Organic Red Wine

1983 was the first year. Luca Martini di Cigala, at the time just about to take over an estate that was still selling its wine in bulk to Antinori and Ruffino, decided to do the opposite of what many of his contemporaries were doing: no international grape varieties, no modernisation of the label, no barriques full of vanilla. A single wine, from a single field of grapes, from a single grape variety. Sangiovese. San Giusto a Rentennano – percarlo made his debut with the 1983 vintage – and immediately began to rewrite the history of Chianti Classico. The philosophy of the wine is the philosophy of its maker: vineyard before cellar. The grapes for the Percarlo are not selected by parcel, but every bunch of grapes is checked, every vine, every site. The yield is one kilogramme per vine. This has been the approach since 2001, because Martini di Cigala recognised how inconsistent Sangiovese can be from vine to vine, even within the same parcel. The soils that are the inspiration for the Percarlo originate mainly from the Pliocene period – layers of sand and stones, two to five metres deep, on a bed of clay. Mineral, draining, with the ability to speak to the Sangiovese for years.

Fresh, vibrant and full of energy, Geremia 2019 is highly entertaining and lively. Its flavours are remarkably intense, yet it also has a certain lightness that keeps it balanced and brilliant with every sip. Crushed stones, menthol, liquorice, sage and gravel envelop its core of blue and violet fruits, the tannins are well-built and it convinces not least with its beautiful length. Geremia always has something magical about it and its special personality makes it one of the most remarkable red wines from the Chianti Classico region for us every year. 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.

Geremia founded the Ricasoli family in the 7th or 8th century – at a time when Chianti was not yet a wine name, but a battleground between rival noble families. Today, his descendant Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi runs the same estate, on the same land, in Gaiole in Chianti. And he gave this wine the name of his ancestor. This is piquant in that the Geremia is not a Sangiovese. Marco planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon on 2.5 hectares of his hills in 1997 – consciously, curiously, with a clear question: what does this terroir say in another language? The chalky-clay soils between 340 and 510 metres, the south-southeast exposure, the microclimate between Florence and Siena – everything that characterises Sangiovese is also available to the Bordeaux varieties here. Hand-picked in baskets, fermentation in temperature-controlled tanks, 24 months in medium-roasted Allier barriques, bottled unfiltered, 18 months bottle ageing. Certified organic.

Monforte d'Alba is located in the southern Barolo region, where the soils are heavier, richer in clay and iron. Those who grow Nebbiolo here produce a different wine than those to the north and east – more structured, darker, with a density that needs time. Chiara Boschis bought a plot of land in the MGA Mosconi in 2009 – the most recent acquisition in the estate's portfolio, and the one with the most intense voice in it. 1.9 hectares at 370 to 400 metres, south-facing. The soils are Helvetian in character – calcareous clay marl layers with a characteristic grey to slightly pinkish-warm hue, depending on where calcium carbonate and iron shift the composition. In some places, these layers tend towards a reddish colour, tinged with iron and interspersed with pebbles. It is a soil that gives substance to the Nebbiolo, demands long maturation and produces vinous vigour of a kind that is not found in lighter soils. Chiara Boschis was the first Oenologist to receive organic certification in Barolo. Today she works together with her brother Giorgio – and the Mosconi bears the signature of both.

Every year, Renieri conjures up a lush and fruit-driven Brunello in the glass, bursting with freshness, brightness and balsamic-aromatic intensity. Its grapes come from a small, nine-hectare parcel with chalky clay soils. It offers strong cherry and blackberry aromas with delicate spice, smoke and blue flowers. The wonderfully balanced acidity propels this showpiece wine into a seemingly endless final. SUPERIORE.DE

There are moments in wine history when terroir, vintage and human mastery come together to create something extraordinary. The Barolo Bricco Boschis 2021 is one such moment – born from one of the most celebrated vintages in recent history and from a vineyard that has belonged exclusively to the Cavallotto family for almost a century. 2021 was the year that reminded Barolo lovers of the classic virtues of the great vintages: elegance instead of power, finesse instead of opulence, freshness instead of overripe sweetness.

Grattamacco is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the latter grape variety certainly contributing to the fresh style of this wine. However, the overall picture is only complete when you realise that the vineyards used for this blend are among the best in the appellation. The Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso Superiore is characterised by its typical aromas of leaves and Mediterranean forest, with subtle flavours of kiwi peel, cassis, paprika and chocolate. Velvety, youthful and firm on the attack, less light than the Alberello, but more tightly woven and of great elegance. Its length is astonishing, great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

The extremely complex Barbera d'Asti La Crena comes from vines up to 90 years old in the heart of the Nizza Monferrato region and smells of ripe red fruits, hay and pastries. The full-bodied, warm taste lingers long with plenty of dark fruit, well-proportioned acidity and fine cocoa tones. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes one of the best Cabernet Franc wines in Italy: bluish nuances mingle with ruby red. Blackberries and hints of roasted coffee in the deep bouquet, seaweed, balsamic and minty notes as the wine opens. Full and silky tannins on the palate with hints of violets and mint, flavour and freshness. All of this is carried by a noble excellence into a harmonious and persistent finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Monprà combines equal parts Barbera and Nebbiolo from vines in Monforte d'Alba, some of which are over 50 years old, at an altitude of 300-400 metres, from sites with clayey-limestone marl soils interspersed with sandy veins. Fermentation is temperature-controlled and takes place separately for each grape variety in stainless steel, while malolactic fermentation and 18 months of ageing take place separately in French oak. Only then are the batches blended – a precise, elegant blend that combines the fullness of Barbera with the noblesse of Nebbiolo.

