Gambero-Rosso

Since 1871, the name Garofoli has embodied the soul of the Marchigian wine culture – a story of five generations that has its roots in the holy city of Loreto, where Antonio Garofoli once refreshed weary pilgrims with local wine. What began as a humble tavern developed under his son Gioacchino into one of Italy's most venerable wine houses, which is now run by brothers Carlo and Gianfranco and their children Gianluca, Caterina and Beatrice. Podium originates from the classic hills of the Castelli di Jesi, the historic heartland of Verdicchio, where medium loamy soils with sandy and calcareous inclusions form a mosaic that gives the Verdicchio grape its unmistakable minerality. The long ageing process takes place without the use of wood.

With the exception of 2016 and 2019, the last eight years in the region around Montalcino have been characterised by warm and dry conditions. For this reason, Il Poggione has started to prioritise irrigation for emergencies (which is becoming more and more of a necessity in the south-west of Montalcino) and is looking for a better balance in the higher vineyards. This is not the only reason why Il Poggione is one of the top producers every year, with an extremely fair value.

Caprais Montefalco Rosso is an attractive red made predominantly from Sangiovese with small amounts of Sagrantino and Merlot. The aroma is unmistakably of black cherries and violets. Juicy and playful on the palate, with balanced acidity that enlivens the crisp red berry fruit, which leaves a slight mineral touch towards the end. Plenty of power and freshness, good structure, elegant on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The small 2-hectare Sant'Eusanio vineyard is located approximately 500 metres above sea level in the highest zone of the entire Valle-Reale area. What distinguishes this vineyard from the others in Popoli is its northern exposure and the temperature differences between day and night, which can reach the lowest temperatures in the valley. These factors lead to extreme microclimatic conditions under which the grapes of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Sant'Eusanio ripen, making it a unique wine. It is an uncompromising expression of Montepulciano from the mountains and speaks a dynamic language of acidity and freshness that contrasts sharply with the body and structure of the wines grown in the coastal zone of the region.

The Sauvignon Blanc vines for this complex Riserva in small quantities (approx. 3,000 bottles) grow on grey porphyry and sandy-limestone rock flour in the "Kathreinerfelder" vineyard in Fiè allo Sciliar. Lemon yellow in colour with warm reflections. Complex bouquet of flint, preserved lemon, passion fruit, ripe apricot and melon. On the palate, this top Sauvignon presents itself with depth, precision, minerality and a long, ripe finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Pecchenino, traditionally known in Dogliani for Dolcetto, ventured into Monforte d'Alba, one of the eleven Barolo villages and home to some of the appellation's most prestigious single vineyards, in the early 2000s. Today, the family cultivates plots in the three prestigious Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive Ravera di Monforte, Le Coste di Monforte and Bussia – sites whose names carry weight in connoisseur circles. San Giuseppe is not a single vineyard, but a composed vision: 50% Ravera di Monforte, 35% Le Coste and 15% Bussia merge to create a Barolo that combines the strengths of these different terroirs. Ravera, at an altitude of 440 metres, with its whitish marl, brings minerality and structure. Le Coste, exposed to the south-east, delivers elegance and aromatic finesse. Bussia, the largest and best known of the three, contributes strength and ageing potential. The chalky, clayey soils, the south to south-westerly exposure and the precise manual labour in the vineyard – everything follows the principle of low yields for maximum concentration.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Caterina Zardini lost her husband. What remained were ten children, a hundred hectares of land in the heart of Valpolicella Classica and a winery that her husband Carlo Campagnola had built up with passion – he had won the prize for the best Recioto in the region in 1907. Caterina could have handed over the estate. But she didn't. She took over the work and continued to run the winery with all her children, laying the foundations for five generations of a wine family that is still rooted in Marano di Valpolicella today. This Amarone bears her name, a tribute.

Fayé – is the old dialect name for Faedo. The place that is the focus of everything here bears its oldest name in this wine. And the wine embodies the place: on the labels, in the terroir, in the choice of grape varieties blended here. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon sets the framework: structure, dark fruit, longevity. Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Lagrein fill it out – and that is the crucial point. For Lagrein is no international guest. It is indigenous, at home exclusively in Trentino-South Tyrol, and it gives Fayé an identity that no pure Bordeaux cuvée could ever have. A red wine that is rooted in the international scene yet remains deeply rooted in its local terroir.

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.

Terre Brune: A monument to the art of Sardinian viticulture, borne by the year 2020, which wonderfully captured the essence of the island in its balance between heat and night-time equalisation. For Terre Brune, this meant a late harvest accompanied by cool nights. The result: maturity in harmony with freshness, expressive and enriching. Incidentally, the 2020 vintage was a gift of ripeness everywhere in southern Sardinia. Warm spells were balanced out by Atlantic breezes and the grapes remained healthy and aromatic. The late harvest ensured a rich, but never overripe concentration – ideal conditions for a wine with lively acidity and body in harmony.

The Popoli vineyard bears witness to the fact that the Valle Reale plateau has been a wine-growing area since time immemorial. Several rows of this vineyard stretch out in front of the ruins of a cave cellar dating back to 1300. This is where the Benedictine monks from the monastery of San Benedetto in Perillis produced and stored their wine. The larger part of this very old site, where Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is cultivated, extends southwards towards the entrance to the valley.

