James Suckling | 95–100 Points

As a result of extensive soil research, Francesco Ricasoli was able to identify three microlocations, which will be vinified separately from the 2015 vintage onwards. The range of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione now includes, in addition to the famous Castello di Brolio, three cru sites (Colledilà, Roncicone and Ceniprimo), all of which are 100% planted with Sangiovese. They differ in structure and taste in close correspondence with their terroir and impressively demonstrate the complexity of the Chanti Classico region.

Extremely focussed Barolo in a class of its own. Precisely defined fruit notes of wild berries, blackcurrant, rosehip and crushed slate. Firm on the palate with a very well-defined core, softly enveloped and cushioned by a very relaxed texture. Its elegance and extreme length, together with its well-balanced power, put it on a par with the Brunate from the same house. SUPERIORE.DE

Some layers are loud, others whisper. Cerequio is one of the whisperers – and if you don't listen carefully, you will miss the subtle nuances that make this cru one of the most enigmatic in the entire Barolo universe. Surrounded by its most prestigious neighbours La Morra, Cerequio lies at an altitude of 300 metres above a foundation of white clay and bluish marl. Roberto Voerzio likes to compare his Cerequio wines with Haut-Brion – an unusual comparison for a Barolo, but anyone who tastes this wine will understand the allusion: it is about that ethereal elegance that unfolds rather than imposes itself. What distinguishes Cerequio from the more powerful crus is its almost floating lightness. Voerzio speaks of "round, elegant, ethereal" – attributes that are rarely associated with Barolo. But this is precisely where the magic lies: Cerequio combines density with finesse, concentration with airiness. The 24-month maturation in French barriques and large barrels has given the wine depth without stifling its youthful grace.

Extremely focussed Barolo in a class of its own. Precisely defined fruit notes of wild berries, blackcurrant, rosehip and crushed slate. Firm on the palate with a very well-defined core, softly enveloped and cushioned by a very relaxed texture. Its elegance and extreme length, together with its well-balanced power, put it on a par with the Brunate from the same house. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Cerequio unfolds its cornucopia of cherries, ripe red berries, violets, leather and tar only after many minutes in the glass. Firm and powerful on the palate - shows an impressive and firm structure, yet the wine remains delicate, mineral and full of finesse throughout. It is perhaps the most balanced of Roberto Voerzio's top wines, and even if it appears quite accessible at a young age, it will only reveal its true potential and class in many years. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo La Serra emerges from the glass with a playful bouquet of dark red fruits, tar, smoke, liquorice, spices and new leather. The high-pitched notes of rose petals, which are typical of this vineyard near La Morra, are complemented by fine strawberry and raspberry notes and, in this wonderfully elegant and subtle overall package, result in an attractive, extremely elegant Barolo that is hard to beat in terms of finesse, purity and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Between the big names of the La Morra crus – cerequio to the west, Fossati to the north – lies La Serra, a location that is often underestimated and therefore fascinating. While Brunate impresses with its geological force, La Serra plays a more subtle game: poorer, stony soils force the Nebbiolo roots down to a depth of ten metres. What sounds like a tough battle actually gives the wine an unconventional elegance – fresh, spacious, precise. Roberto Voerzio cultivates his parcel with the same radicalism as in all his crus: extreme planting density, rigorous yield reduction, spontaneous fermentation without any intervention. But what comes out of this vineyard is clearly different from the virile intensity of Brunate.

Barolo La Serra emerges from the glass with a playful bouquet of dark red fruits, tar, smoke, liquorice, spices and new leather. The high-pitched notes of rose petals, which are typical of this vineyard near La Morra, are complemented by fine strawberry and raspberry notes and, in this wonderfully elegant and subtle overall package, result in an attractive, extremely elegant Barolo that is hard to beat in terms of finesse, purity and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Brunate is a breathtaking expression of great complexity and finesse. The wine has a lively garnet red colour with a balanced and intense bouquet: sage, mint, undergrowth, tar, tobacco and liquorice nuances give Brunate a striking aromatic complexity. At the heart of the bouquet, as well as on the palate, there is plenty of dark fruit, including blackcurrants and plums. Gains breadth with time in the glass and the already fine tannins will certainly become even smoother with further ageing in the bottle. A Barolo with real presence and stature and for us the most accessible Barolo in Voerzio's exceptional collection! SUPERIORE.DE

