James Suckling | 95–100 Points

Mazon is not silent. If you listen carefully, you can hear something different in every vintage – sometimes warmth, sometimes coolness, sometimes the Alpine downdraughts that sweep across the plateau in the evening and sharpen the flavours of the grapes. The 2020 is a vintage that listens and responds: fresh, transparent, with a precision in the fruit that only emerges in calm conditions. The Barthenau estate, built 150 years ago by Ludwig Barth von Barthenau, has belonged to the Foradori-Hofstätter family for decades. The single vineyard Vigna San Urbano – south Tyrol's first officially classified single-vineyard wine, declared a "Vigna" by Paolo Foradori in 1987 – lies at the heart of this estate. Clay-limestone over the Werfen formation, vines over 65 years old, a site that gives the Pinot Nero what it needs: mineral subsoil, cool nights and the time it deserves. Harvested entirely by hand, completely destemmed. Fermentation in concrete vats, ten days of skin contact with remontage. Then twelve months in barrique, eight months in large cask, eight months in bottle – always in the cellars of Barthenau, where the temperature remains constant and the wine finds its own peace.

The estate's top wine, named after the owner, is the result of many years of work in the vineyard and dates back to the year 2000, when the winery began to replant many of its own plots with Sangiovese. To this day, Sergio Zingarelli pursues the goal of interpreting his existing terroir as authentically as possible. The result is the highest classification Gran Selezione, which is confirmed every year by the consortium and is only awarded to the best wines in the appellation.Rich ruby colour. Concentrated nose of herbs, black cherry, chocolate, earthy notes and oak spice. Juicy and soft fruit on the palate, refined tannins, glides dynamically and spicy into a respectable finish. SUPERIORE.DE

A Barolo from a great vintage: the 2021 wine year brought a long growing season with clear day-night amplitudes and precise harvest: fully ripe phenolics, bright acidity, impeccable health. The grapes come from family-owned plots in Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte and Mosconi. Each vineyard is fermented separately in stainless steel; prolonged maceration with gentle extraction, followed by unhurried malolactic fermentation. For the ageing process, the winery primarily uses large Slavonian oak barrels (botti), discreetly supplemented by French oak.

Novello, situated on the plateau above the valley, produces the most austere and mineral-driven expression of the entire G.D. Vajra range. Unlike the local vineyards in Vergne, Ravera lies at an altitude of 320 to 340 metres, with highly calcareous, clay-rich marl from the same Sant'Agata Formation, which lends the Nebbiolo here more structure than aroma. The south-west-facing aspect ensures a long, even ripening process on this exposed plateau. Giuseppe Vaira himself likes to describe the wine as powerful yet weightless, almost electric in its directness. This single-varietal Nebbiolo is aged for around 42 months after fermentation in large Slavonian oak botti, deliberately matured with restraint so as not to mask the powerful, multi-layered character of the vineyard.

Contrada Feudo is located on the northern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of around 650 metres, where the vines are rooted in volcanically mixed, sandy and stony soils. Some of the plots with Nerello Mascalese are over 70 years old and deliver concentrated but cool fruit year after year. 2021 was a classic vintage on Etna with a pronounced balance: not too hot, not too humid – ideal conditions for a precise style. The wine is aged for around 16 months in used tonneaux, which emphasises the characteristics of the vineyard and refines the tannin structure.

White wines from Etna are always special and are in a league of their own due to the generally very old vines, the extreme altitude and the usually minimal yield per hectare. The area around the small town of Milo is the only vineyard site on Etna where an Etna Bianco can be bottled as Superiore - and for good reason: only Carricante can be planted on the steep vineyard, which consists of dozens of small terraces. When the origin of the Carricante grapes is the small parcel (Contrada) Caselle with mostly 100-year-old ungrafted bush vines (Alberelli), even connoisseurs can be excited. The soil, which was formed by centuries of volcanic activity, has numerous layers of minerals and salts, pumice, lapilli, fine and light ash. This extremely rare terroir is particularly fertile and produces late-ripening, healthy, fresh and very flavourful grapes despite the generally high thermal excesses during the summer. Less than 1,000 bottles of this exceptional wine are produced in good years, so you can imagine that we consider ourselves lucky to be able to offer a few cases of this rare wine.

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.

