Formats

In the hills between Castagneto Carducci and the Tyrrhenian Sea, Grattamacco has achieved a remarkable feat: an elegant Vermentino that brings together terroir, grape variety and vinification methods with rare depth. The grapes come from organically farmed plots at a coastal altitude – consistently well-ventilated, yet characterised by intense sunshine and a significant day-night temperature difference. The combination of sea breezes and limestone soils produces a white wine of impressive substance.

The Bordini vineyard in Neive, bathed in sunshine and situated on calcareous, slightly sandy soils, has been renowned for generations for producing Nebbiolo with natural vigour and refined structure. The 2022 vintage brought warm, dry growing conditions which, thanks to cool nights and precise harvest, produced grapes with intense aromas and optimal phenolic ripeness. In the glass, it glows a rich ruby red with a slight garnet sheen. The nose is inviting and multi-layered: juicy plum, ripe strawberry and the warm scent of crushed nutmeg interweave with rose petals, orange peel, a hint of dried herbs and subtle spice. On the palate, the wine reveals its dual nature – generous, red-fleshed fruit paired with the classic Nebbiolo structure that characterises Bordini. Velvety yet distinct tannins provide backbone, whilst the lively acidity balances the rich fruit and lends the full-bodied wine freshness and energy. The finish is long, spicy and threaded with a subtle mineral note – a Barbaresco full of expressiveness that harmoniously unites the essence of the vineyard and the vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

Those who sow elegance must negotiate with the climate. The weather in 2022 was a tough negotiator in Montalcino: persistent drought, periods of heat, hardly any rainfall in the crucial summer months. The wines that emerged from this year are characterised by this – concentrated, structured, deep in fruit, with tannins that will need time. La Quinta originated, as always, from the fifth vineyard of Podere Giodo at an altitude of 400 metres – medium-gravel soils, south-easterly exposure, pure Sangiovese. Fermentation in steel for 7 days, maceration for 13 days. The 12-month wood ageing in tonneaux, large oak barrels and the characteristic Cocciopesto amphorae made of baked clay remains the stylistic backbone of the wine – an ageing process that integrates textures rather than imposing wood.

The grapes for Istine's iconic Riserva come exclusively from the estate's own vineyards: Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole). Only 4,000 bottles of this breathtaking wine, which is aged for 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, are bottled each year. A rich, luminous ruby red with a sparkling core. The bouquet displays its complexity with aristocratic restraint. A compact and fresh, fruity nose of ripe cherries and ripe raspberries, with Amarena cherries and hints of tobacco in the background. Medium-bodied on the palate, yet with infinite, captivating depth just waiting to be discovered. It then spreads beautifully across the palate, appearing almost juicy and fruit-driven, and continues to open up towards its terrific finalwith crisp cherries and a subtle hint of salt. Purists will love its linear and unmistakable Sangiovese character. SUPERIORE.DE

Pianodario is a landscape comprising 99 terraces. Held in place by dry stone walls that have become integrated into the hillside over the centuries, the land slopes from south to north at a gradient of seven% – a typical Etna vineyard, in which every single terrace is a microterroir in its own right. The soil tells an even older story: volcanic formations dating from between 4,000 and 15,000 years ago, beneath which far older layers, estimated to be between 30,000 and 40,000 years old, are thought to lie. Geological time, compressed into just a few metres of earth. The vines were only planted in 2010, at an altitude of 775 metres, facing north-east to south-west, trained using the espalier and gobelet systems. The site – high-altitude, well-ventilated and exposed to the cooling influence of the volcano – significantly slows the ripening of the Nerello Mascalese. Harvesting consequently begins late, often not until the first few days of November. Traditional red wine fermentation at 25 to 30°C, followed by complete malolactic fermentation; then comes the decisive stylistic difference from other Etna Reds: ageing in large 25-hectolitre Slavonian oak casks, rather than in small French barriques. The wood remains neutral, taking a back seat and allowing the fruit and terroir to take centre stage.

Difficult vintages make honest wines. 2023 presented Tuscany with unusual challenges: a cool, rainy spring with peronospora pressure, hail damage in parts of the region, followed by a hot summer. In Montalcino, the favourable protective effect of Monte Amiata and the altitude came together in a positive way: Where the conditions were right, wines of surprising lightness and floral freshness were produced – less powerful than last year's vintage, but with a grace that becomes a strength in good hands. Carla Ferrini's fifth vineyard at 400 metres also yielded single-varietal Sangiovese in 2023, which was vinified according to a tried-and-tested method: 7 days of fermentation, 13 days of maceration, 12 months of ageing in tonneaux, oak barrels and cocciopesto amphorae, rounding off in cement, 6 months in the bottle. A rhythm that allows the wine to tell the story of the vintage – without correcting it.

