs, some tobacco and a hint of cedar. Structured and powerful on the palate, with well-integrated tannins, juicy fruit and a spicy finish. An elegant, mature Salice Salentino that shows its finer, more serious side - very much in the style of the great wines of southern Puglia. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano 2015 is a huge, outstanding wine. Waves of vibrant, intensely fragrant fruit appear on the palate, supported by the firm, broad tannins of the plump, very rich vintage. Violets, spices, new leather and liquorice unfold in the glass, clean mineral notes frame an eruption of dark cherries, plums and camphor in a finish that fills the palate endlessly. Madonna 2015 is well on its way to becoming one of Vincenzo Abbruzzese's very great wines! SUPERIORE.DE

The "Vigna" classification guarantees and designates the origin of a single-vineyard wine in South Tyrol. The Pinot Bianco from the single vineyard San Michele from the Barthenau winery has a strong personality that fully unfolds after an additional year of ageing in the bottle. It has a rich bouquet of green apple and banana, a full-bodied flavour with plenty of fruit, a medium, finely balanced acidity and a long mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that define a region. Saffredi is one of them. When Elisabetta Geppetti, in 1987 – in her mid-twenties and driven by a vision to bring the sleepy Maremma to world fame – created this wine together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis, nobody could have imagined that a Super Tuscan was being born here, one that would rival Sassicaia and Tignanello. The name is a loving tribute to Fredi, Elisabetta's father-in-law Alfredo Gentili, who sparked her passion for wine and, in the 1980s, planted the five-hectare vineyard from which the grapes for Saffredi are still sourced today. The Saffredi single-vineyard plot near Pereta lies at an altitude of 250 metres, facing south-west for the old vines and south-east for the newer plantings. The soil is the result of millions of years of geological processes: of sandstone origin, rich in calcareous marl and iron minerals, low in organic matter, with layers of clay only appearing from a depth of 30 centimetres. On clear days, the view from here sweeps across the hills to the Mediterranean, 25 kilometres away – a proximity to the coast that lends the wine its distinctive freshness and vibrancy.

Il Bricco rises above Treiso to an altitude of around 400 metres. The vines are on average around four decades old. Selective hand-picking, parcel-by-parcel fermentation in stainless steel, patient malolactic fermentation. Maturation takes place predominantly in large oak barrels, accompanied by a smaller proportion of French oak for additional polish. 2019 is considered a textbook year in Barbaresco: a moderate summer, large day-night amplitudes and a long, dry autumn led to a late harvest and fully mature phenolics. The wines show density and vertical tension with excellent freshness – a profile with staying power.

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.

The grapes come from the historic single vineyard Ornato in Serralunga d'Alba: steep, windy slopes on calcareous marl with ferruginous inclusions, at an altitude of around 350-400 metres, predominantly south/south-west facing. Each parcel is harvested separately and fermented in stainless steel; long maceration with gentle extraction. Maturation takes place classically in large Slavonian barrels, with a finely dosed proportion of French oak for texture and lustre. The typically long autumn of 2019 brought fully ripe, aromatically dense grapes with a cool acidity.

2019 is considered one of the vintage highlights of the last decade in Barolo: cool nights, sunny days and a long vegetation period led to perfectly balanced ripeness. In Bricco Pernice, this meant maximum aromatic clarity and structural depth. The high, south-westerly exposure in the Ravera cru site ensures an interplay of warmth and freshness, while the calcareous marl soils promote a taut, vertical style.

Even if you consider yourself a Josko Gravner disciple, there is a good chance that you have never tasted or seen his epic red wine. Rujno is Josko Gravner's rarest and most age-worthy red wine: unlike the pure Rosso, Rujno matures twice as long and is only produced in exceptional vintages in vanishingly small quantities. It comes from a single old vineyard on the edge of Slovenia and consists mainly of Merlot with a dash of Cabernet, which matured for 84 months in the barrel and a further 84 months in the bottle before leaving the cellar. In total, over 15 years passed before it was released onto the market.