Sangiovese in purezza. Wonderfully spicy aroma, dark forest berries and cherries, some graphite and cedar wood. Silky elegance on the palate, juicy, dark berries, paired with an animating interplay of fruit and acidity that really lets the wine dance across the tongue. Percarlo has depth and length as well as potential for many years in the cellar. One of the great single-varietal Sangiovese wines of central Tuscany. SUPERIORE.DE

Of the four Gulfi-Cru, this is the vineyard closest to the sea, less than 700 metres away and only 10-15 metres above sea level. With vines that grow on sandy soils. A beautiful, multi-layered wine that shows the elegant side of Nero d'Avola that few producers are ever able to present. Precise aromas of ripe red cherries, flint, orange peel, lavender and violets. Silky and juicy on the palate, with a refined but very concentrated extract that almost crushes the taste buds, yet remains lively and not at all heavy, giving the flavours of red cherries, raspberries, flowers and minerals beautiful definition and lift. The finish is very deep and long, with very soft tannins, a beguiling aroma and extreme finesse; very Barolo-like. SUPERIORE.DE

There are vineyards that are named after the place where they are located. And there are vineyards that give the place its name in the first place. Podernovi is one such case – the three hectares of Sangiovese that have been growing on this plot for over thirty years are so inextricably linked to the hill that the vineyard and district bear the same name. When San Polo bottled the first single-vineyard Brunello from this vineyard in 2015, it was less a debut than a recognition of what the soil had long known. Podernovi lies at 450 metres above sea level, facing south-east, where the view sweeps across the Val d'Orcia to Monte Amiata. The soils are a kaleidoscope of Tuscan geology: marl and galestro, the slate-like clay that gives the best Sangiovese vineyards in the region their unnerving minerality, interspersed with clay that stores water and supplies the vines even in dry summers. What sets this vineyard apart from others is not just its terroir, but the rigour with which San Polo cultivates it: four to five grapes per vine, no more – 700 to 800 grams per vine, a yield that is reminiscent of Burgundy conditions and forces the Sangiovese to achieve a concentration that it rarely reaches elsewhere.

Masari's flagship presents itself in a deep, dense garnet red colour. Ripe blackberry and cassis on the nose, underpinned by bitter cocoa and ripe cherries, light leather spice and liquorice. Full and balanced on the palate, slowly but complexly spreads over the tongue, then convinces with beautiful and lasting pressure, long, salty and simply wonderful. SUPERIORE.DE

Every year, La Crena is one of the best and most refined Barbera wines that Piedmont produces. The vines in the Vigna del Nove parcel date back to the 1930s. This vintage will also need many years to develop its full expressiveness, but that's the way it is and we love this crazy development potential so much. La Crena is creamy and rich in the glass, dense, very concentrated with an abundance of layers of fruit that only develop fully with further years of ageing and make for an energetic, exciting wine. SUPERIORE.DE

A summer that Europe remembers as hot – and Montalcino as surprising. The vines of Col d'Orcia, deeply rooted in the calcareous, clay-poor soils of the Orcia hill, showed in 2020 what biodynamic cultivation means in years of stress: resilience. Early bud burst after a mild winter, followed by a balanced spring with well-distributed rainfall. The summer remained warm, but without extreme heat phases – sporadic downpours at the end of August cooled the soil at the last moment and allowed the grapes to develop aromatic compounds instead of simply ripening. In addition, there were pronounced day-night temperature differences in September. Harvest from mid-September, clean and structured. The result has a character that Montalcino connoisseurs describe as "captivante": simultaneously accessible and enigmatic. Maceration for 18 to 20 days, shallow 150-hl steel tanks, gentle extraction. Three years in large barrels, twelve months in the bottle: Col d'Orcia's traditional vinification process – unchanged for decades because it works.

In 1977, a 34-year-old manager from Bergamo came to the Tuscan coast. Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari had had enough of balance sheets and meetings – the wine journalist Luigi Veronelli had persuaded him that his place was among the vines, not in offices. What he found: a piece of land without electricity, without running water, overgrown and forgotten. Only the name reminded him of a distant past: Grattamacco – the slag heaps of the Etruscans, who smelted iron here two and a half thousand years ago. Five years later, in 1982, Meletti Cavallari bottled his first wine – as a simple Vino da Tavola, three years before Ornellaia even existed.

Classic Super Tuscan made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot matured in French oak. In its very dense violet-red colour, clear fruity notes and a highly enticing hint of candied lemons inspire. The flavour is very harmonious, rich and powerful, the tannins perfectly integrated, the spicy final beautifully persistent. SUPERIORE.DE

Bright, deep ruby red colour. The purity and brilliance of this wine are wonderfully evident as soon as you put your nose in the glass: precise aromas of red fruits, liquorice and minerals are lifted by an intense violet top note. Sweet and sexy on the palate, it then becomes somewhat masculine and broad-shouldered in the middle, showing impressive volume and depth with flavours of dark red cherries, menthol and minerals. Full-bodied and refined with elegant and intense tannins that draw you deep into the wine. This wonderful Riserva from the top 2019 vintage is a well thought-out and finely crafted Brunello that definitely needs a little more time to show its true greatness. SUPERIORE.DE

Dievoles Gran Selezione Vigna Sessina is dark, brooding and with wonderfully powerful cherry and blackberry flavours. Very defined and precise on the palate with an archetypal interpretation of the grape variety. Everything is in the right place here, the balance and clarity impresses with every sip. The finish has terrificlength and depth. This is Sangiovese in its purest form with infinite energy and expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit flavours of pomegranate, cherry and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. Fresh rose sugar and graphite on the palate, with raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberry flavours. Long finish with a fine cassis note. SUPERIORE.DE