Caparzos Riserva 2019 is a big, powerful wine that needs at least a few years to mature. Dark and brooding, this Riserva shows the more masculine side of Sangiovese. Black cherry, plum, leather, spices and tobacco lie on a firm beam of acidity and tannin. This red has the explosive energy and finesse of the dream 2019 vintage and will need some time to mature before all the facets of this highly personalised wine come together – but as always with top wines: patience is rewarded! SUPERIORE.DE

Anyone looking for the truth in Sangiovese will find it here: Laura Brunelli's Montalcino has been a stunning wine full of vitality, life and energy for years. It displays an almost outrageous degree of clarity and openness. It unfolds brightly and radiantly with lasting purity, elegance and length. This Brunello shows extreme precision and focus, both on the nose and in the mouthfeel. Wild berries, blue flowers and liquorice come together in perfection, and it is impossible to surpass this quality at this price. SUPERIORE.DE

The Nero d'Avola grapes for the very rare Sultana come from a steeply sloping, bush-shaped vineyard facing north-west. The soil here is white with a limestone matrix, rich in minerals and drainage capacity. The pronounced slope and very poor soil reinforce the pedoclimatic characteristics in which the Nero d'Avola plants find a natural habitat. It is an extreme terroir, a combination of environmental and human factors, that distinguishes the Sultana vineyard from other vineyards. The light reflected by the white soils enhances the characteristics and ultimately the quality of the grapes from the vineyard. SUPERIORE.DE

When Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti bought a farmstead in the village of Notri, south of the medieval town of Suvereto in the Colline Metallifere, in 1984, they had no wine plan. They wanted nature, peace and quiet, a piece of land. The passion for wine changed that – slowly, inevitably, as it always does. The first vintage of Giusto di Notri was produced in 1992, named after San Giusto, the patron saint of Suvereto, and after the location of the estate itself. Eight years later, her Redigaffi was the first Italian wine ever to receive 100 points from Robert Parker. Tua Rita had redrawn the wine map of the Maremma.

When Zefiro Pieri saw the old farmhouse in the hamlet of Sesta in 1950, between centuries-old olive groves and the rolling hills south of Montalcino, he knew that this was where he would stay. He planted the first Brunello vines, initially selling the grapes to others – until his grandson bottled his first own wine in 1991. Today, Claudio Monaci and Silvia Batazzi are the fourth generation to run the estate, while their daughters Caterina and Emma are already waiting in the wings. Sant'Angelo in Colle, just a stone's throw away, is considered one of the finest Brunello locations: volcanic, stony soils, permeable and warm, while the Orcia Valley carries the sea breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea 45 kilometres away to the vineyards. Claudio and Silvia select the best Sangiovese grapes of the vintage for their Riserva. Spontaneous fermentation in concrete with the vineyard's own yeasts, followed by 40 months of ageing in large vats – time enough to gain depth without losing the fruit. The 2019 epitomises a classic vintage in the best sense of the word: concentrated yet lively, with that balance that only comes about when cool nights and Mediterranean warmth play in harmony.

Named after the man who turned his film-loving father's dream into one of Tuscany's most respected estates, this wine embodies the essence of a twenty-year project: the complete replanting of the Sangiovese vineyards at Le Macìe, with the aim of capturing the soul of the terroir in its purest form. Sourced from the exquisite "Le Terrazze" vineyard, where Miocene limestone-marl soils at altitudes of 265 to 360 metres provide the ideal conditions, this 100% Sangiovese yields a Gran Selezione of exceptional complexity. The hand-picked grapes undergo ten days of alcoholic fermentation, followed by 15 days of maceration, before the wine is aged for 18 months in French Tronçais barriques and a further 20 months in the bottle.

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.

In 1996, Elisabetta Geppetti purchased a hillside near Pereta. She named it Poggio Valente – the capable hill, the brave hill. A name that says it all. The vineyard lies at an altitude of 280 metres, facing south-west, on sandy soils over sandstone bedrock with clay interlayers – a soil that lends the Sangiovese precision and elegance rather than weight and power. Elisabetta wanted something different here: a single-varietal Sangiovese cru in the Burgundian tradition, a wine that speaks of its vineyard and nothing else. In 2014, she took a decisive step: Poggio Valente left the Morellino appellation and has since been classified as Toscana IGT. This is no step backwards – quite the opposite. It is a statement. This wine is greater than its designation of origin, and Elisabetta did not want the lack of international recognition of an appellation to limit her ambition.

"The 2020 expresses itself through opulence, intensity, fruit and softness, but also manages to emphasise the depth and freshness, the floral notes, in an enveloping and elegant balance." Francesco Ripaccioli

