Organic

Ghiaie della Furba means "pebbles of the Furba stream" and there is a reason for this, as the vines for this wine grow on the river pebbles on the banks of this stream. It is one of the very first "Supertuscans". After an hour in the carafe, this extremely complex red reveals wonderfully clear, dark fruit, blackberries and cassis, as well as coffee notes, dark chocolate and spices. Its very good structure and personality are impressive. It is already very accessible today (with aeration), but still hides its great potential for the next decade. SUPERIORE.DE

Bucine, Valdarno di Sopra – where the Arno meanders through gentle hills between Arezzo and Florence, Fattoria Petrolo lies between 250 and 500 metres above sea level. In 1988, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust wanted a wine that told the true identity of this terroir: the "Château" of Petrolo, a tribute to the centuries-old Tuscan tradition of combining French varieties with Sangiovese. As early as 1834, Giorgio Perrin, agronomist of Swiss origin and owner of Petrolo, reported in the "Giornale Agrario Toscano" that it was customary in Chianti to blend "uve francese" with Sangiovese, not to change the quality, but because the terroir won out over the grape varieties.

At the southern foot of the Margreider Schuttkegel is a vineyard with the dialect name "Punggl", which has been known and coveted for viticulture since time immemorial. In the mid-1950s, the former owners of the Hirschprunn estate planted a vineyard there with Merlot, as it had already produced very good results in previous decades. In 1995, the grapes from this vineyard were of such first-class quality that they inspired Luis von Dellemann, the Oenologistresponsible at the time, to vinify these grapes as a single variety - since then, and only in the best years, this strictly selected grape material has formed the basis for the MCM.

In Sicily, "Firraru" is not just a profession – it symbolises precision craftsmanship and quiet dignity. The blacksmith who moulds lasting values with patience, fire and strength. Feudo Maccari dedicates its most impressive white wine to this image: a single-varietal Grillo, which, like no other, makes the combination of origin, patience and depth tangible. The name was deliberately chosen because the wine is artisanal, elegant, precise and at the same time uncompromisingly Sicilian. The grapes come from high-altitude plots in the south-east of the island, where the limestone-rich soil and proximity to the sea give the Grillo structure and salty tension. Manual harvesting, gentle pressing and slow fermentation form the basis – the wine then matures for 12 months on the fine lees in Liters French oak tonneaux, with some of the wine also being matured in concrete eggs. Here too, the organic approach is not just a label, but is reflected in the clarity and vitality of the wine.

A small marvel, perfectly harmonised with multi-layered aromas of tropical fruits, apples and honey. A highly interesting white natural wine that is far more than just a casual pleasure, as it offers an extremely full, well-structured flavour. Fermented with the skins using the red wine method. Strong yellow colour with golden reflections. Intense aroma of dried herbs, incense, candied lemon peel and a hint of bitter orange. Fresh citrus notes on the palate, an exciting acidity and a powerful structure lead into a very long finish, crowned by a hint of bitter almonds. Very complex and a wonderful accompaniment to food – be sure to aerate! SUPERIORE.DE

More than a hundred years ago, a white bull named Desiderio lived on the Capezzine farm in Avignonesi. He was the largest bull in Tuscany at the time – and what's more, he is one of the recognised ancestors of the Chianina breed, the noble breed of cattle from which the Bistecca Fiorentina is cut. Anyone enjoying a Florentine-style T-bone steak today is likely to have a little bit of Desiderio's DNA on their plate. It was therefore a natural choice for Avignonesi to name its most powerful red wine after him. The label shows him – and changes with every vintage. The sky, lighting mood and details in the illustration tell of the climate of the year: whether hot or cool, dry or balanced. A quiet commentary on the vintage in pictorial form.

This red classic from Montepulciano already bears its claim in its name: nobile. No other wine in Italy has this adjective written into its specifications – and hardly any other producer has honoured it as consistently in recent decades as Federico Carletti and his Poliziano winery. Founded in 1961 by father Dino, today under Federico's leadership and long since anchored in the next generation – with Francesco and Maria Stella, who have been helping to shape the future since 2019 and 2021. Poliziano has been certified organic since the 2021 harvest – not a marketing decision, but the logical conclusion of decades of work without chemical weedkillers and insecticides. Prugnolo Gentile, the local variety of Sangiovese, grows on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, careful selection in the vineyard and in the cellar, fermentation with indigenous yeasts in conical concrete vats – minimum intervention, maximum expression. Maturation in large barrels and tonneaux: the wood frames, it does not dominate.