The Pianodario vineyard is situated at an average altitude of 775 metres above sea level, between the hamlet of Montelaguardia and Randazzo. It comprises approximately 8 hectares of vineyards. The soils are of volcanic origin and date back up to 40,000 years.

Albe! ... the poetic name of this Barolo refers to the sky at sunrise, as experienced from the estate's various terroirs: Coste di Vergne, Fossati and La Volta. These high-altitude vineyards each produce slightly different dawns, which is symbolically reflected in the harmony of the cuvée. The grapes come from young but mature Nebbiolo vines and combine the nuances of each plot into a fluid, elegant expression. The grapes were carefully hand-harvested; each plot was vinified separately and only blended into the cuvée in the spring before bottling. Ageing takes place over approximately 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (40–75 hl) with annual racking – a process that fosters depth and harmony.

Tasca became involved with Mount Etna at an early stage, and the latest result of this long-standing experience is four new single-vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and brooding, and despite their power, acidity and firm tannins, they are very elegant, full of finesse and light on the palate. Each of the four plots lends the wine a slightly different style and character – determined by the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. High annual rainfall ensures the soil has ample water reserves, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night enhance the diversity of the grapes' aromas and, ultimately, their ageing potential.

2017 was a year of drought in Sicily. Little rain, high temperatures, a yield of just 67 double centners per hectare – significantly below what San Lucio usually produces in more balanced years. The vines, accustomed for decades to this barren, calcareous soil, weathered the drought with the serenity of old Alberello vines. The blend for this vintage returns closely to the original proportions of 1959: 58% Nero d'Avola, 42% Perricone. Hand-harvested at 480 metres, south-southeast exposure, traditional fermentation in stainless steel, 20 days' maceration, 18 months in new French barriques made from Allier and Tronçais oak.

The great Bordeaux estates have shown the way: a so-called "second wine" is not simply a wine that didn't make the grade. It offers a different perspective. Younger vines, different plots, shorter ageing – resulting in a wine that is meant to be drunk sooner, has a fresher character and reveals a different facet of the same terroir. Tenuta San Leonardo introduced this concept to the Dolomites in 2005.

26 generations, since 1385 – no other house in the world of wine can boast such an unbroken history. And yet the Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva label is not a museum piece, but a living testament: since the 2011 vintage, made exclusively from the vineyards of Tenuta Tignanello, the estate situated between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, which has shaped 20th-century Tuscan wine history more than any other patch of land in Chianti Classico. 319 hectares, of which 165 hectares are under vine – predominantly Sangiovese, supplemented by small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

When you say Nebbiolo, you think of Piedmont. Of Barolo and Barbaresco, of decades in barrels, of tannins that need more time than almost any other variety. This image is correct – and yet incomplete. Nebbiolo was already in the Aosta Valley long before anyone started marketing it. Here it has a different name: Picotendro. And it does not grow on the famous hills of the Langhe, but in the glacial Fondovalle of Arnad and Issogne – in an alluvial riverbed formed by glaciers, on silty-sandy sedimentary soils, 350 metres above sea level, between north-west and south-east exposures.

Whilst Santo Spirito unfolds its floral elegance at an airy altitude of 700 to 800 metres, Calderara Sottana is rooted in a completely different world. Just a few kilometres away, yet geologically distinct, this Contrada lies at an altitude of 620 to 670 metres directly adjacent to the vineyard – and it is here that the extraordinary complexity of the Etna terroir reveals itself. In Calderara Sottana, Marc de Grazia discovered one of Sicily's rarest treasures: a pure, elliptical terroir, formed 60,000 years ago by volcanic eruptions. Of the hundreds of contrade on Mount Etna, only three possess this unadulterated geological fingerprint, and Calderara is one of them. Whilst the Santo Spirito captivates with its crystalline minerality and maritime freshness, the Calderara Sottana is more opulent, creamier and warmer.

A pure Pinot Noir from the limestone-rich moraine soils around Calino – vinified using the saignée method and aged on the fine lees for at least 24 months. In the glass, it reveals a delicate hint of onion skin with lively perlage. The nose entices with floral notes and crisp fruit: redcurrants, raspberry, red grapefruit, as well as delicate hints of dried blossom and yeast. On the palate, it is dry, precise and fresh; the variety-typical fruit remains prominent and is supported by fine acidity. The finish reveals delicate minerality, juicy berry fruit and a subtle creaminess from the contact with the lees. A rosé with a clearly recognisable Pinot Noir character and an outrageously good blend of sophistication and drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.