Directly in front of the cantina, at an altitude of 450 metres and facing south-west, lies the vineyard that has defined Fontodi's approach to Sangiovese since 1985. Three plots, planted between 1963 and 1973, are united by a geological feature: schistose galestro soils that break up into characteristic flakes on the surface. Giovanni Manetti recognised early on that this soil structure lends the Sangiovese that dark fruit and body on the mid-palate which distinguishes it from the limestone-dominated sites. The name 'Sorbo' refers to a local Tuscan fruit – dry, tannic, almost like grapes themselves. What began as a Riserva in 1985 was elevated to Gran Selezione with the 2011 vintage, when the new classification was introduced in Chianti Classico. Since 2012, it has been 100% Sangiovese; previously, it was blended with small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Deep dark, impenetrable ruby colour with violet reflections. Opulent, warm bouquet of fully ripe cherries, plums, liquorice, young leather with a hint of French oak spice. Powerful and firm on the palate, with a brilliant structure and taut tannins. With increasing aeration, it reveals its good structure and refined elegance. This outstanding Merlot from central Tuscany never seems broad or too heavy until the long finish, but is completely convincing with its terrificenergy and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

In the annals of Tuscan wine history, there are vineyards that bear witness to dynasties and eras, and the Vigna dell'Impero is one of these living monuments. In 1935, in that fateful year when Europe was on the eve of great upheavals, the Savoia royal family had a vineyard planted on their hunting reserve in Valdarno di Sopra, which is now one of the most venerable terroirs in Tuscany. Three hectares of terraced vineyards, planted by hand at an altitude of 300 metres, where the Sangiovese vines dig their roots deep into the stony, galestro-rich soil. Antonio Moretti Cuseri recognised the exceptional quality of this ancient site and decided in 2012 to create a limited edition from this historic cru. Only in the best vintages, in numbered bottles, as a tribute to 85 years of winegrowing history. The Sangiovese in Purezza undergoes a particularly gentle, one-month maceration to extract all the noble components of the grapes harvested at optimum phenolic ripeness. 24 months of ageing in large 15 and 25 hectolitre barrels, followed by months of bottle ageing without filtration – to preserve the purest terroir notes.

The world-famous Caiarossa is an extremely exciting blend of the Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante varieties, with the rich, dark fruit flavours of the Cabernet grapes taking centre stage. On the nose, a beautiful first wave of dark fruits that never appear too ripe, which greatly benefits the elegance of the wine. The palate is very balanced and focussed with blackberries, cassis and slight hints of salty or rusty minerals. Caiarossa displays a good degree of elegance, not least due to its fine and taut tannins, and despite its density and complexity never comes across as opulent or even overloaded. SUPERIORE.DE

Around 2,000 bottles of this single-vineyard wine are sold each year. Extremely complex bouquet of blackberry, blackcurrant and sour cherry, with perfectly integrated notes of Mediterranean herbs. Broad and elegant on the palate, supported by a delicate acid wire that makes it fresh and lively. A great wine with excellent structure and remarkable persistence and depth of flavour. SUPERIORE.DE

G.D. Vajra's Ravera (whose vineyard extends over the municipalities of Novello and Barolo) is always the most angular, powerful and vertical of their collection. It comes from soils with clay and sandstone at 320 to 340 metres above sea level. This is the ideal place for wines that show both power and elegance. The tannins are sweet, but every fibre of the backbone is dense and firm. Red and purple fruits with liquorice, tar and white truffle are neatly packaged here and only reveal themselves gradually, but then with beautiful precision and straightforwardness. The final has a wonderfully long aftertaste, superb! SUPERIORE.DE

Castelnuovo dell'Abate has a character all of its own – rougher, denser and more mineral than many other parts of the appellation. The loamy-sandy soils with their high proportion of stone, the vineyards situated between 150 and 350 metres, the shelter provided by Monte Amiata, and the cool nights from the Orcia Valley: anyone who plants vines here will produce Sangiovese with real character. Andrea Cortonesi has been planting vines here for almost four decades. 2021 proved a challenging year for this terroir – and for the winemaker. The late frost in April hit lower-lying plots hard, and the harvest was around 15% smaller overall than the previous year. A hot, dry summer followed, before two spells of rain in the second half of August provided the vineyards with water and gave the grapes their final aromatic depth. The long September nights did the rest: phenolic ripeness, without any signs of heat stress, and without compromising on freshness. What Uccelliera subsequently brought into the cellar was concentrated, healthy, clear – and possessed that crisp fruit intensity that makes Castelnuovo wines so distinctive.

A journey through time on five hectares: Giovanni Manetti is a man who knows how to unravel historical secrets. When he discovered drawings from the 15th century in the archives of the University of Florence that showed that the hill of San Leolino was once completely planted with vines, this was the key to an extraordinary revitalisation project. Where for centuries there had only been olive trees – with the exception of a small plot from the 1970s –the Terrazze di San Leolino were created anew. The terroir tells a different story to the famous Vigna del Sorbo: here, at an altitude of 450 metres, it is not the slatey Galestro that dominates, but the calcareous Alberese soil. This geological peculiarity gives San Leolino its unmistakable character – mineral, salty, with a freshness that immediately reminds the nose of crushed stones and earthy notes.