Sangiovese

Millecento Riserva from the dream vintage 2016 unfolds in the glass with hints of mocha, sweet cherry and plum, tobacco and a touch of fresh mint. There is a sense of opulence, but also of sophistication, as the texture of ripe red fruits with salty mineral notes glides across the palate, taking on a sweet herbal note towards the end. It finishes with a layer of fine tannins and acidic citrus, while tart wild berries and a hint of exotic spices linger. This wine still has several years of development ahead of it, but its refined blend of richness and elegance can already be experienced today. SUPERIORE.DE

A modernist by the book. Balanced and impressive at the same time. 2018 Rennina with powerful aromas and flavours of violets, black cherries, tobacco and menthol. The tannins are firm yet beautifully integrated. Rennina is a complex, medium-bodied wine, which has a great positive influence on its ageing potential and makes it a success story. SUPERIORE.DE

Angelo Gaja makes his wines with broad brushstrokes that form shapes of perfect harmony and grandeur, he makes them modern but never too fashionable. Rennina 2019 is a dark, lush and juicy red wine with a seamless overall integration. On the palate, bold fruit, oak spice, acidity and a well-knit tannin hold the overall composition together in an overwhelming and warm embrace. SUPERIORE.DE

Le Macioche Riserva 2019 has the same slender and bright appearance as the Annata and the fine aromas of wild berries and cassis associated with Sangiovese. Racy and supple, it sweeps across the palate with a silky texture and shows tart wild berries and sour citrus fruit, all accompanied by lively acidity. The finish is long, with an earthy aftertaste. A very successful Riserva from a wonderful year, which has been interpreted very convincingly in this wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Rennina 2020 is dark and powerful in the glass, opening slowly with notes of crushed stone, cedar, mint and a hint of cumin as its dark red fruits begin to unfold in a captivating display. On the palate, tart cherry and blackberry fruit is accompanied by a silky texture and balanced by a core of rounded tannins and stimulating acidity, with notes of liquorice and sweet herbs behind. The finish is medium-long and balanced, with fine-grained tannins under a sheen of polished red and black fruits and a hint of lavender on the finish. Leave to lie down and be rewarded! SUPERIORE.DE

Those with less patience can open now. Those with foresight should wait. The PS Riserva 2019 is at one of those points where a great Brunello shows what it has in store for the first time – and at the same time makes it clear that not everything has worked out yet. 2019 is considered one of the most substantial vintages in recent Montalcino history: complex, structured, with a concentration resulting from excellent seasonal conditions and perfect tannin maturity. For the one and a half hectares of the oldest parcels in Pelagrilli – whose vines are now over fifty years old – this meant a harvest of rare intensity. Giancarlo's uncompromising selection, optical sorter, double hand-picking, fermentation in steel, 24 months in small French oak barrels: everything serves a single purpose.

Ugolaia is a name that carries weight in Montalcino. The vineyard is situated in the classic Sesta area, facing south-west, on one of the sunniest and best-ventilated parts of the entire estate – and it embodies a tradition that Lisini takes to heart: The estate's 'veterans' – those most experienced staff members who have known the estate for decades – graft premium cuttings from the estate's own massalselection onto wild rootstocks with their own hands. No clonal selections from a catalogue, no technological shortcuts – just knowledge passed down from person to person, vintage after vintage.

A story of renaissance in the truest sense of the word: after more than twenty years of silence, Le Caggiole recently shone in new splendour. What Federico Carletti describes as an "importante lavoro di recupero" is akin to oenological archaeology – the systematic rediscovery of a 14-hectare site that had once been forgotten. At an altitude of 350 metres, on the road from Montepulciano to Gracciano, intensive research revealed the true potential of this eastern slope: soils of marine origin, decidedly sandy, of a completely different geological character to the famous Asinone just one kilometre away. Through meticulous selection of Sangiovese rootstocks and clones, precise planting and a deep understanding of the soil and microclimate, this 100 per cent Prugnolo Gentile emerged from its decades-long hiatus.

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.

The fruit for this wine comes from a single vineyard that stretches over the crest of a hill. The name Schiena d'Asino (donkey ridge) is a reminder of this unique geography. The purity of the fruit is breathtaking and the wine emphasises the qualities that make Sangiovese one of the noblest of all Italian grapes. It offers a crystalline intensity with forthcoming flavours of bright cherries, balsamic herbs, aniseed, pressed violets and spice. This ensemble is balanced and nuanced. It shows amazing depth and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

1983 was the first year. Luca Martini di Cigala, who was in the process of taking 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 vineyard, from a single grape variety. Sangiovese. San Giusto a Rentennano. – Percarlo made its debut with the 1983 vintage – and immediately began to rewrite the history of Chianti Classico. The wine's philosophy is that of its maker: the vineyard comes before the cellar. The grapes for Percarlo are not selected by plot; instead, every bunch of grapes is inspected, every vine, every plot. The yield is one kilogram per vine. This has been the approach since 2001, because Martini di Cigala realised just how inconsistent Sangiovese can be from vine to vine, even within the same plot. The soils that give Percarlo its character date predominantly from the Pliocene – layers of sand and stones, two to five metres deep, resting on a bed of clay. Mineral-rich, well-drained, with the ability to influence the Sangiovese over the years.

There are wines that have invented a category. Madonna del Piano was one of the very first single-vineyard Brunelli ever produced – long before the appellation had a formal language for the concept of cru, long before other houses started bottling their best parcels separately. Vincenzo Abbruzzese's grandfather had bought the estate in 1953; Vincenzo himself turned a small vineyard parcel in Montosoli into what James Suckling described as "one of the great wines of Tuscany, if not Italy". The Madonna del Piano parcel is located in the heart of the Valdicava vineyards, at 350 metres in the northern Montosoli zone, on soil rich in galestro and limestone, which gives the Sangiovese Grosso a mineral austerity and floral depth that is not found in warmer locations in Montalcino. Organic cultivation without chemical intervention for generations. Yield reduced to the absolute minimum. Every berry counts.

