Formats

Angelo Gaja makes his wines with broad brushstrokes that form shapes of perfect harmony and grandeur, he makes them modern but never too fashionable. Rennina 2019 is a dark, lush and juicy red wine with a seamless overall integration. On the palate, bold fruit, oak spice, acidity and a well-knit tannin hold the overall composition together in an overwhelming and warm embrace. SUPERIORE.DE

Rich, concentrated Bordeaux-style red with the unmistakable signature of top oenological consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. Multi-layered black fruit on the nose, plus rock, liquorice, camphor and graphite. Impressively supple on the palate, the fruit is always juicy and centred, wonderful and almost perfect in structure, polish, elegance and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Sperss is a sentimental word for nostalgia in Piedmontese and is far more than just another Barolo: it is the living testimony to a historic new beginning, when Gaja brought out a Barolo from its own land for the first time in 1992. At the time, this was a bold step after the reputation of the past – today, Sperss is a world-famous classic with a great style profile. In the glass, it has a medium ruby colour, clear and bright. The bouquet is initially closed, then unfolds with a mineral-rusty undertone, forest fruit chords of redcurrant and raspberry and lighter herbs – delicately interwoven with floral and earthy layers that merge into smoke, leathery depth and truffle notes. The palate is characterised by clear lines: structured tannins, a mineral backbone and precise fruit. The finish is dry, characterised by a salty earthiness and delicate finesse – a finish that never gets loud, but lingers for a long time.

As every year, the star of the house gives the Dominator in the Dal-Forno style. Dark and dense, it reveals an intense bouquet with jammy aromas of red and dark fruits, alongside spices and wood, tobacco and chocolate. At the same time, the youthful, stormy flavour is an overwhelming demonstration of power. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Three words: power, intensity and concentration. With a very manageable production of less than 2,000 bottles, this is a full-throttle Tuscan wine that constantly exudes generous black fruits, spices and sweet tobacco. There is also black cherry and plum, which lend the wine soft contours and sweetness. On the palate, it is firm, well-structured and delights with a mouthfulness that is unrivalled. Take a good piece of red meat, marinate it in rosemary and olive oil before putting it on the charcoal grill and then embark on this monumental adventure. SUPERIORE.DE

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 emphasised separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico.

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

Three generations bear this name: The grandfather, who always encouraged Giampaolo Motta in his wine dreams. The son who carries on the torch. And in between, this wine, the highest expression of a man who left the leather goods business of his Neapolitan family to create his Bordeaux in the Conca d'Oro of Panzano. The "Golden Basin" – cultivated since 1490, planted with Merlot and Cabernet for almost 400 years – became Motta's stage in 1992. He experimented with Chianti Classico for ten years, then the break: he left the Consorzio because the rules stood in the way of his vision. "I wasn't really happy with the result after ten years of work," he explained laconically. What followed was pure consistency – and, since 2008, a partnership with Stéphane Derenoncourt, perhaps the most influential consultant on the right bank of Bordeaux.

Three years after the Annata, Romano and his sons launch a small edition of the same vintage in large formats. Dark and dense, it reveals an intense bouquet with marmalade-like aromas of red and dark fruits, alongside which spices and wood, tobacco and chocolate echo. At the same time, the youthful, stormy taste is an overwhelming demonstration of power. SUPERIORE.DE

2016 was not an easy year in Valpolicella – and Romano Dal Forno still delivered. That sounds obvious, but it's not: in years like 1992, 2005, 2007 or 2014, there was simply no Amarone. That is the currency in which trust is bought here. Dal Forno Romano has its own clock ticking for the release of the large bottles: they come onto the market three years after the 0.75 litre bottle. What this means for 2016 is obvious. After six weeks of appassimento, 36 months in new barriques and long maturation in the large format, this Valpolicella has reached a level of maturity that only the large glass can appreciate.

Three years after the Annata, Romano and his sons launch a small edition of the same vintage in large formats. The 2015 Valpolicella Superiore Monte Lodoletta is a particularly elegant, pretty and typical expression of the Dal Forno style. Black cherries dipped in rum, plum sauce, brown spices and a hint of cocoa rise from the glass. Silky and polished, it seamlessly washes over the palate with ripe red and blackcurrants, while leaving minerals and a fine layer of tannins behind. Spicy acids add tension as the wine tapers off in a structured way, with notes of mocha and mentholated herbs that linger. SUPERIORE.DE

The Gran Selezione from the single vineyard Bellavista is rich and dark with aromas of wild cherry, smoke, liquorice, menthol and tobacco. Extremely attractive and rich on the palate, firm tannins form the backbone of this virile, potent wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Lisini produces four Brunelli. Each one stands for a different conviction – the Annata stands for balance and accessibility, the Ugolaia for the character of a single vineyard, the new Poggio Severo for a cooler, higher parcel. The Riserva stands for something else: for tradition. The estate itself calls it the most traditional wine in the entire portfolio – not because it is older, but because it epitomises the classic Montalcino ideal: Concentration, depth, patience. It is the result of a strict selection of the best grapes from the entire estate – from the vineyards around Sant'Angelo in Colle and the Sesta vineyard near Castelnuovo dell'Abate. No single vineyard, but the sum of the best that a vintage has to offer. The maceration period of 20 to 26 days is longer than for the Annata, and the ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels is correspondingly extended.