The story begins with a drunk and Shakespeare. When a staggering reveller once pestered Sting – "How beautiful is the moon?" –the musician replied with a verse from sonnet 130: "My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun." The man was satisfied and disappeared into the darkness. This nocturnal encounter gave rise to a song dedicated to all moon addicts in 1987 – "for the lunatics everywhere, for all those whose sanity is dependent on the phases of the moon." It seems only logical that this title of all things should become Il Palagio's flagship: the winery's first great Supertuscan also unfolds its magic in the twilight between day and night. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon merge in equal parts – tuscan tradition meets international elegance without one side dominating. The biodynamically cultivated vines on the hills of Figline Valdarno provide the foundation; fifteen to eighteen months in new French barriques lend depth and polish.

The top-quality Vigneto Erchi Riserva comes from the small vineyard of the same name, which has belonged to Fattoria Selvapiana since 1998. The owners spent a long time searching for a vineyard whose terroir impressively demonstrates the complexity of Sangiovese in the Rufina region, making this wine a high-calibre addition to the famous Selvapiana collection.

A tribute to Luigi, Valeria's father, without whose support the life project of Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini in Panzano would never have been realised. Aluigi embodies the highest level of the art of Sangiovese from Le Cinciole – only 4,000 bottles are produced annually from the single vineyard "Campo ai Peri". This Gran Selezione comes from organically cultivated vineyards at an altitude of 440 metres, where south-west-facing vines are rooted in the characteristic Galestro soil over sandstone. The traditionally dense planting of 9,000 vines per hectare and the cool, high-altitude climate give the wine its characteristic elegance and complexity. Vinification follows the original principles of the estate: hand-picking and careful selection of the grapes, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in cement tanks for four weeks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 24 months in French oak barrels of 25 hectolitres, followed by a further year in concrete and twelve months of bottle ageing.

Fanti's Brunello di Montalcino 2020 is delicately flavoured, haunting floral and seductive from the first swirl of the glass. A hint of icing sugar gives way to bright cherries, candied oranges, mint leaves and lavender, creating an extrovert yet delicious picture. In the mouth, it is seamless and silky, with a subtle hint of citrus and vibrant acids introducing ripe red notes of black berries with herbs. Rounded tannins emerge on the finish with hints of liquorice and violets. As always, very well made. SUPERIORE.DE

Rich, deep dark ruby colour with a fine violet sheen. Compact and appealing nose, showing crisp fruit, especially blackcurrants and mulberries, underpinned by fine chocolate tones. Extremely precise on the palate too: ripe, fresh fruit, opens with firm, densely woven tannins, develops rich pressure, then juicy and long-lasting in the vibrant final. SUPERIORE.DE

The year was 1090, the year in which Leif Erikson discovered North America, the Chinese discovered gunpowder and Pope Urban II conquered Jerusalem. On that day, the notary Bellundo recorded a contract in the Siena state archives: two capons, three loaves of bread and six coins of good silver as an annual lease for a vineyard in the divine valley of Dievole. "Dio vuole" – god wants it. This is the etymological root of this name, which has symbolised the special connection between man and nature in this corner of Tuscany for over nine centuries.

Anadûron – this is the Celtic name for Naturns. Translated, it means "settlement on the marsh". A strange name for a village that lies on dry primary rock, criss-crossed by porphyry, granite and slate, on steep south-facing slopes between 600 and 900 metres. Not a trace of the swamp. Instead, thousands of years of geology speak through every glass of this wine. Franz Pratzner has created Anadûron as a tribute to Naturns and the entire Adige Valley – a selection of the estate's best Riesling parcels, which differs from regular Riesling not only in the selection, but in every step of the vinification process. Grapes of hand-picked quality, spontaneous fermentation in French tonneaux – not in large acacia wood barrels – followed by twelve months of ageing in tonneaux, five months in steel and finally 31 months in the bottle. Around four years from harvestto glass. No other wine from the estate is given more time.

Here comes Guido Berlucchi's fine vintage Franciacorta, which does not require any dosage (zero) and thus perfectly rounds off the top end of the 61 collection. The "61" line stands for the birth year of the first Franciacorta, which was created in 1961 in the centuries-old Berlucchi vineyards. The grapes come from four vineyards between Corte Franca and Provaglio d'Iseo. In its purity, the cuvée perfectly embodies the expression of the terroir and shows the fascination of Chardonnay. Despite its 0 grams of residual sugar, it is rich and full-bodied on the palate. Very big! SUPERIORE.DE

The strong ruby-red Pinot Nero Schweizer, which is only produced in the best vintages, is a masterpiece. Its bouquet is large, complex and reminiscent of very ripe small wild berries. These special flavours are also found in the mouth, in combination with ripe, candied dark cherry and delicate floral and red berry notes. Juicy, wide-ranging palate, mouth-filling and with delicate, sveltenuances and an inviting and slightly tannic body which, together with the well-proportioned acidity, gives the wine a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

Masari's flagship presents itself in a deep, dense garnet red colour. Ripe blackberry and cassis on the nose, underpinned by bitter cocoa and ripe cherries, light leather spice and liquorice. Full and balanced on the palate, slowly but complexly spreads over the tongue, then convinces with beautiful and lasting pressure, long, salty and simply wonderful. SUPERIORE.DE