Undisputedly the most powerful and robust Barolo in Roberto Voerzio's top range is the Rocche dell'Annunziata from one of the best vineyards in La Morra. For us, it is a benchmark in determination and forward momentum. Wonderfully harmonised fruit and spice components, a great wealth of impressions and precisely drawn beauty characterise this exceptional Barolo. Intensely fragrant nose of plums, preserved cherries and lots of raspberries, rounded off with cedar, spices and tobacco. Its depth, complexity and determination never rest; even 24 hours after opening the bottle, the connoisseur is still surprised by fine notes of mint and balsam and this incredibly expressive and charming wine shows no signs of ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that take their time to seduce, and there are those that immediately know how to charm. Fossati belongs to the second category – not because this Barolo lacks depth or structure, but because it presents its qualities with an elegance reminiscent of the shop windows of noble Florentine boutiques. Located to the west of La Morra, at an altitude of 350 metres, the vines rest on stony, light soils with layers of clay. The roots dig up to ten metres deep – a silent struggle that gives the wine its distinctive aromatic vibrancy. Roberto Voerzio describes his Fossati wines as deeply coloured, with distinctive tannins and intense aromas.

There are sites in the Barolo universe that are not simply vineyards – they are geological statements. Brunate is one of these rare terroirs whose names alone elicit reverent silence. Situated between La Morra and Barolo, on calcareous marl soils with an east-south-east exposure, this cru site produces wines of archaic power and finesse at the same time. Actually a paradox ... Roberto Voerzio has been cultivating his plot in Brunate since the late 1980s with a radicalism that is unrivalled: 8,000 vines per hectare, only 500 grams of grapes per vine, aggressive yield reduction through green harvest. What sounds like self-mortification is in fact an uncompromising philosophy of quality. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel takes between 10 and 30 days, after which the wine matures for 24 months in used barriques and large barrels, followed by eight months in steel and a further eight in the bottle. Each phase is a deliberate wait for the right moment.

Barolo Cerequio unfolds its cornucopia of cherries, ripe red berries, violets, leather and tar only after many minutes in the glass. Firm and powerful on the palate - shows an impressive and firm structure, yet the wine remains delicate, mineral and full of finesse throughout. It is perhaps the most balanced of Roberto Voerzio's top wines, and even if it appears quite accessible at a young age, it will only reveal its true potential and class in many years. SUPERIORE.DE

Undisputedly the most powerful and robust Barolo in Roberto Voerzio's top range is the Rocche dell'Annunziata from one of the best vineyards in La Morra. For us, it is a benchmark in determination and forward momentum. Wonderfully harmonised fruit and spice components, a great wealth of impressions and precisely drawn beauty characterise this exceptional Barolo. Intensely fragrant nose of plums, preserved cherries and lots of raspberries, rounded off with cedar, spices and tobacco. Its depth, complexity and determination never rest; even 24 hours after opening the bottle, the connoisseur is still surprised by fine notes of mint and balsam and this incredibly expressive and charming wine shows no signs of ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

If Brunate is a geological statement and Cerequio whispers, then Rocche dell'Annunziata roars – but with aristocratic restraint. This site, whose name appears in connection with viticulture as early as the Middle Ages, is considered one of the most sought-after subzones of La Morra. Full southern exposure, geologically young soils of Sant'Agata marl with sand, limestone and an exceptionally high proportion of silt – an element that links Rocche dell'Annunziata with the legendary Cannubi Boschis. Roberto Voerzio calls this his most important site, not only because of its perfect exposure to the sun, but also because of the paradoxical combination of raw power and disarming elegance. Voerzio himself calls Rocche dell'Annunziata his "monolith" – and yet it is not a rigid block, but a wine full of inner tension. The 24-month maturation in used barriques and large barrels has lent it complexity without taming its youthful vitality. In the endless final, notes of dark fruit, liquorice, chocolate and a mineral precision remain, giving the wine its backbone.

The "25 Anni" from Caprai has been THE ambassador for Umbria's top wines for many years. It captivates with a beguiling bouquet that combines black fruits with citrus fruits, exotic spices, a hint of oregano, menthol and a hint of cocoa. The texture is more like pure silk, delicately lapping the palate, leaving a satisfying mix of intense dark fruits, minerals and fine-grained tannin. There is so much depth and concentration to work with that even when it finishes youthfully structured and dry, it lingers for well over a minute with notes of redcurrant, sage and dark chocolate. This exceptional Sagrantino is undisputedly not only Caprai's top wine, but also one of Italy's most characterful wines, which, with a little more ageing, is an incredible pleasure and should therefore definitely be aerated for 3-4 hours when young. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that define regions. Gaja's Barbaresco is one of them. It has been produced since 1859, over five generations, and in all these decades it has remained what it always was: the calling card, the brand ambassador, the essence of what Barbaresco means. While the single-vineyard wines – sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn, Costa Russi – show virtuosity, it is this classic Barbaresco that captures the soul of the terroir. It is the sum of fourteen vineyards spread across the municipalities of Barbaresco and Treiso, each parcel a mosaic stone in the big picture.