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.

Anyone looking for the truth in Sangiovese will find it here: Laura Brunelli's Montalcino has been a stunning wine full of vitality, life and energy for years. It displays an almost outrageous degree of clarity and openness. It unfolds brightly and radiantly with lasting purity, elegance and length. This Brunello shows extreme precision and focus, both on the nose and in the mouthfeel. Wild berries, blue flowers and liquorice come together in perfection, and it is impossible to surpass this quality at this price. SUPERIORE.DE

Sergio Manetti, a steel entrepreneur from Florence, bottled his first wine in 1971 – a Chianti Classico from the two hectares of vines he had planted around his holiday home. A wine for friends and business associates, nothing more. He sent a few bottles to Verona for the major wine fair Vinitaly, more out of curiosity than ambition. The reaction was overwhelming. The hobby became a passion, and the passion a vocation. Until 1981, this wine bore the name ‘Chianti Classico Montevertine Riserva’. Then came the turning point. Sergio Manetti refused to blend white Trebbiano into his Sangiovese, as required by the Chianti Classico regulations. The decision cost him the DOCG – and made him a legend. From 1982, the wine was simply called “Montevertine”, without any additions, without compromise. A name that became a statement: Sangiovese in its purest, most traditional form, just as the old Chianti farmers would have pressed it before bureaucracy and commercialism dictated the rules. The wine comes mainly from a two-and-a-half-hectare plot facing south-southeast, planted in 1982 – in the year of the great upheaval.

An exotic blend of sweet smoke and cloves gives way to dusty black cherries and a hint of sour citrus fruit as the 2019 vintage unfolds in the glass. After a while, there are hints of musk and floral undergrowth. Pure elegance on the palate, delicate and silky, but also with a core of salty minerals that adds unexpected depth to the vibrant flavours of tart wild berries and spices. Finishes with incredible persistence but also composure, structured yet primary, just as it should be at this young stage. The higher altitudes and almost minimalist winemaking at Le Potazzine have helped to produce one of the most balanced and interesting wines of the 2019 top vintage for us. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for Testamatta are selected and sourced from the winery's 6 best vineyards: Vincigliata, Londa, Lamole, Montefili and Siena. Each vineyard, which is divided into plots, is harvested up to 8 times to ensure that all the grapes are picked at the perfect point of ripeness. These five vineyards (up to 80 years old) are located in different areas of Tuscany: Lamole and Montefili in the heart of Chianti Classico at 600 and 400 metres above sea level, Vincigliata near Florence at 280 metres above sea level, Londa north of Florence towards the Rufina Valley and Siena, in the south of Tuscany, at 250 metres above sea level.

Barely 4,000 bottles are produced each year from the magical Anfiteatro, named after the historic vineyard of the same name, which was planted back in 1975. 100% Sangiovese, from high Galestro soils, make up this masterpiece, which impresses every year and which, along with Flaccianello and Cepparello, can place itself in the first rank of the super-Sangiovese of central Tuscany.

Sandro Chia's vineyards have now reached their full potential and the Riserva from the top 2016 vintage is the crowning glory. This year, the winery's consistently clear style and the cool vineyard sites have found a truly perfect unity, which you have to search long and hard to find, even in Montalcino. The richness and generosity of the bouquet is impressive: delicious layers of dark berries, spices, dried herbs and dark chocolate combine to create an intense composition that is rounded off on the palate. Slender and fine on the palate, yet with a subtle opulence that reveals new depths with every sip. The expression and length emphasise the qualities of this truly super Brunello, which completely captivated us. If you have time, wait for the further revelations that bottle ageing will undoubtedly bring! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the "Suolo" Brunello selection come from the vineyard of the same name and from the estate's oldest vines. They lie at an altitude of 320 metres on soils of clay-limestone marl rich in skeletons and fossils. It is the ideal terroir to fully express the character of the old Sangiovese Grosso clones and gives the wine an acidic, spicy profile. Only part of the vineyard parcels are used for this label. Long ageing in 15-hectolitre Allier oak barrels and a resting period in the bottle complete it and prepare it for the market and the challenge of time. Around 5,000 bottles are bottled only in the best vintages.

Brunello di Montalcino Gli Angeli Riserva 2018 is stunningly beautiful. Its seductive presentation beguiles with rich dark fruits, sweet mint, spice and a grounding hint of floral undergrowth. Its textures are seamless, gliding over a core of fresh, bright acids that flank its black cherry and redcurrant flavours. Notes of liquorice, tobacco and sweet herbs linger long over a gentle layer of fine tannin. It has a juiciness, finesse and structure that will give it a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

Le Lucére is not a wine for coincidences. The plot – almost 2.5 hectares, east-facing, Galestro and slate, vines that have been rooted in this soil for more than a quarter of a century – only becomes a single-vineyard bottling under certain conditions. 2018 was such a year, although the world of Brunello experts initially reacted cautiously. Wrongly so. The eastern exposure of San Filippo is a quiet privilege for cooler years: no blazing afternoon sunshine that burns the fruit and hardens the tannins. Instead – morning light, slow ripening, precision. The vines did not suffer. They concentrated. Caciorgna vinified in steel, fermented in concrete, put the wine first in barrique and tonneau, then in large 20 to 30 hectolitre barrels. More than three years of ageing, one year in the bottle. The wine needed the time.