Luca Gardini

Tasting the different lots of Il Marroneto from the barrel is a fascinating task. The vines are all similarly situated at high altitude, on coarse sand of marine origin, and predominantly north-facing. While they have subtle differences, the distinct character of Madonna delle Grazie often merits a separate bottling - as the 2018 proves. The aromas take on the darkest, most heady purple florals, tangled in allspice and smoky incense. The wine is muscular with firm tannins that grip it tightly and don't let go, though it is never beefy, heavy or angular. At the moment it is still developing, but the finish already reveals a refined balsamic core and a spicy, salted plum. SUPERIORE.DE

The 2020 Barbaresco Bernadot comes from one of the coolest and highest cru sites in the municipality of Treiso, whose sandy, chalky soils and exposed south-east exposure give the Nebbiolo particular precision and aromatic clarity. The year was characterised by a warm spring, followed by a stable summer with cool nights, which ensured slow, even ripening and preserved the freshness of the wine.

Vigna Loreto from the sun-drenched single vineyard of the same name right next to the winery is only vinified in the best vintages and delivers an even more intense interpretation of the Sangiovese grape every year. If you are looking for a soft and contemporary expression of Sangiovese, this is the wine for you. It offers a deep richness and texture infused with black fruits, spice and tobacco. This wine goes a step beyond the normal boundaries of Brunello in terms of richness and extraction. For all its undoubtedly beguiling opulence, it is nevertheless a straightforward and altogether superb wine that will gain in finesse and elegance with age. SUPERIORE.DE

Of all his wines, the flagship Tenuta di Trinoro offers the deepest insight into Andrea Franchetti's viticulture. Andrea changes the proprietary blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from limestone and clay soils every year depending on the quality and quantity of the harvest. The grapes are always the best of the vintage. Franchetti's own style is recognisable in each of his wines and with each vintage. The 2020 vintage was the first to be given an additional year of bottle ageing before being released for sale.

The name Tre Terre refers to the origin of the grapes for the Quintarelli family's new masterpiece: they come from the municipalities of Negrar, Marano and Sant'Ambrogio. Its style, with its more pronounced tannins, spiciness and tangy acidity, differs greatly from the winery's classic Amarone range. Red cherries and herbs come to the fore, and overall it has an astonishing minerality and objectivity for Amarone, which makes it more recognisable as an aristocratic Barolo than a more powerful Amarone. Very idiosyncratic in its interpretation, but with its rough edges as always in a class of its own! SUPERIORE.DE

Altesinos Montosoli displays the famous characteristics of this particular site, which are always characterised by a pronounced mineral intensity, with hints of crushed granite and lead pencil layers. The five-hectare vineyard has a higher concentration of Galestro clay-slate rock, and the altitude contributes to the freshness of the wine.

At the centre of the Via Bolgherese, that legendary wine route where the Tuscan dream and the Bordeaux vision merge into an indelible myth, lies a small kingdom of just 5.5 hectares. Here, nestled between the giants Ornellaia to the right and Sassicaia to the left, Antonio Moretti Cuseri and his sons Alberto and Amedeo tell a story of unbridled passion, a story called Orma. Orma means footprint. And this 2021 truly leaves one in the soul of the taster. The purest expression of an exceptional vintage, this organically certified Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc unfolds like a symphony in purple and garnet. The Mediterranean sun of Bolgheri, tempered by the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, gave the grapes that unique ripeness that only a few terroirs in the world are capable of producing.

Deep dark ruby-purple colour. On the nose, cassis, blackcurrants and a strong herbal spice with a good dose of pipe tobacco, tar and crushed gravel. On the palate, dark berries, chocolate and a cornucopia of herbs define the full-bodied palate. This juicy wine monument has precisely integrated tannins, an enormous silkiness and an almost endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Campo del Drago is a single vineyard of just 1.5 hectares and is located on a high plateau in the Montalcino appellation with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The grapes from here are only vinified separately in the best years for the Brunello of the same name and the result is then eagerly awaited around 5 years later. Dark, concentrated colour with beautiful saturation and density. The bouquet reveals a unique minerality and complexity. The palate is intense, complex and deep. The tannins are present, but remain very elegant thanks to the Sangiovese acidity. Can still mature, but is already irresistible today. SUPERIORE.DE

