James Suckling

Brilliant ruby red colour with a slightly brightening rim. Impressive aroma of red berries, smoke, roasted almonds and dark spices. Taut, straightforward, expressive and beautifully long on the palate. With its classic understatement, Boscarelli's Nobile di Montepulciano is a wonderfully precise example of its growing region every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Sciaranuova lies at an altitude of just under 850 metres on the northern slope of Mount Etna, one of the coolest and at the same time most fascinating vineyards in the region. The site is characterised by young, porous lava flows that force the roots deep down and at the same time ensure extreme drainage. In the coolness of this altitude, the Nerello Mascalese ripens more slowly, with fine phenolic maturity and a distinctive acid structure. Vinification follows the familiar principle: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration, ageing in large used barrels.

"Sciara nuova" – new lava. The name reveals the special nature of this contrada at an altitude of 850 metres: the vines are rooted in a geologically young lava flow from the 17th century, which has turned into coarse, dense gravel. This tiny site in the village of Randazzo, known for its excellent vineyards and pistachio groves, covers just one hectare. Around 2,000 bottles are produced here every year, and the result is one of the most complex and fascinating wines in the Passopisciaro portfolio. Fermented in steel tanks, matured for 18 months in large neutral oak barrels – the minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak unadulterated.

Caparzo's La Casa vineyard, located in an enviable position on the hill of Montosoli, has been vinified separately since 1977 and is one of the first single-vineyard bottlings in Montalcino. Like the normal Brunello, La Casa has a surprising underlying acidity that gives the wine brightness and focus, and the northern exposure of the parcel has certainly played a role in this.

Guardiola is the heart of the estate – this is where the winery is located and Franchetti's own plot of land. An old domain between 800 and 1,000 metres above sea level, on the edge of the lava flow from the devastating 1947 eruption. The Nerello vines, which are over 100 years old, are deeply rooted in this mineral-rich soil, which was characterised by the most recent major eruption. Guardiola has only been vinified separately since 2011 – a careful selection of the oldest vines, which produce a deep, complex wine with a rich red fruit flavour. Fermented in steel tanks, 18 months in large neutral oak barrels: The minimalist vinification allows the terroir to speak for itself.

There are wines that seek their time. And there are wines to which time confides its secrets. Historical Vecchie Vigne is one of those rare gems that only reveal their true colours after more than five years of ageing – a tribute by the Bernetti family to Verdicchio and at the same time a radical statement: that even non-aromatic white grape varieties can be among the very best if they are given the time they deserve. In Montecarotto, where the hills of the Verdicchio Classico find their noblest expression, there is a small plot at 310 metres above sea level, isolated in the middle of the historic Vecchie Vigne. Vines over fifty years old are rooted here in brooding, fresh, loamy soils that provide Verdicchio with the minerality and substance that only old vines can give. Eastern exposure, perfect balance between growth and yield – these vines were planted in the early seventies and today produce grapes of a concentration and ripeness that are harvested by hand at the end of September, beginning of October, berry by berry intact.

At the absolute limit of viticulture on Mount Etna, where the air becomes thin and the vines reach their biological limits, lies Rampante – the highest contrada of Passopisciaro at exactly 1,000 metres above sea level. This is no ordinary vineyard. This is a place where only the hardiest, oldest Nerello Mascalese vines can survive. Vines that now number over a century and claim the longest ripening period of all Etna vineyards every autumn. Andrea Franchetti realised as soon as he arrived in 2000 that Rampante had something special: Here, where the ancient lava has crumbled into fine sand, the most aromatic, airiest of all Passopisciaro wines is created. The name means "climbing, ascending" - and that is exactly what this wine does: it rises up from volcanic dust, carried by the coolness of the altitude, animated by the clarity of the mountain air.

Pure Burgundian elegance and Tuscan flavour. A Sangiovese in Riserva quality that impresses with its long, continuous course of flavoursome fruit and carefully extracted tannins. Light ruby colour with garnet-red reflections. Clear nose with notes of pomegranate, raspberry and a hint of saffron. Fresh, juicy and superbly unadulterated on the finish and with great ageing Storage potential. SUPERIORE.DE

The Bricco della Bigotta comes from the single vineyard of the same name and owes its name to a former resident whose strict piety became proverbial in the village. The old vines stand on a hill not far from Rocchetta Tanaro, in soils of limestone, marl and clay, which give the variety a distinctive structure. The 2020 vintage was characterised by a balanced vegetation cycle: mild spring days, a warm summer without extreme heat and cool nights in late summer, which gave the grapes freshness and aromatic depth. After selective manual harvesting, a long maceration followed by 12 months of ageing in French barriques.