Rabajà is one of the great vineyards of Barbaresco – a gently sloping south-west-facing slope between the Asili and Martinenga crus, whose calcareous and clayey soils produce wines with unmistakable depth. The 2021 vintage is considered outstanding in Piedmont: a balanced vegetation cycle with warm days, cool nights and ideal harvest conditions produced Nebbiolo grapes of rare aromatic purity and perfect phenolic ripeness. Intense garnet red in the glass with sparkling ruby-coloured reflections. The nose opens with a precise, almost crystalline fruit of sour cherry, ripe raspberry and sloe, surrounded by violets, dried rose petals, fine cedar wood and a minerality reminiscent of graphite. On the palate, the wine is both powerful and silky, with fine, ripe tannins and a present, perfectly integrated acidity that lends freshness and tension. The finish is long, elegant and carried by a saline note that impressively reflects the character of the vineyard. A Barbaresco with great development potential and the typical noblesse of Rabajà. SUPERIORE.DE

The spectacular "Vendemmia d'Artista" artists' edition has been running since 2006. Every year, renowned artists are invited to design a small series of individual and large bottles of the world-famous Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore and create an artistic world around this fine wine. It is not a matter of course that we are once again able to offer you some examples of the rare 16th edition of the Ornellaia Vendemmia d'Artista 2021 in the 0.75-litre bottle this year. As usual, this special edition is rare and sought-after, as there is only one bottle of this limited collector's item in each 6-bottle wooden crate.

With this single-vineyard Sangiovese, the Mazzei family pursues no less a goal than to make the best wine in the Chianti Classico appellation. Seven different Sangiovese clones, four of them from their own 50 years of research, form the basis for a Gran Selezione that is produced at an altitude of up to 350 m in the single vineyard Il Caggio not far from Castellina (and only in the best vintages).

With this single-vineyard Sangiovese, the Mazzei family is pursuing no less a goal than making the best wine in the Chianti Classico appellation. Seven different Sangiovese clones, four of them from the family's own 50-year research, form the basis for a Gran Selezione, which is produced at an altitude of up to 350 metres in the single vineyard Il Caggio not far from Castellina (and only in the best vintages).

The genius of Neive, as they called Bruno Giacosa – this quiet, uncompromising man who had never seen the inside of an oenology school and yet made some of the greatest Nebbiolo wines of the 20th century. Since his death in 2018, daughter Bruna Giacosa has continued to run the winery in Neive together with cellar master Dante Scaglione. The same precision. The same philosophy: large wood, long maceration, absolute respect for the terroir. No compromise that does not begin in the vineyard. Rabajà is the other face of Barbaresco. Where Asili – the second large Giacosa parcel – stands for elegance and floral fragrance, Rabajà is the harder, more mineral, more structured brother. South-south-west exposure, chalky clay, warmer than its neighbours to the north – a vineyard that Giacosa only acquired in 2013 when Lorenzo Alutto offered a small, historic parcel on the open market. 0.6 hectares. Around 4,000 bottles. Grapes that had previously flowed into the crus (riserve) of the Produttori del Barbaresco for decades.

San Polo's top Brunello comes from the estate's oldest vines, the 2-hectare single vineyard Vignavecchia. Intense ruby red in colour. The nose is enveloped by ripe red berries, violets, some forest floor and a subtle woody spice. The palate is breathtakingly deep, complex and with a terrifictexture. The warm tannins and well-balanced acidity make every sip unforgettable and the endlessly long final lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

Vignavecchia lies remote, steep, a little hidden on the western slope of Podernovi – two hectares of Sangiovese, planted in 1988, when Montalcino had not yet entered the world stage it occupies today. The soils here are older than most people remember: Cretaceous-Eocene, the first layers to emerge from the primordial sea, interspersed with marl and limestone, poor in nutrients, rich in minerals. Vines rooted in such soil struggle – and from this struggle comes concentration. 2020 was the year in which the world stood still – and the winegrowers had time like they hadn't had for generations. Marilisa Allegrini says that her daughters Carlotta and Caterina tended the vineyard as if it were a garden: vine by vine, grape by grape. The summer brought heat, up to forty degrees in August, but the nights cooled down to twenty-six degrees – enough to preserve the freshness of the Sangiovese. Isolated rains at the end of August gave the vines a rest before the harvest began.