Marco Bacci's Brunello Riserva from the dream vintage 2016 presents itself full and generous on the nose. Cascades of violet and black fruits wash over the senses with black cherry, blackberry jam and smoked tobacco. The opulent overall impression is completed with a hint of bitter almond and suptile notes of smoke and nuts. These give the wine a deep and dark character. Very well structured on the palate and built for a long life with its well-formed acidity-tannin framework. SUPERIORE.DE

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

Elegant and complex: Guado al Tasso with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as impressive as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and cardamom. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with a lot of sweet melting flavour, interwoven, dense tannins, supple and elegant, very long finish. An excellent wine that offers maximum drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

When a winery like Siro Pacenti meets a vintage like 2016 – one of the style-defining vintages in the history of modern Brunello –then you can confidently ask yourself what this wine is not yet capable of. Cool nights in September, excellent tannin ripeness, a season that forced no compromises and still gave concentration: 2016 was a year of precision, not abundance. And precision is what Giancarlo Pacenti has stood for for decades. The one and a half hectares of the oldest vines in Pelagrilli – planted at the end of the 1960s, beginning of the 1970s, massively selected, never renewed – yielded grapes of exceptional density and balance in 2016. Double hand-picking, fermentation in steel, 24 months in barrique, then bottle ageing.

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Cerretalto wins in the exceptional 2016 vintage with beautiful, natural complexity and fine oak tones surrounded by cinnamon, clove, chocolate and exotic spices. On the palate, a dark, dense, ripe fruit and firm tannins. Incredibly long and deep with amazingly fresh acidity and fine salinity. For us, the perfect Riserva of this great vintage and made for decades! SUPERIORE.DE

Just 3,000 bottles of the exceptional 2016 vintage were released. The grapes for this exceptional Chianti Classico come from vines that grow in the south-west at an altitude of between 350 and 480 metres above sea level. The soil here is characterised by galestro and limestone. Rich, deep dark ruby colour with a velvety sheen. Multi-layered, concentrated aromas of plum, black cherry, spices and menthol. Complex on the palate with a multi-faceted flavour profile that only opens up gradually and only reveals its full spectrum to the patient. A paragon wine of great depth, class and irresistibility. SUPERIORE.DE

"An expression of elegance in Serralunga", Luca Currado underlines at the tasting of Lazzarito, and we already agree with him on the nose. Gravel, pebbles, red fruits, rose petals, lavender and sage permeate this plastic and very lively Serralunga Barolo. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit. The balsamic symphony opens the doors to a sip that is undoubtedly powerful, but at the same time refreshing and rich in vitamins. With added aeration, Lazzarito delivers mint and balsamic herbs. Lazzarito sets the pace and never loses its rhythm, the great texture of the tannins flanks this palate spectacle in an ideal way and we will discover much more about this great Barolo in the years to come. SUPERIORE.DE

Luca Currado cultivates the Brunate Cru on the La Morra side of the vineyard (opposite the Barolo side) and this wine contains fruit from new plots. It convinces with an impressive aroma of red berries, cherries, wild herbs, mint, minerals and rose petals, rounded off by a hint of blood orange. On the palate we find a terrific softness and textural silkiness, this continues with hints of mint, liquorice and camphor ash for many minutes. Polished tannins round off this masterpiece into an extremely elegant Brunate. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Prapò comes from Serralunga d'Alba and is, as expected, the most powerful and structured of the various single-vineyard wines from this ambitious estate. At the same time, it is also the most closed at the beginning and, with its introverted nature, is made for a long ageing period. This site is one of the last where the grapes ripen, giving them plenty of time to develop slowly and carefully each year.

Barolo Lazzarito 2019, which obtains its fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, is built like a pyramid. It stands on a thick base of robust fruit and power and rises in intensity thanks to its wonderfully elevated bouquet. It shows direct and solid lines with blackberries, plums, spices, tar, liquorice, candied orange peel and truffle-infused earth. A second wave of flavours offers dark minerals, iron ore and rust. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit. With additional aeration, the Lazzarito, certified organic for the first time in this vintage, delivers mint and fine balsamic herbs and will fully inspire with further maturation in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

When the world-famous Oenologist Carlo Ferrini makes his own wine, you can't help but be excited. Here, he has succeeded in creating an interpretation of Sangiovese that brings all his experience from decades of working with this grape variety to the fore as if through a burning glass. The moderate use of wood through ageing in 700-litre tonneaux expresses the clarity and personality of the grape and the unique terroir (there are just 1.5 hectares of the best Brunello sites) in an archetypal way.