Formats

Less than 1,000 bottles of this Gewürztraminer Riserva are produced each year. The grapes are harvested at the end of December - just when they are finely coated with the noble fungus Botrytis cinerea. Golden, almost amber-coloured sheen, quince, dried fruit and rose petals on the nose. Concentrated on the palate, delicate honey flavour, sweet and long. SUPERIORE.DE

2023 proved a real challenge for South Tyrol's winegrowers. The year began with extremely dry conditions, followed by a cool, rainy spring. The summer remained damp, punctuated by three heatwaves – the persistent dampness significantly increased the risk of fungal disease and demanded meticulous work in the vineyard. Andreas Kofler, President of the South Tyrol Wine Consortium, described it as a "year of extreme weather". But then came autumn: golden, dry, with warm days and cool nights – exactly the conditions that brought late-ripening red grape varieties such as Lagrein to full maturity. The vines are situated at altitudes of 230 to 300 metres, facing west to south-west, on gravelly soils composed of limestone and porphyry with sand and clay components, ranging in age from 20 to over 100 years. After harvest, the wine matures for twelve months in barriques, then spends a further six months in concrete vats, and rests in the bottle for at least another six months after bottling before leaving the winery.

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

Neromàccarj is the broodingwine from Gulfi's high-quality Nero d'Avola range. The vines are rooted in the single vineyard Màccari, a barren hilly landscape near Pachino, where calcareous clay, volcanic rock and sea breezes create a powerful, yet always balanced microclimate. The vines are ungrafted, some are over 50 years old and yields are low. The harvest by hand and the wine is matured in the traditional way: a long maceration period followed by two years of ageing in used barriques and large wooden barrels. All this with organic care – and a firm determination to bring the best of the variety into the glass.

Selvarossa is a tribute to the autochthonous grape varieties of Salento: the Negroamaro – "niuru maru" in the dialect, "black bitter" – has been rooted in this soil for three thousand years and provides the dark, almost black depth of colour, the solid tannins and the bitter spiciness that justify its name. The Malvasia Nera provides a counterpoint of elegance and soft, velvety fruit. Both grape varieties are cultivated using the traditional Alberello system, the archaic bush training method without wire frames, which offers the vines protection from the scorching heat and naturally limits the yield. The grapes for the Selvarossa come from the oldest, most select plots and are harvested by hand in small crates when perfectly ripe, some even slightly overripe – some even slightly overripe to maximise concentration and sugar content.

"Le Merle" is named after the Merlot-loving blackbirds that compete with the harvest workers during the grape harvest. Eleonora and Elena Charrère made a conscious decision to cultivate a variety of international origin, Merlot, which is very rare in the region, in order to challenge the terroir and create a wine of great consistency and richness.

There are wines that define an appellation. And there are wines that show where an appellation can go. The Gran Selezione from Lilliano belongs to the second category. When the Chianti Classico producers created the new top of the quality pyramid in 2010, there was a great deal of scepticism: is there really a need for another category above the Riserva? Lilliano answered this question with deeds rather than words. While other estates defined their Gran Selezione with an international use of wood and concentrated opulence, Lilliano remained true to its line: tradition, terroir, typicity. The Gran Selezione comes exclusively from the two best single vineyards of the Tenuta – piagge and Casina, both situated at an altitude of around 300 metres, both characterised by the calcareous Alberese soils that make Castellina in Chianti one of the most mineral terroirs in the entire appellation. Piagge is south-facing, fully exposed to the sun, and produces Sangiovese of concentration and vigour. Casina, on the other hand, exposed to the east-south-east, produces Colorino and Sangiovese of elegance and aromatic finesse. Together they produce a cuvée of 90% Sangiovese and 5% each of Colorino and Merlot – an assemblage that seeks perfection within the rules rather than innovation.

Elisi is a barrique-aged blend of grappas from different vintages and grape varieties. The marc from Barbera, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon give this grappa elegance, finesse and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

Pinot Noir is the most demanding grape variety in the world. It forgives nothing – no wrong soil, no climate that is too warm, no impatient hand in the cellar. It has found its place in Terlan: Since the middle of the 19th century, Pinot Noir has thrived in the medium-high sites of the Monticol zone, at 450–760 metres, on light, weathered porphyry soils, where downdraughts provide cooling even at the height of summer. Rudi Kofler has long since said the decisive sentence: "The older vineyards produce a well-structured and, above all, elegant Pinot Noir." Elegance is not a marketing term here – it is the logical consequence of the location, soil and ripening process.

Like a precious legacy, this wine is steeped in the history of the Serristori patrician family, who acquired the Donoratico estate in 1512 and built the magnificent villa in 1660. From the shadow of these historic walls springs a wine that embodies the soul of the Tuscan Maremma – where the salty murmur of the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the warm hills of Bolgheri. In the vineyards of Argentiera – the estate within the Bolgheri DOC that lies closest to the coast and is also the highest in elevation – the grapes ripen amidst Mediterranean scrub and the endless blue of the archipelago. Here, on just twelve hectares of the Villa Donoratico vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot take root in sandy and rocky soils, whilst the subsoil is permeated by marine flysch rock – a geological memory of seas long past.