This exceptional Sangiovese comes exclusively from the historic "Palmina" vineyard – the oldest vines that John Dunkley and Palmina Abbagnano found back in 1971 when they acquired the small estate from the neighbouring Badia a Coltibuono monastery. A hillside vineyard with a low yield, as the purchase contract noted at the time. Since 2010, the grapes from this unique hectare at an altitude of 480 metres have been vinified separately. Today, the 60-year-old Sangiovese vines with their extremely low density of just 3x1 metres yield barely more than one kilogram of grapes per vine, but they are of incomparable concentration and purity.

You have to earn the nickname. They call Montestefano the "Barolo of Barbaresco" – and anyone who has had a good vintage in their hands will understand why. The site is just a few metres away from Montefico, shares its southern exposure and the calcareous subsoil, but clearly towers above it in terms of steepness. Excellent drainage, late harvest, a warmer microclimate thanks to the protection from northerly winds: these are the conditions under which the Nebbiolo develops maximum ripeness here – almost smoky darkness, full power. The Produttori del Barbaresco have been vinifying Montestefano as a single vineyard since 1974; the craft has remained unchanged for decades: 28 days of maceration at 30 degrees, then at least thirty months in large Slavonian wooden barrels.

Outstanding terroir, terrific grape quality and technical mastery in the cellar have made this one of the most highly prized wines! Beguiling aromas of candied cherry fruit with notes of spice and tobacco. Dense on the palate, very concentrated with fabulous fruit sweetness, subtle acidity and fresh tannins. A hedonistic and at the same time very contemporary dream of finesse and elegance that lingers with long and incredibly deep flavours. SUPERIORE.DE

Born of fire. This is how the Cantina Terlan describes the red porphyry rock, between whose slopes the vineyards have nestled like small sun terraces. The rock is of volcanic origin, millions of years old, and it gives the area its unmistakable character – the wines their minerality, the cellar its façade, the wine its name. The porphyry is Terlan's red answer to the question of what Lagrein can be if you think it through to the end. No compromises. Three selected single vineyard sites, whose vines are almost a century old. Old vines yield little – but what they do yield is the sum of a long life in the grape flesh. Manual harvesting, destemming, slow maceration in steel – and then: 18 months exclusively in barrique, a third of which is new. No large wooden barrels, no compromises. Only barrique, only concentration, only depth.

The area is just under two hectares. Pajè is the smallest of all nine Produttori del Barbaresco vineyards – and yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, it bears one of the most striking signatures of the entire range: a freshness that never fades. The site lies to the south-west of the village, slightly lower than its higher-lying neighbours and more open towards the Tanaro. The influence of the river gives it a cooler microclimate; the soil is calcareous with veins of sand that drain well. In cooler vintages, a slight mint flavour can be detected that is rarely found elsewhere in Barbaresco. First produced in 1967 – then as a special label for the "Cavalieri del Tartufo" –since 1982 in the regular vintage. The vinification follows the basic principle of the co-operative: 28 days of maceration, thirty months or more in large wooden barrels, one year in the bottle.

L'Alberello is a beautiful Rosso made primarily from Cabernet. The wine comes from a two-hectare plot planted entirely with long rows of Alberello vines planted at an altitude of 30 metres above sea level on predominantly clayey soils. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel and the wine matures for 18 months in barriques. Starts fresh and vehement with warm, dark fruit flavours, then opens up further with a bouquet of herbs, coffee and a pinch of pepper. Remarkably polished and juicy on the palate, everything is in balance, silky and very charismatic on the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Fresh, bright ruby colour. The Syrah impresses with its intense and ripe bouquet with hints of figs, redcurrants, preserved cherries, blueberries, spices and vanilla. Velvety, elegant tannins accompany the opulent and lively structure through to the lingering final. SUPERIORE.DE

Chardonnay Cuvée Bois - a white celebrated year after year with an elegant bouquet of citrus fruit, butter and vanilla. The flavour is captivating with good acidity and minerality. SUPERIORE.DE