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In 1987, Paolo De Marchi embarked on an experiment that was to become legendary: he grafted Chardonnay cuttings onto existing vines in the woodland-fringed vineyards of Isole e Olena. What began as a bold venture developed into one of Tuscany’s most exceptional white wines – a silent masterpiece, also known as a ‘silent wine’ due to its limited production. The 2023 vintage tells the story of a special terroir: The five hectares of vineyards in the northernmost part of the estate, surrounded by protective woods, create a cooler microclimate that lends the Chardonnay that mineral precision and elegance which sets it apart from its Tuscan counterparts. Vines over twenty years old, harvested by hand in the first days of September, form the foundation of this rarity. Paolo De Marchi’s Burgundian signature is revealed in the vinification: fermentation in barriques, followed by ten to twelve months of ageing on the fine lees in French oak barrels – —one third new, one third second-use, one third third-use. Regular bâtonnage, initially three times a week and later once a week, lends the wine its silky texture and complex depth.

Montosoli 2018 presents itself in bright ruby and with a clear bouquet of raspberry, blood orange and hot spices. Strict elegance on the palate, red fruits, flowers, tobacco and grass, plus slightly salty minerality, long in the finish. A Burgundy-like style with the tannin and structure of a great Brunello. SUPERIORE.DE

Bruno is the second top wine from Vecchie Terre di Montefili and an almost single-varietal Cabernet that impressively underlines its Tuscan origins in a rich garnet red. Restrained on the nose, it initially only gently reveals dark berries and light spicy tones. Then we discover herbal accents, blackberry, crushed rock and liquorice, which reveal more of its Tuscan identity with every sip. Voluminous and fresh on the velvety palate, the acidity and tannin still crisp when young, with good tension and mineral-salty components as it progresses, underlining its complexity and making this sophisticated drinking pleasure unforgettable. Be sure to aerate! SUPERIORE.DE

Sandro Chia had the right nose when he bought the very high vineyard that his neighbours actually advised him against. Named after this single vineyard, the famous artist and his son Filippo vinify a wine that is somewhat denser than the normal Annata. The full bouquet has lively notes of dark red cherries, spices, plums and leather. Filo di Seta is racy and lush, yet has a clearly recognisable structure and impresses with its impressive balance. Sweet floral and spicy notes add exciting nuances on the expressive finish. A bold and immensely viral Brunello and a masterpiece every year! SUPERIORE.DE

Dark cherries, menthol, flowers and tar are just some of the classic notes in the complex bouquet of the Bricco Pernice from the Ravera single vineyard. On the palate, the austere structure and great power are joined by a fine inner sweetness. In the long finish, memories of damp earth, dried herbs and wild flowers. SUPERIORE.DE

Pàtrimo is no ordinary southern Italian. Vinified purely from Merlot, this exceptional wine comes from ancient, ungrafted vines that Feudi di San Gregorio once discovered at high altitudes in Irpinia – a viticultural rarity and the foundation of one of Italy's most iconic red wines. Deep dark ruby colour with a violet rim in the glass. The bouquet shows Merlot in an unusual, Mediterranean way: Black cherry, ripe plum, liquorice and rosemary, underpinned by mocha, tobacco leaf, vanilla and graphite. Structured and opulent on the palate, but never overloaded: velvety tannins, extract-rich fruit, dark spice and a hint of balsamic freshness that balances the richness. The long ageing in new French barriques lends the wine noblesse without putting it in uniform.

Garnet red with delicate violet reflections. Currá 2013 is initially archaic and unapproachable. With time and oxygen it reveals dark berries and a fine chocolate note. In his style he is rather angular, but does not deny his greatness and harmony at any point. Tobacco, plums, smoke and tobacco: with every glass this exceptional wine reveals new facets and a firework of impressions. So Nebbiolo goes from 65 years old vines at the highest level! SUPERIORE.DE

"The Stilèma project was born as a testimony of Antonio Mastroberardino's love for his land, his vines and his wines, for their original character." Piero Mastroberardino

Here comes the second vintage of Tua Rita's new wine from the Alta Maremma. Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah will be bottled, aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

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 powerful cherry and blackberry aromas with delicate spice, smoke and blue flowers. The wonderfully balanced acidity pushes this showpiece wine into a seemingly endless final. Completely successful! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the high-altitude MGA Il Bricco near Treiso. Each parcel is harvested separately, fermented in stainless steel with long maceration and then matured classically in large Slavonian and French oak barrels; a small proportion matures in barriques to refine the texture without masking the origin. The 2018 vintage was characterised by a long growing season with a sufficient water supply, a warm summer and a calm autumn. The late, selective harvest yielded pure grapes with a fine acidity line and polished tannins – a subtle, elegant style with early grace and good development prospects.

If there is one thing that Giacomo Neri has mastered 100%, it is harvesting at the optimal time of ripeness. He knows his property and his vines better than most and it shows.