There are stories that only the terroir can tell – and Roccato is one of them. What began in 1988 as a visionary experiment, an equal marriage of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, developed into a legend of the Tuscan Renaissance. In 2015, Sergio Zingarelli took the decisive step. Based on decades of experience that the terroir speaks louder than the grape, the new Roccato was created: a single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the "Poggio alle Pecchie" vineyard planted in 1996. A paradox of nature – a Bordeaux grape variety that actually breathes Tuscan soul.

"Nemo propheta in patria" – no one is a prophet in their own land. This Latin proverb perfectly captured the spirit of Castello di Monsanto in the 1970s, when a bitter dispute was raging in Tuscany: could international grape varieties really find a legitimate home in this historic terroir? Fabrizio Bianchi provided the answer by planting Cabernet Sauvignon in the Il Mulino plot – the very vineyard that had often caused difficulties for the early-budding Sangiovese due to its susceptibility to frost. The first vintage was harvested in 1982: a wine with a unique sense of place. Il Mulino lies at the heart of the estate's 72 hectares, at altitudes between 280 and 320 metres, in that Mediterranean sub-zone interspersed with wild cypress groves, juniper, broom, oak, laurel, heather and strawberry tree – a green lung of biodiversity that lends the vines their purest expressiveness. One hundred% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pas Dosé – here, the dosage that is normally added is omitted; this dosage, applied after disgorging, determines not only the sugar content but also the style of the sparkling wine that has fermented in the bottle. Instead, the volume naturally lost during the years of bottle ageing is replaced by other wines from the estate, which do not, however, further affect the sugar content. The result is an extremely dry sparkling wine that is by no means lacking in body, character or finely nuanced flavours.

The 48th edition of a wine that began in 1976 as a Franciacorta Pinot and has been continuously refined ever since. Since 2017, each bottling has borne its edition number – a commitment to transparency and to the uniqueness of each blend. The current blend combines 88% from the 2023 vintage with 10% reserve wines from 2022 and 2% from 2021, lending the wine both freshness and depth. The cuvée is sourced from 240 certified organic vineyards in Franciacorta: 80.5% Chardonnay for elegance and structure, 18% Pinot Nero for body and hints of red fruit, and 1.5% Pinot Bianco for aromatic finesse. Each grape passes through the estate's own washing and drying system before being gently processed. The base wines mature for seven months in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks; secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, followed by 25 months' ageing on the lees.

"La Firma" – "The Signing". The names of Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti's wines are a nod to his father's career as a notary. La Firma is a single-varietal Aglianico, aged in natural caves formed from volcanic tuff, Karat and French oak barrels. A beautiful ruby red with bright violet highlights. A complex bouquet with aromas of small black berries, liquorice and hay. Powerful and very harmonious on the palate, characterised by velvety tannins and a long, balsamic finish. Excellent ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Feudi di San Gregorio's DUBL project was born in 2004 from an awareness of the great richness of the autochthonous vines of the Irpinia region and the desire to open up new horizons for them: as a Metodo Classico Spumante or by means of the famous Méthode Champenoise. An advisor was quickly found for this - none other than Anselme Selosse, who is known for his champagnes and his feeling for the particularities of the vines and vineyards.

An idiosyncratic wine with character: Paolo Meroi's Ribolla Gialla comes from high-altitude plots around Buttrio, where cool nights and limestone-rich soils preserve the freshness of the grape variety. Unlike many wines from the region, Meroi's wine is not matured in steel tanks, but partly in used wood - a careful, finely balanced process that adds texture and depth without masking the varietal character. Brilliant golden yellow in the glass. Pear, yellow stone fruit, lime blossom, citrus zest and a hint of hazelnut on the nose. The palate is full-bodied, silky and delicately melting, supported by fresh acidity and subtle spice. The finish is long, cool and salty-mineral. A modern interpretation of the indigenous grape variety - focussed, elegant and absolutely harmonious. SUPERIORE.DE

On the northern slopes of Montalcino, where the cool forest breezes of Monte Amiata meet the warming influences of the Tyrrhenian Sea, lies one of Tuscany's best-kept secrets. Since 1953, when Bramante Abbruzzese returned to the land of his ancestors, Valdicava has been producing wines of an intensity and finesse that few estates can match. Today, his grandson Vincenzo continues the legacy. A man who prefers to be out among the vines rather than in the office and whose demand for perfection is legendary. The Rosso di Montalcino 2022 is made from the same select Sangiovese Grosso grapes that are also used for the world-famous Brunelli. At an altitude of 300 metres, in the coolest areas of the appellation, the vines thrive in a mixture of clay, sand and limestone – soils that produce fruit of exceptional intensity. Since the end of the 1980s, Vincenzo has completely dispensed with chemicals and practised biodynamic cultivation, allowing each grape to express the pure essence of its terroir.