James Suckling | 95–100 Points

Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit and simultaneous austerity. Initially restrained red fruit on the nose, dense and very concentrated on the palate. Lazzarito 2021 impresses with its powerful but ripe tannins, typical of Serralunga. This assertive and still very youthful wine is very long-lived and has an impressive drive on the impressively long finish. Let's give it the time it needs and it will delight us completely. SUPERIORE.DE

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

Rocche di Castiglione is prized for its pure white, chalky soils, which produce wines of exceptional finesse and a wide range of flavours. For lovers of timeless Nebbiolo, it is a real hit. The vines are located not far from the winery, which blends into the stone walls and urban fabric of the village of Castiglione Falletto. The vineyard is about one hectare in size. Rocche di Castiglione is a curiously shaped and elongated MGA with a unique south-east exposure along a steep ravine, with Bussia to the west and Perno to the east. This site is characterised by freshness, extreme precision, straightforwardness, structure and balanced freshness.

Sometimes the greatest things are born in the silence after loss. When Signora Marisa died in 2019, Giampaolo Motta wandered through his vineyards and felt an inspiration that would lead to the birth of his most spectacular work: Asiram – her name, read backwards, as an eternal tribute to the woman who laid the foundations for La Massa thirty years ago. This exceptional 100% Merlot comes from plot number 4 – a geological wonder of just half a hectare that has been telling a very special story since 1999. Here, in deep blue clay and calcareous slate, the same soil formation as Château Pétrus, the vines are rooted in layers of earth that have shifted over geological eras and give the wine its unique minerality. "This Merlot has always fascinated me with its uniqueness," explains Motta, "with its ability to fuse the characteristics of Merlot on clay and limestone." Vinification resembles a ritual of perfection: after obsessively rigorous selection, a seven-day cold maceration at 7°C takes place, followed by the gentlest extraction to maximise both volume and terroir signature. The wine matures for seven to eight months sur lie in 50% new barriques with regular bâtonnage, followed by a further 18 to 20 months in concrete and bottle.

Barolo Cerequio comes from vines that are over 35 years old. The vineyards were acquired by Michele Chiarlo in the 2010s through fortunate circumstances. The 2021 vintage confirms once again that the purchase of this vineyard was one of the smartest decisions Vietti has ever made. Cerequio is a wine of nuance and class that reflects the entire pedigree of this great site. Crushed red berry fruit, cherry, blood orange, spice and mint rise from the glass, framed by nervy tannins that convey classicism. An exotic, racy Barolo. SUPERIORE.DE

Vietti's Brunate parcels are located on the La Morra side of the cru site. It was fermented in stainless steel and then transferred directly to large oak barrels to mature. Vietti's Brunate 2021 shows blue flowers, wild berries, wild cherry and truffle-infused earth. It reveals a slender but open-knit quality that can be felt in the mouth. This softness or textural silkiness continues for many long minutes with hints of mint, liquorice and camphor ash carefully distributed along the way. The tannins are polished and long. Very elegant. SUPERIORE.DE

Around 60% of the grapes for the Monvigliero are not destemmed, which enhances the aromatic nuances of the wine. The utterly enchanting 2021 Monvigliero is delicate and supple with aromas of cherries, boysenberries, violets and spices, with an excellent balance and a lingering aftertaste that reflects the main flavour themes. SUPERIORE.DE

Sergio Manetti, a steel entrepreneur from Florence, bottled his first wine in 1971 – a Chianti Classico from the two hectares of vines he had planted around his holiday home. A wine for friends and business partners, nothing more. He sent a few bottles to Verona for the big Vinitaly wine fair, more out of curiosity than ambition. The response was overwhelming. A hobby became a passion, a passion became a vocation. Until 1981, this wine bore the name "Chianti Classico Montevertine Riserva". Then came the break. Sergio Manetti refused to blend white Trebbiano into his Sangiovese, as prescribed by the Chianti Classico regulations. The decision cost him the DOCG – and made him a legend. From 1982, the wine was simply called "Montevertine", without any additions or compromises. A name that became the programme: Sangiovese in its purest, most traditional form, just as the old Chianti farmers would have made it before bureaucracy and commercialism wrote the rules. The wine comes mainly from a two and a half hectare plot facing south-southeast, planted in 1982 – in the year of the great rupture.