In Sicily, "Firraru" is not just a profession – it symbolises precision craftsmanship and quiet dignity. The blacksmith who moulds lasting values with patience, fire and strength. Feudo Maccari dedicates its most impressive white wine to this image: a single-varietal Grillo, which, like no other, makes the combination of origin, patience and depth tangible. The name was deliberately chosen because the wine is artisanal, elegant, precise and at the same time uncompromisingly Sicilian. The grapes come from high-altitude plots in the south-east of the island, where the limestone-rich soil and proximity to the sea give the Grillo structure and salty tension. Manual harvesting, gentle pressing and slow fermentation form the basis – the wine then matures for 12 months on the fine lees in Liters French oak tonneaux, with some of the wine also being matured in concrete eggs. Here too, the organic approach is not just a label, but is reflected in the clarity and vitality of the wine.

When Ferruccio Ferragamo took over the dilapidated Borgo from the Duke of Savoy-Aosta in 1993, it was more than just a property purchase. It was, as he himself said, "an act of faith". Thirty years later, the flagship of the house carries this spirit in every bottle: a commitment to elegance without compromise. A meticulous geological study preceded its creation. Each grape variety was planted where the soil would best bring out its strengths: Merlot for velvety opulence, Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and depth, Syrah for freshness and aromatic lift. Separate vinification, then the marriage – a blend that bears the signature of Valdarno. The wines mature for eighteen months in French oak – the Merlot partly in larger barrels to preserve its fruit, Cabernet and Syrah in first and second passage barriques. The result is neither a copy of nor a competitor to Bolgheri or Chianti, but something completely unique.

What does it mean to elicit the highest form of expression from a grape variety? For the Ferragamos, it is the essence of their wine philosophy – and this Chardonnay is their white manifesto. In a region that, since Cosimo III de' Medici's decree of 1716, has been one of the four noblest wine zones in Tuscany, Il Borro dares to do the unexpected: a white wine that wants to compete with the great Burgundies. The vines are rooted in metamorphic soils interspersed with fossilised sea shells – witnesses to a time when water still covered the land here. At the foot of the Pratomagno, they find that balance of warmth and night-time coolness that gives the Chardonnay both ripeness and freshness. After being harvested by hand in small crates, an unrivalled ageing process begins: part of the must ferments in stainless steel, while the rest is divided between clayver, acacia and oak barriques. Maturation on the fine lees lends texture and depth – each vessel contributes its own nuance before merging into the final cuvée.

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

The Popoli vineyard bears witness to the fact that the Valle Reale plateau has been a wine-growing area since time immemorial. Several rows of this vineyard stretch out in front of the ruins of a cave cellar dating back to 1300. This is where the Benedictine monks from the monastery of San Benedetto in Perillis produced and stored their wine. A small plot of around 1 hectare is dedicated to Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.

In the gentle hills of Neive, where the Bordini family cultivated their vines for over three hundred years, Giorgio Rivetti has been writing a new chapter in Piedmontese wine history since 2006. When the last scion of the Bordini dynasty sold his 4.5-hectare estate, the visionary winemaker of La Spinetta immediately recognised the extraordinary potential of this site. At an altitude of 240 metres, facing south-east, where calcareous marl meets sandy soils, forty-year-old Nebbiolo vines now thrive according to organic principles – without herbicides or pesticides, in harmony with nature. The Bordini was originally intended as Giorgio's basic Barbaresco, but the grapes revealed such exceptional quality that one of the most elegant representatives of the region was created. The particularly sandy soil composition gives this wine the lightness and aromatic delicacy that distinguishes it from heavier Barbaresco wines.

The Romanesque Pieve di San Marcellino was built in the year 1000. It still stands today – in the middle of the vineyards of Rocca di Montegrossi, seven kilometres south of Gaiole, at the southern tip of the Chianti Classico. The vineyard bears its name. And the vines that surround it are older than most of the appellations that appear on labels today. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is a descendant of Baron Bettino Ricasoli – the "Iron Baron" who defined the formula for Chianti Classico in the 19th century. Not as a marketing idea, but as a genetic link to this soil. The vineyard has been certified organic since 2010 and has been planted with Pugnitello alongside Sangiovese since 2006 – an autochthonous Tuscan grape variety that was almost extinct in the 1980s. Pugnitello deepens the colour, thickens the structure and sharpens the profile of the Sangiovese grape. Hand-picked, separate fermentation of both varieties on wild yeasts in upright wooden tanks, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, bottled unfiltered. Only produced in outstanding vintages – the 2020 is one of them.

For some years now, Matteo Catania has been holding back a few hundred bottles of his wines in the best vintages in order to offer them to his most loyal importers after a few years. From this "private reserve" comes Nerosanloré 2010, which is now - in spring 2023 - offered in small quantities with 9 years of further bottle ageing quasi in Riserva quality.

