James Suckling | 95–100 Points

Montalcino has many faces. In the south, where the soil is deeper and warmer, Brunelli are produced with lush vigour and Mediterranean richness. In the north, in the Montosoli area, a different voice speaks: cooler, more mineral, characterised by a tension that defines classic vintages. Here lies Valdicava – in the Val di Cava, the valley of the quarries, at 350 metres, with a soil of galestro, limestone and clay that has given Sangiovese Grosso its characteristic structure for three generations. Bramante Abbruzzese bought the estate in 1953 and his grandson Vincenzo took over in the 1980s, turning Valdicava into what Robert Parker described as one of the three or four best Brunello addresses in Italy.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

It was the wine journalist Francesco Arrigoni who managed to extract a promise from Franz Haas. He had seen the beauty of these high-altitude vineyards, surrounded by meadows and woods in the municipality of Aldein, where only wild game roams, and recognised the quality that grew from this one plot: the Pònkler. Arrigoni's request was that it should be bottled separately. A promise the estate kept – even though, at first, it was impossible to know how the wine from the grapes of such a young vineyard would develop.

Sangiovese in purezza. Wonderfully spicy aroma, dark forest berries and cherries, some graphite and cedar wood. Silky elegance on the palate, juicy, dark berries, paired with an animating interplay of fruit and acidity that really lets the wine dance across the tongue. Percarlo has depth and length as well as potential for many years in the cellar. One of the great single-varietal Sangiovese wines of central Tuscany. SUPERIORE.DE

Luigi Veronelli would have turned one hundred years old on 2 February 2026. This is no ordinary anniversary for Castellare di Castellina, because without Veronelli, this wine would not exist. It was 1976 when he was walking through the vineyards of Castellare with Paolo Panerai and stopped at the descent to the estate's most beautiful parcel. "Paolo, call it I Sodi di S. Niccolò," he said. And then, even before Panerai could explain the choice of grape variety, he haunting: "Forget the French varieties. Sangioveto and Malvasia Nera – they are better." It was exactly what Panerai himself thought. The first harvest followed in 1977.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

In the vineyards of Torano Nuovo, where the hills of northern Abruzzo lie between the Gran Sasso and the Adriatic Sea, the pepfamily's Trebbiano vines are over 50 years old. Their roots burrow down through the top 40 centimetres of loamy soil into the massive limestone rock that gives this area its mineral character. The temperature fluctuations between day and night, guaranteed by the proximity to the mountain massif, promote the development of intense flavours, while the sea breezes from the Adriatic give the Trebbiano the minerality and saltiness that make it so unmistakable. This Trebbiano Abruzzese – a unique clone that is clearly different from the inferior Trebbiano Toscano – delivers in this "Selezione Vecchie Vigne" the pure essence of what the Abruzzo terroir can produce in white wine.

For Siro Pacenti, the term "Vecchie Vigne" is not a romantic gesture. It is an agricultural decision. The oldest vines on both family estates – Pelagrilli in the north and Piancornello in the south – have now been growing for up to 60 years. They are not replaced, but tended; where necessary, they are supplemented with massal-selected cuttings from the finest mother vines. What these vines yield each year is small – but of the highest quality. 2021 was a year of reduction. The April frost affected vines at all altitudes, decimating harvest volumes and concentrating what remained on the essentials. The harvest took place in unusually calm conditions – no rain, no pressure, and a precise choice of harvest. What arrived in the cellar was already exceptional. Fermentation in steel, 24 months in French barriques, two months in concrete, 22 months in bottle.

Barolo Pajana comes from a parcel in the Ginestra vineyard, planted in two phases, first in 1971 and then in 1991, which is 350 metres above sea level and has looser sandy soils compared to the higher parts of the vineyard (which delimits the Ciabot Mentin). These conditions result in additional richness and a velvety texture. Pajana is guided by a deep sense of elegance and finesse. Its aromas show a gentle succession of cassis, blackcurrants, blood oranges, spices, camphor ash and smoke. The length of the wine is what particularly excites us: you can taste the characteristics of the Nebbiolo over many minutes. SUPERIORE.DE

A mere 2,500 bottles are produced from this 100% Syrah; it is aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, after which it is filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

This immensely popular and elegant classic Amarone from Zenato comes from Sant’Ambrogio, the heart of the Valpolicella Classico region, where the family has been based since 1960. Corvina makes up eighty per cent of the blend, complemented by Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina – all grown on the slopes of the Costalunga vineyard. Following the hand-harvest in October, the appassimento process begins: the grapes rest in shallow crates for four months, losing water whilst concentrating their sugar and aromas. Pressing does not take place until January, followed by slow fermentation in contact with the skins. The wine then matures for thirty-six months in large Slavonian oak barrels before being released following further bottle ageing.