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

The Ravera vineyard in Novello is considered one of the coolest and structurally most demanding crus in the Barolo zone – a terroir of calcareous marl with fine layers of sand, which gives the wines precision, firm tannins and exceptional longevity. Bricco Pernice originates from a parcel on the upper slope, perfectly exposed to the south-west, where the vines ripen evenly under a gentle breeze. 2018 was a moderate year with a balanced growing season and a long ripening phase, which gave the Nebbiolo elegance and aromatic depth.

Only 5,000 bottles leave the estate – a silent witness to Paolo De Marchi's uncompromising obsession with quality. From the best Galestro and Alberese soils at high altitudes, one of Italy's most convincing Cabernets has been produced here since the 1980s. The 2018 embodies the soul of an exceptional vintage: 24 months in French barriques, forty per cent of which were new, followed by three silent years in the bottle. This patience shapes a wine of rare depth – dark blue fruit, lavender, mocha and espresso weave themselves into a complex tapestry of flavours. Burgundian elegance and Tuscan soul come together here: velvety tannins envelop concentrated cassis and blackberry flavours, while notes of sweet tobacco, graphite and chocolate characterise the long finish. A wine that rewards patience and only shows its true colours after years of ageing – paolo De Marchi's vision of Cabernet as an expression of Tuscan terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

The approx. 1.6 hectare single vineyard Loreto is situated on a slope directly next to the winery and has an ideal south-east exposure. Bright berry bouquet with notes of ripe cherries, plums, cassis, leather and spices. The rich palate reveals warm tones of game, Indian spices and cured meat, topped with a surprising intensity of bright red cherries. An extremely well-balanced and long Brunello that truly does not lack power and character. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio Landi's top growth Chiuso del Lupo comes from a plot of one hectare at 550 m altitude. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, ageing is in 30 hl French oak barrels. Deep dark ruby red. On the nose, dark, earthy forest and undergrowth, plus ripe forest berries with menthol and floral accents. The sweet, lush fruit is accompanied by a salty note, the tannins are expansive but not aggressive, but youthful and chewy. A wine that is made for the long haul and whose future will be great. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this exceptional wine come from vineyards at 450 metres above sea level in the Neive district. Fine spicy notes, dark berries and wet earth dominate the precise structure and power of this nevertheless very elegant red. Buy, store and revel in anticipation! SUPERIORE.DE

In 994, the son of the Lombard king Berengario gave what is now Gagliole to his bride – a pledge of love that still echoes in the vineyards today. The Pecchia, named after the old Tuscan word for bee, embodies the essence of this legendary terroir from the Conca d'Oro of Panzano. Here, at an altitude of 500 metres on the north-western edge of the golden basin, the purest Sangiovese thrives on the rare Pietraforte limestone that gives Gagliole's wines their unmistakable minerality. The Vinificazione integrale – a process developed in 2002 by the oldest French cooperage Baron – makes this wine something special. Whole grapes are fermented in specially constructed barriques with enlarged openings, allowing every ounce of flavour from the hand-picked berries to migrate into the wine. Eighteen months in French oak, followed by a further eight months in concrete tanks and at least one year of bottle ageing, create a density and complexity that is only possible in the very best years.

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. A great harmony of dark cherries, black fruits, spices, leather and tobacco, ideally integrated tannins and great persistence will quickly make the few thousand bottles a sought-after collector's item. SUPERIORE.DE

Ridolfo, son of Geremia, progenitor of the Firidolfi branch – marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is the 37th generation of this family, which has been cultivating the same hills in Gaiole in Chianti since the Lombard era. The wine bears his name. And like its namesake, it is not a founder, but a continuator – consistent, independent, with its own character. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello: a combination that Marco himself described as surprising. The Pugnitello, indigenous and almost extinct in the 1980s, gives wild fruit, pepper and earthiness. The Cabernet gives structure and depth. Certified organic, hand-picked, fermentation in upright wooden tanks with wild yeasts, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, 36 months bottle ageing. Magnum, hand-numbered, only in outstanding vintages.

A few years ago, Pio Boffa, who has unfortunately passed away in the meantime, bought himself a "small" present for his 60th birthday. Not a new set of golf clubs, a picture hanging in the hall, a holiday for him and the family. No. Just a vineyard called Mosconi in Monforte d'Alba, a region of Piedmont where four generations of the Pio Cesare dynasty never gained a foothold. Originally, the grapes from the 10-hectare vineyard were to enhance the quality of his classic Barolo, but after the first barrel samples, it was unmistakably clear to Pio Boffa that this would be at least an equal - if stylistically different - counterpart to the hitherto undisputed flagship Ornato.

This dry Gewürztraminer from the Pirchschrait single vineyard at Kolbenhof is a tribute to Konrad Oberhofer, who was the first to vinify the grapes from individual vineyards separately in the 1930s. Martin Foradori Hofstätter's grandfather was a pioneer of vineyard thinking. His goal was to make the special character of each site tangible in the wine.