Intense, partly impenetrable ruby red. On the nose, warm, powerful notes that reflect the climate of the vintage and yet a delicate freshness. On the palate, ripe red fruit and spice, accompanied by deep floral notes, characterise the complex structure. Flattering, rich, enveloping and sweet thanks to the presence of ripe, dense and soft tannins. The balanced acidity contributes to the expressive taste and the long and extremely pleasant persistence. High seductive potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Cerretta is one of the most prestigious crus of Serralunga d'Alba – a site that Giovanni Rosso has always cultivated with particular dedication. Here, at an altitude of around 350 metres, barren, chalky marl soils meet south and south-east exposure. The result is Barolo with impressive depth, carried by a striking minerality that is recognisable even at a young age. The 2020 vintage brought harmonious ripeness and perfect phenolic development. After being harvested by hand, the grapes were gently pressed and fermented in concrete tanks for around 25 days. The wine was then matured for a good two years in large oak barrels, which emphasise the character of the vineyard without over-moulding it.

Serralunga d'Alba is not a place for compromises. The soil here – calcareous marl soils, millions of years old, compacted and rich in minerals – forms Barolos with a structure and depth that simply cannot be found elsewhere. The MGA Cerretta is located on the south-eastern slope of the municipal area, at an altitude of 350 to 365 metres, in the zone that winegrowers and critics have appreciated for generations for its extraordinary combination of power and finesse. The Rosso family has been cultivating these vineyards since the 1890s – first Giovanni, then his son Davide, who took over responsibility in 2001 at the age of 27 and since then has made a single sentence the guiding principle of his work: Wine should be a perfect reflection of its terroir.

Some wines bear the name of their creator and thus a silent commitment. Gualto is Gualtiero Ghezzi's personal signature: a strict selection of the best exposed Sangiovese Grosso plots near the Castello, at an altitude of over 300 metres, from sandy limestone marl soils with fossil inclusions. Matured for 36 months in oak barrels and a further two years in the bottle – the fact that this Riserva is being released while 2020s are already on the shelves elsewhere is not an oversight, but an attitude. 2019 was the year that rewarded such patience. Spring rains created the water reserves for a warm but never excessive summer. A radiant September with large day-night fluctuations brought full phenolic ripeness – slowly and without haste. International critics are celebrating the 2019 Brunello vintage as one of the most important since 2010 and 2016.

In the early hours of the morning, when the Maestrale is still gently caressing the hills between Bolgheri and Bibbona and the first light kisses the red earth, the true essence of what Massimo Piccin has been moulding as his life's work for over two decades is revealed. Sapaio – named after the ancient Tuscan grape variety Sapaia – is more than just a wine. It is the manifesto of a visionary who came here in 1999 as a Venetian engineer and created a kingdom of the senses from eight hectares of bare earth. The name bears a crown as a logo, a tribute to the nobility of wine and the daily devotion of those who leave their souls between the vines and barrels. Since 2015, Sapaio has deliberately been labelled Toscana IGT, not out of embarrassment but out of conviction: Because the best grapes grow beyond the administrative borders of Bolgheri, in Bibbona, where ferruginous red clay soils give a minerality that no decree in the world can duplicate.

The Ravera vineyard on the Novello side, where steep hills descend from a castle perched on a beautiful panorama, is one of the best cru sites in the Barolo DOCG. From this vantage point, you can see Novello and the Elvio Cogno winery, which is located halfway up the slope. Valter Fissore's Ravera from the great 2021 vintage benefits from this special location and shows terrific versatility and depth every year.

There are houses that ask themselves a single question. Not: What else can we do? But rather: How well can we do one thing? Galardi, at the foot of the extinct Roccamonfina volcano in northern Campania, has been producing exactly one wine since 1994. Just one. Year after year. The location is exceptional: south-west exposure at 500 metres, volcanic soil of silt, clay and rock, rich in mineral salts from two eras of volcanic activity – leucite lava and basalt, superimposed and weathered over hundreds of thousands of years. Chestnut woods, olive groves, underground springs that never dry up, even in dry years. The sea breezes from the Gulf of Gaeta provide natural climate control. 80% Aglianico, 20% Piedirosso – the legitimate natives of this region. Fermentation with skin contact for 20 days, pumping over twice daily, malolactic fermentation in steel, twelve months ageing in French barriques (40% new, 60% second and third passage), then a further twelve months in bottle.

