2/3 bottles

Here comes one of the best Cabernet Franc wines in Italy: bluish nuances mingle with ruby red. Blackberries and hints of roasted coffee in the deep bouquet, seaweed, balsamic and minty notes as the wine opens. Full and silky tannins on the palate with hints of violets and mint, flavour and freshness. All of this is carried by a noble excellence into a harmonious and persistent finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon Toren is the only red cru from Tiefenbrunner's rare Vigna line and comes from a 0.6 ha micro-location with clay and limestone gravel soils: sparkling garnet red with a slight violet tinge. Very intense and appealing nose, with aromas of cassis, blackberry, tobacco and mint. Rich, concise fruit on the palate, mountains of cassis and cranberries, juicy and dense, builds beautifully with ripe tannins, long final. The name suffix "Secundo" was chosen for this vintage as there was unfortunately only a tiny harvest in 2021 and, unlike its predecessors, the wine is characterised by more finesse and elegance than the usual unbridled power and opulence. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes the third vintage of Stefano Frascolla's heart project from the Alta Maremma. Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

Monteverro's Chardonnay is an exciting and multi-faceted expression of Tuscan white wine culture and combines Burgundian finesse with the radiance of the Maremma. The grapes come from carefully tended plots on limestone and clay near Capalbio, where the coastal microclimate with warm days and cool nights offers the Chardonnay an ideal ripening window. The vinification was carried out with Burgundian standards: slow fermentation in French barriques – partly new, partly used –regular bâtonnage and a fine lees ageing period of around ten months.

Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for six months in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

A characterful expression of southern elegance, characterised by the terroir of the Maremma and a cuvée that ingeniously combines Syrah and Grenache. The vines for the Tinata grow on clay and limestone soils on a hillside not far from the Tyrrhenian coast near Capalbio. The 2021 vintage was balanced and almost ideal: a moderately warm summer, without drought stress, followed by a long, sunny autumn - the best conditions for fully ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE

Once upon a time, there was a vineyard that was particularly spoilt by the Montalcino sun; it still bears the name Vigna Loreto to this day. Only in the best vintages does a Brunello come from this exposed site that is bursting with richness, complexity and assertiveness. It possesses a textural depth and balance that is captivating. Fruit, spice and very unique nuances such as savoury herbs, liquorice, tobacco and a firm tannin make this impressive wine monument linger on the palate and in the memory for a long time. With every sip, it opens up further layers and you might almost sink into it, such is the shift in the boundaries of what is comparable. The 2019 Vigna Loreto is not only extremely elegant, but also profound and almost outrageously juicy. SUPERIORE.DE

From 1546 to 1800, Villa Cigliano was the family seat of the Antinori family in the province of Florence, the place where they first planted vineyards and pressed wine. The estate was then sold. Piero Antinori bought it back in 2011. What sounds like a sentimental gesture was actually a strategic decision: Villa Cigliano is located in the San Casciano UGA, the northernmost part of the Chianti Classico region, right on the outskirts of Florence. A terroir that gives the Sangiovese an accessibility and expressiveness that distinguishes it from the more structured sites to the south. In 2014, Antinori returned to the Chianti Classico consortium after almost four decades. Villa Cigliano is one of the most visible proofs of this commitment: 100% Sangiovese from a site that the family chose over five centuries ago as the first vineyard in the history of the house. Gran Selezione – the highest category of the appellation. 5,000 to 6,000 bottles.

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 constant, but at this extraordinary winery on the border between Bolgheri and Maremma, chance rules. Only in exceptional years, when the Cabernet Franc grapes reach their full ripeness and complexity, is this rare cru produced – a venture that only a few winegrowers in Tuscany dare to take.

The Vigna Loreto covers one and a half hectares. Steep, stony and east-facing – , the slope faces the morning sun, not the midday sun. The soil is rich in tuff and pebbles, poor in nutrients, and unforgiving. The vines are the result of a mass selection from eight estate-grown Sangiovese clones that Mastrojanni has selected over decades: the estate’s genetic memory is embodied in every vine. It was Gabriele Mastrojanni himself who recognised Vigna Loreto as a distinct plot – the ability to display finesse where Castelnuovo dell’Abate otherwise impresses with power. Today, every vintage confirms what the founder saw: Loreto speaks more softly than the great Brunello, but with greater precision. The east-facing aspect gives the wine freshness; the tuff lends it mineral tension; the lean soils force concentration without overripeness. 36 months’ ageing in Allier barrels ranging from 16 to 33 hectolitres – the small barrels, the intimacy that the wood lends the wine without dominating it.