Poggio San Polo Brunello is a selection of the best grapes from the estate's various vineyard sites. It opens very engagingly with dark fruit, including plenty of black cherry and dark plum, optimally rounded off by a fine balsamic herbal spice and notes of white pepper. The palate has an almost perfect texture, a suppleness and silkiness that is refreshed and carried by a well-proportioned, refined Sangiovese acidity. Dark berry flavours, long, deep and with a very remarkable, slightly mineral final. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio San Polo Brunello is a selection of the best grapes from the estate's various vineyard sites. It opens very engagingly with dark fruit, including plenty of black cherry and dark plum, optimally rounded off by a fine balsamic herbal spice and notes of white pepper. The palate has an almost perfect texture, a suppleness and silkiness that is refreshed and carried by a well-proportioned, refined Sangiovese acidity. Dark berry flavours, long, deep and with a very remarkable, slightly mineral final. SUPERIORE.DE

The rosé version of the Vin Santo, the Occhio di Pernice (Eye of the Partridge), is created using the red Sangiovese grape variety. Dark and copper-coloured in the glass. Fascinating bouquet of smoke, honey, caramel and dried apricots. Exotic, full-bodied on the palate with a wonderful balance of freshness and lively acidity. Clean, almost dry finish with a racy aftertaste of dried fruit and spices. Exciting and stimulating! SUPERIORE.DE

When Lamole di Lamole acquired this two-hectare cru in 2017, they didn't just take over vines – they took over a legacy. The Sangiovese vines, planted in 1994, grow here in the archaic form of the "Alberello Lamolese", the bush training that generations of winegrowers have wrested from the harsh altitude and which they never wanted to give up. This natural terrace lies between 540 and 580 metres, exposed to the south, buffeted by the wind and flooded with the purest light. The old dry stone walls made of ochre-coloured Macigno Toscano absorb the sun's heat during the day and give it back to the vines at night – a dialogue between stone and plant that has been going on for centuries. As early as 1800, the geographer Emanuele Repetti noted: "Buon vino di Lamole, lodata campagna" – good wine from Lamole, praised landscape. In 2018, the village was declared a "Patrimonio Storico d'Italia". The 2020 – only the third vintage from this vineyard – shows what Gran Selezione can mean. The grapes undergo optical selection, ferment in 50-hectolitre conical barrels with "macerazione differita", mature first in the same containers, then in 30-hectolitre oak barrels. The result? A wine that the winemakers themselves describe as lyrical and beguiling.

A Barbera with a closed gaze – as if you were looking into a dark, purple-red depth from which concentrated essences rise. Scarrone Vigna Vecchia comes from vines that are decades old – partly planted around 1918 – in the Scarrone vineyard near Castiglione Falletto. In the cellar, spontaneous fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by around 16 months of ageing in predominantly French barriques (proportion new), where intelligent use of wood subtly helps the terroir. The 2021 vintage brought full maturity, dense fruit and clear acidity – the best prerequisites for an expressive but elegant Barbera with Storage potential.

This impressive Sangiovese comes from the single vineyard "Vitticciana", which was specially created for a pure Sangiovese wine by the "Godfather of Carmignano" Ugo Contini Bonacossi due to its perfect orientation. It is only produced in the best years, when it presents itself as a multi-layered wine with fine fruit and fine-grained tannins. After a few years of ageing in the bottle, it can easily hold its own with some of the best Brunello di Montalcino. SUPERIORE.DE

The Krafuss farm, whose history dates back to the Renaissance, is owned by Roland Riz, Alois Lageder's father-in-law. This historic estate near Magreid has existed since the Renaissance and gives the wine its name. In 1991, the Pinot Noir vineyards on the San Michele hill at an altitude of 430-450 metres were completely replanted – with selected Burgundy clones in dense plantings for cordon training. The 21-year-old vines thrive on loamy, rocky moraine soils with limestone content, cultivated according to Demeter-certified biodynamic methods since 2013. Malolactic fermentation takes place after 18 days of maceration in stainless steel tanks. The wine then matures for twelve months in French barriques of various sizes, which gives it structure and complexity.

Oro di Caiarossa is a 100% Petit Manseng, the grapes are harvested by hand at the end of October. Dark golden yellow, almost amber-coloured in the glass. Flavours of passion fruit, mango and honey are softened by citrus fruits and floral elements. Subtly sweet on the palate with graceful flavours of candied citrus and tropical fruit. A fine hint of tannin and a reasonable length on the finish. This already fascinating dessert wine has both warmth and freshness and will gain in concentration as it matures. SUPERIORE.DE