Serra is an often misunderstood location. Small, little known, sometimes underestimated by connoisseurs – because it has neither the full southern sun of a Cerretta nor the dramatic hillside location of a Vigna Rionda. Anyone who hears the MGA Serra in Serralunga for the first time thinks: quite nice. Anyone drinking the wine for the first time will think: wait a minute. The Rosso family's parcel is located around one kilometre south of the village centre, in the upper municipal area of Serralunga, with an eastern to south-eastern exposure. No midday light to overwhelm the grapes – instead, cool mornings, slow ripening, a precision in the tannin that only this orientation can produce. Davide Rosso describes it himself: The eastern exposure intensifies the fresh, austere character of these wines. And rightly so. Those who reduce Barolo to power and flavour will have no use for Serra. Those who reduce Barolo to origin and attitude will never forget it.

In the heart of the Valdarno Superiore, where the ancient Via dei Setteponti inspired Leonardo da Vinci's immortal landscape studies, lies the Tenuta Sette Ponti – named after the seven bridges that have connected Arezzo and Florence since Etruscan times. Here, on 300 hectares between history and modernity, Dr Antonio Moretti Cuseri realised a visionary idea in 1999: to create a Tuscan Bordeaux style that combines international elegance with the soul of Tuscany. Oreno – named after the small river that crosses the tenuta in the clay-rich zone where the Merlot vines take deepest root – was born out of a passion for Bordeaux finesse. Moretti Cuseri, fascinated by his travels to Bordeaux, had existing vineyards grafted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. While Merlot thrives in the clay soils, Cabernet vines find their home in gravelled terraces that offer perfect drainage and natural temperature regulation. The Petit Verdot completes the cuvée with spicy notes and intense flavours.

Giacomo Neri's Pietradonice is Cabernet Sauvignon at the highest level and is now a legend, as there is hardly a wine in Montalcino that can even come close to equalling it. Monumental and very concentrated, with hints of sour cherries and a fine cedar wood and liquorice note. The exciting thing: Pietradonice is clearly recognisable as a Montalcino wine and yet, with its herbal and spicy character, it is as typical of Neri as it is of the grape variety and therefore seems to come from another larger world. SUPERIORE.DE

Ceretto's Barbaresco Asili (approx. 4,000 bottles) is the clearest and most complete of the winery's impressive Barbaresco collection. It reveals a fine sweetness of cherries and redcurrants on the nose, followed by an extremely silky and fine texture on the palate. Following on from the bright berry fruit, its bouquet reveals subtle notes of gravel and delicate, salty flavours. Overall, an accessible and highly elegant approach with great freshness, fine tannins and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Siepi has always been more than just a vineyard – it was a vision waiting to be realised. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, this mystical place lies amidst dense oak forests near Castellina in Chianti, ten hectares of pure magic on Alberese soils that were already appreciated by the ancient Romans. Paradoxically, the story of Siepi 2023 begins with one of the most challenging vintages in recent history. A mild winter with sparse rainfall and a rainy spring that pushed the Mazzei winegrowers to their limits. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, a wine was produced that epitomises the company's philosophy in an impressive way: "Great vineyards shine in difficult vintages."

Conteisa comes from the Cerequio vineyard in La Morra. It is very expressive for its origin and opens with a beautiful floral fragrance of pressed roses and blue violets, followed by bright cherries, cassis, chopped mint, liquorice, tar, ginger and delicately smoked cedar. Its complexity is breathtaking. Conteisa glides effortlessly across the palate, and a refined austerity sets in at the back. SUPERIORE.DE

For over a hundred years, two communities fought over a hill. La Morra to the north, Barolo to the south – both wanted to own Cerequio, the amphitheatre of limestone marl and blue clay that the locals call the "Riviera of the Langhe". It was not until 1275 that an agreement settled the dispute; the document is still in the archives of La Morra. "Conteisa" – piedmontese for dispute – is the memory of this battle over a piece of land that was apparently already considered precious in the Middle Ages. When Angelo Gaja acquired six hectares in Cerequio in 1995, he returned to Barolo after decades of absence. The first vintage in 1996 was still labelled Langhe Nebbiolo – gaja's conscious decision against the rigid DOCG rules. Today, back in the Barolo aristocracy, Conteisa represents the elegant side of the house: feminine, floral, with silky finesse, where its brother Sperss from Serralunga trumps with masculine power. Sixty-year-old vines are rooted here at an altitude of 380 metres in a south-facing location. After being harvested by hand, the wine rests for twelve months in barriques and a further twelve in large oak barrels.

Messorio has been undisputedly one of Italy's best and rarest Merlots since the mid-1990s. Soft, rich, elegant, refined and never overdone. On the nose, ripe fruit, coffee, graphite and French oak. Structured and balanced, Messorio fascinates the international wine world every year with a clarity and length that is unparalleled. SUPERIORE.DE