The Castellina in Chianti UGA is located in the western heart of the appellation, a municipality on a ridge between the Arbia and Elsa valleys, with soils of silt, clay and sandstone that give the Sangiovese fullness and warmth. The slopes are sunny and the microclimate is warm. Anyone who works in Castellina knows that Sangiovese matures differently here than elsewhere in Chianti Classico. Antinori acquired the Buiano estate in 2017 – a relatively recent decision within the long-term Gran Selezione project, which comprises four individual vineyards from four different UGAs. No other Chianti Classico estate has such a broad territorial representation. Buiano is the most powerful, full-bodied expression of these four. 100% Sangiovese, 5,000 to 6,000 bottles.

In the pantheon of Tuscan winemaking, there are moments of pure alchemy – and Sette from Tenuta Sette Ponti epitomises such a moment. Seven different Merlot vineyards, seven different souls, seven unique terroirs that Antonio Moretti Cuseri has blended into a harmonious symphony. A magnificent tribute to the art of winemaking that shows how diversity can give rise to unity.

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

1x 0.7l "Roccanivo" Grappa invecchiata 2016

Mosconi 2021 comes from one of the most renowned crus of Monforte d'Alba – a site known for its brooding, clay-limestone soils and south-westerly exposure. The terroir here gives the Nebbiolo particular depth, warmth and structural density. The 2021 vintage was almost ideal in the Langhe: a cool, slow start to the growing season, followed by a stable summer without heat stress and a dry, sunny autumn created perfect conditions for the grapes to ripen slowly with high aromatic complexity and finely polished tannins.

The purchase of the Mosconi Cru parcels in Monforte by Pio Boffa is one of the last major decisions taken by the estate – with the aim of complementing the depth of Serralunga (Ornato) with Monforte gravity. Selective hand-picking; separate fermentation in stainless steel with a carefully extended maceration period, malolactic without haste. Classic ageing in large barrels, moderate proportion of French oak as a fine brushstroke of texture. The 2020 vintage fitted in well with the concept: a stable summer, clear nights for ripening and precise harvest – healthy, ripe harvest, polished phenolics and generous, balanced fruit were the result.

Luce Brunello is dark and impenetrable, as always in its more international style. On the palate, it delivers ripe and round fruit flavours of blackberries and plums with plenty of opulence, power and breed. SUPERIORE.DE

While Tenuta Sette Ponti takes its name from the seven bridges over the Arno, Sette is named after the up to seven different vineyards that provide the fruit for this 100% Merlot wine: these are the Cypress, Salvareccio I, Salvareccio II, Poggio Sinistro, Sorbaccio, Nocetta I and Nocetta II vineyards. Aromatic and earthy, fragrant notes of cherry and cool blue fruit introduce a ripe and fresh palate that is light on its feet, vertical and balanced. The mid-palate has a stony element, while the red and blue fruits are supported by a network of tannins and good acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

Briccotto is a traditional Barolo from the Bussia vineyard, which used to be sold only in 1.Liters bottles. Even today, the wine is only produced in small quantities; the vineyard covers just 0.3 hectares and is planted with Nebbiolo vines, some of which are 40 years old. Rich ruby colour with a slight garnet rim. Intense, finely characterised nose with pronounced fruity nuances, lots of blackberry, dark cherry, also some cranberry. Dense and polished tannins on the palate, almost silky core, embedded in ripe berry fruit. Earthy notes on the final, savoury and long, an aristocratic wine monument! SUPERIORE.DE

With the Pinot Nero Riserva Vigna Das Langefeld, the Pfitscher family has undoubtedly created an elegant top wine that perfectly reflects the identity of the terroir.

Tasca d'Almerita recalls the first vintage of their legendary Rosso del Conte from the San Lucio vineyard with this lush Riserva del Conte. Ruby red, the aromas of berries, cherries and spices have wonderfully taken the wood into their midst. A lively taste, dense tannins and an endless finish complete the perfect picture. SUPERIORE.DE