The great Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra from the historic Clerico vineyard. Bright garnet red colour. Open-hearted bouquet of ripe fruit and spices, the elegant tannins are accompanied by a pleasant freshness in the complex flavour, deep and long on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1977, a 34-year-old manager from Bergamo came to the Tuscan coast. Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari had had enough of balance sheets and meetings – the wine journalist Luigi Veronelli had persuaded him that his place was among the vines, not in offices. What he found: a piece of land without electricity, without running water, overgrown and forgotten. Only the name reminded him of a distant past: Grattamacco – the slag heaps of the Etruscans, who smelted iron here two and a half thousand years ago. Five years later, in 1982, Meletti Cavallari bottled his first wine – as a simple Vino da Tavola, three years before Ornellaia even existed.

Magistra. The Latin word for the teacher, the master – the one from whom one learns without her saying much. Ettore Spina did not give his oldest plot a romantic name, but a precise one. What this vineyard, just under a hectare in size and planted with Sangiovese, produces is a lesson in itself. Planted in 1982 with the BBS11 clone from the Biondi-Santi family – the finest Montalcino has to offer. Chalky soil at 380 metres, vines with roots running deep for over four decades, whose yield has always been low. Ian d'Agata describes the terroir of Sesta di Sopra, together with Montosoli, as one of the two finest sites for Sangiovese in the whole of Montalcino. The Magistra vineyard lies at the heart of this area. And, just like the Annata in its own barrel, it matures in a single Slavonian oak cask. The result: barely 1,000 bottles a year. In more challenging years, even fewer.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

Bright, deep ruby red colour. The purity and brilliance of this wine are wonderfully evident as soon as you put your nose in the glass: precise aromas of red fruits, liquorice and minerals are lifted by an intense violet top note. Sweet and sexy on the palate, it then becomes somewhat masculine and broad-shouldered in the middle, showing impressive volume and depth with flavours of dark red cherries, menthol and minerals. Full-bodied and refined with elegant and intense tannins that draw you deep into the wine. This wonderful Riserva from the top 2019 vintage is a well thought-out and finely crafted Brunello that definitely needs a little more time to show its true greatness. SUPERIORE.DE

Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi shake hands in 1993. Two worlds, one idea: to create a wine that combines the best of Montalcino – the structure and elegance of Sangiovese – with the rounded depth of Merlot. A combination that had never before been seen in this region. Luce became the first Super Tuscan made from a Sangiovese-Merlot blend from Montalcino. Thirty years later, the 2022 vintage is released as 30° Vendemmia – the thirtieth harvest of a wine that pioneered a new era. The estate is situated in the south-west of Montalcino, in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The estate covers 249 hectares, 88 of which are planted, at altitudes ranging from 280 to 418 metres, with a south to south-west aspect. The soil follows its own logic: slate and sandstone at higher altitudes, perfect for Sangiovese; clay layers deeper down, which give Merlot the power and suppleness it needs.

Riserva is not a marketing term – it is a legal obligation. A Brunello may only be called Riserva if it is marketed in the 6th year after the grape harvest at the earliest – at least two years in oak barrels and six months in the bottle. And it may only be produced if the vintage justifies it. So there is not a Riserva every year. It is only produced when the grapes demand it. And 2020 demanded it: a warm, dry year in Montalcino with concentrated ripeness, smaller berries and an intensity that gives fullness in the Annata-Brunello – and becomes something deeper in the Riserva. Altesino selected the best grapes from its four main parcels: Altesino, Macina, Pianezzine, Castelnuovo dell'Abate. 100% Sangiovese Grosso. Traditional fermentation, maturation in large oak barrels, then bottle ageing. Altesinos Riserva 2020 brings the power and concentration of the vintage.

In 1994, an unusually large number of Bolgheri figures gathered at once beneath the holm oak at Grattamacco: among them were Michele Satta, Piero and Lodovico Antinori, as well as the host, Piermario Meletti Cavallari. A photograph captures the gathering. Meletti Cavallari, a wine connoisseur and close friend of Veronelli, had taken over the estate in 1977. He had the orchards cleared and planted vines in white, barren soil that was difficult to work: Vermentino, a rarity in the area at the time, along with Sangiovese and Bordeaux varieties. The first vintage was released in 1982; in 1994, shortly after the rules for the appellation were introduced, Grattamacco became the first estate to bottle a Bolgheri Rosso. It has been owned by Claudio Tipa since 2002 and is now part of the ColleMassari group.

A deep, glossy red. The bouquet offers a beguiling blend of dark cherries, plums, mocha, liquorice, leather and cloves. On the palate, the fruit is very compact and powerful, characterised by profound intensity, dense layers and a velvety texture. Very focused and well-balanced; it will certainly need a few more years to develop fully. Outstanding elegance and length. In short: an absolute beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.