In 1988, two worlds of wine came together in Serdiana. Mariano Murru, the estate's cellar master, collaborated with Giacomo Tachis, the Oenologistwho had helped shape Sassicaia, Tignanello, Solaia and Guado al Tasso, and was thus one of the most influential figures in the Italian wine renaissance. What emerged from this encounter was not an attempt to mould Sardinia in the Tuscan image, but quite the opposite: a wine made exclusively from indigenous Sardinian grape varieties, yet one capable of holding its own on the international stage. Antonio Argiolas, born in 1906 and who lived to be over a hundred, never tiring of taking on new challenges, shared this vision with his sons Franco and Giuseppe in the 1980s. Following the first harvest in 1988, Turriga took its time: it was not until 1991 that it was presented to connoisseurs. The journalist Benedetto Ferrara later wrote in La Repubblica that this wine had legitimised Sardinian red wine in the eyes of the world.

Ugolaia is a name that carries weight in Montalcino. The vineyard is situated in the classic Sesta area, facing south-west, on one of the sunniest and best-ventilated plots on the entire estate – and it embodies a tradition that Lisini takes to heart: The estate's 'veterans' – those most experienced staff members who have known the estate for decades – graft premium cuttings from the estate's own massalselection onto wild rootstocks by hand. No clonal selection from a catalogue, no technological shortcuts – just knowledge passed down from person to person, vintage after vintage.

If Montosoli is the great Montalcino cru in the north, then the Sesta area between Castelnuovo dell'Abate and Sant'Angelo in Colle is its southern counterpart. This is where the Lisini vineyards are located.

Deep dark, almost impenetrable red colour. A whole range of ripe wild berries on the nose, delicately accompanied by nuances of tobacco, leather, cedar and lavender. The palate is also full of fruit, powerful, yet silky and elegant. Traces of dark chocolate on the endlessly long final. SUPERIORE.DE

"Ca' Marcanda" is a Piedmontese expression meaning "the house of endless negotiations". For eleven months in the late 1990s, Angelo Gaja travelled back and forth repeatedly 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 richness 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 for the estate. A turning point in the history of the wine.

Hardly any Brunello is as authentic as the wines from Le Potazzine - they reveal the whole truth of the Sangiovese grape. The result is neither completely polished, nor is it boring or predictable. The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino achieves a degree of extreme authenticity and originality that you don't find on every corner in the appellation. It is a wine full of understatement and equally great personality, for which one must take time and leisure to discover every last nuance. On the nose, it reveals a subtle and well-composed bouquet of red roses, spices, earth and wild mushrooms. As always with Le Potazzine, there is also a wild hint of rusticity. On the palate, this Brunello reveals its powerful fruit and perfectly integrated tannins. Like a friend you can rely on, this Brunello is both a role model and a lovable buddy. SUPERIORE.DE

Crosara Breganze 2017 is a textbook Merlot: full of ripe dark fruits, blackberry pie, liquorice, chocolate, toasted oak and grilled herbs. Offering superb inner sweetness, it is both powerful and elegant, with a lush, super-soft mouthfeel. Pleasingly, a wonderfully focused mineral component saves the wine from ever being overdone. SUPERIORE.DE

Sauvignon Bianco Rachtl comes from a small micro-location of just 0.4 hectares. It gets its fine flint and graphite nose from the porphyry soils near Unteraicha in the municipality of Völs. Very subtle on the palate with fine saline acidity, fresh fruit and a long-lasting finish. If you can call one of the 2,000 bottles of this vintage your own, you can count yourself lucky! SUPERIORE.DE

A story of renaissance in the truest sense of the word: after more than twenty years of silence, Le Caggiole recently shone in new splendour. What Federico Carletti describes as an "importante lavoro di recupero" is akin to oenological archaeology – the systematic rediscovery of a 14-hectare site that had once been forgotten. At an altitude of 350 metres, on the road from Montepulciano to Gracciano, intensive research revealed the true potential of this east-facing slope: soils of marine origin, decidedly sandy, of a completely different geological character to the famous Asinone just one kilometre away. Through meticulous selection of Sangiovese rootstocks and clones, precise planting and a deep understanding of the soil and microclimate, this 100 per cent Prugnolo Gentile emerged from its decades-long hiatus.