A wine that is only vinified in the very best years and then presents a breathtaking beauty with each edition. In depth, purity and structure, it is the archetype of a Brunello. It beguiles with a mix of sage, rosemary, tobacco, wild flowers and cloves through to a nuanced and endless finish. It is punchy and seductive at the same time and has great personality. Chapeau! SUPERIORE.DE

In 1977, Sergio Manetti produced a pure Sangiovese from Radda in Chianti for the first time – without Canaiolo, without Colorino, and without the white grapes that the Chianti regulations required at the time. Not because he wanted to break the rules, but because he believed that this soil, these vines and this single grape variety needed no additions. From the very beginning, the wine was called Toscana IGT – not out of defiance, but out of consistency. And it bore a name rooted in the landscape itself: Le Pergole Torte – the twisted, winding pergolas of old Chianti, those wooden trellis systems up which the vines of his grandfathers' generation once climbed. A reminder of what was, before modernity straightened out the vineyards.

Bricco Pernice, usually harvested a little earlier, is a warm, south-facing plot in the top Ravera vineyard at an altitude of 320 metres. Cognos Barolo offers the depth, richness and concentration that characterise this site and vintage. Blood orange, mint, sweet red cherry, star anise and a range of spicy notes give it an impressive aromatic and flavour complexity. Medium-bodied, refined and expressive on the palate, it has a lot to offer. The best thing is that, despite its potential, it is easy to drink after just a few years in the bottle. It is a graceful wine: polished, nuanced, elegant and impeccably balanced. SUPERIORE.DE

Rare, exceptional Merlot from the west of Tuscany: deep ruby red with violet reflections. The bouquet is multi-layered with hints of wild berries and blackberries, ripe cherries, but also liquorice and tobacco notes. Very structured and lively on the palate. The silky tannins emphasise the delicate minerality right through to the almost endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Ornato is a great wine every year. With its wild herbs, minerals and ferrous notes, it captures the true character of Serralunga. Its bouquet shows small berry fruits and cassis, framed by gravel, forest floor, blue flowers and candied orange peel. The wine also has a dusty, mineral note and is very intense both on the nose and on the palate. Ornato starts with finely integrated tannins and an acidity that sustains all these fruit flavours. A wine that is consistently vertical, straightforward and frontal. SUPERIORE.DE

The magnificent Asili 2022 opens with a dark, compact appearance and displays an impressive level of aromatic intensity and complexity. On the nose, tantalising aromas of cherry, strawberry, eucalyptus, plus a hint of orange peel, rose petals and pine wood. Full to medium-bodied on the palate, with crushed raspberries, juicy red cherries, cinnamon and chopped herbs. The fresh acidity and exquisite tannins provide a bright and extremely elegant backdrop. This wine continues to surpass itself with every glass, its great class is already undisputed! SUPERIORE.DE

The pure, autochthonous Nerello Mascalese from over 100-year-old (ungrafted) vines in Contrada Rampante on the northern slopes of Mount Etna at an altitude of 950 metres starts with a sparkling ruby-garnet colour and impressively adds a captivating raspberry aroma, followed by fine spicy notes (ginger, allspice, clove). Compact, dense, fully fruity, tannic on the palate, yet always extremely relaxed, elegant and supple. Traces of salt and flint on the finish. Just over 2,000 bottles of this masterpiece are produced every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Sugarille 2019 is certainly one of the greats of its vintage. A crescendo of dark berries, Amarena cherries, tar, liquorice and smoky notes on the nose. The intensity continues on the palate: Sugarille is uncompromisingly powerful, with multi-layered fruit, striking tannins and wonderful acid wire. With increasing aeration, the impressiveness and opulence give way to a wonderful finesse that will continue to refine and develop with further years of bottle ageing. A wine as wonderful as it is today - and guaranteed to be even better tomorrow! SUPERIORE.DE