Slow Wine

The Frappato Vino di Contrada PT (with fruit from the Contrada Pettineo) is a shade lower in colour intensity than the BB. This wine is similar to the FL in terms of accessibility and the very silky and delicate nature of its fruit. Arianna Occhipinti has achieved something marvellous for our collective understanding of the Frappato grape with the fermentation of these contrasting wines. Pettineo has sandy soils, and the Alberello vines (later converted to trellises) are over 60 years old. It is definitely on the right track, as you get a better understanding of the range of the grape variety. This expression shows bright freshness, wild berries, wild roses and hints of sweet almonds. Around 2,700 bottles were produced. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Rocche di Castiglione comes from a parcel just above the Cascina Pira of Roagna. It offers a captivating blend of supple fruit, soaring flavours and structure. The 2019 is silky and sensual through and through, as wines from this vineyard tend to be. It is transparent, beguiling and mesmerising from the very first sip. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti comes from the estate's oldest vines, which were planted in 1937. As always, Pira Vecchie Viti is more about haunting, ethereal flavours than power. Sweet rose petals, mint, dried flowers, sweet red cherries and cedar give this beguiling, high-toned Barolo a captivating aromatic presence. A great wine. 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

The Ravera vineyard on the Novello side, where steep hills descend from a castle perched on a beautiful panorama, is one of the best cru sites in the Barolo DOCG. From this vantage point, you can see Novello and the Elvio Cogno winery, which is located halfway up the slope. Valter Fissore's Ravera from the great 2021 vintage benefits from this special location and shows terrific versatility and depth every year.

A Riserva is not created according to plan. It is created when a vintage forces the house to do so – when Leonardo Berti goes into the cellar after a long rest in barrels, listens to the best foudres and decides: this wine needs more time, and it deserves it. 2019 was such a year. Together with 2016, it is considered the benchmark of modern Brunello history – warm, but never too hot, with rain at the right time, a harvest between 5 September and 4 October that Berti describes as almost textbook. Two parcels were chosen for the Riserva, which reflect the terroir of Castelnuovo dell'Abate in all its diversity: Terra Rossa, at 220 metres, with reddish gravel soil rich in minerals and organic matter – structure and depth. Pietranera, the historical place name of the estate, near the Orcia river on pure Galestro – natural yield limitation, river freshness, finesse. Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vats, maceration for at least 30 days, then 48 months in 30-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels – almost a year longer than the Annata. Bottled unfiltered. 5,500 bottles.

Full-bodied, noble cuvée from the winery of the same name: aromas of red fruits, a light hint of roasted coffee, juniper, pepper and animal notes, an excellent tannin structure and a beautiful acidity give the "Bordeaux from Bolgheri" its exceptional independence and great elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

Serradenari is the highest Barolo vineyard, majestically situated above La Morra at around 520 metres. The limestone-rich marl sea, interspersed with tuff and clay subsoil, provides an expressiveness that is both peculiarly clear and exciting at the same time. Giulia Negri works this parcel with an almost Burgundian focus: close to nature, spontaneous fermentation and careful ageing – 30 months in generous tonneaux, leaving the structure intact with minimal intervention. The 2021 vintage, sophisticated and elegant, fascinates with its cool, precise fruit – fresh and vibrant, matured over cool nights, this Nebbiolo is clear yet deep.

Around 60% of the grapes for the Monvigliero are not destemmed, which enhances the aromatic nuances of the wine. Youthful notes of raspberry and blueberry are flanked by black pepper, gentian, porcelain and black olives. On the palate, it has a beguilingly soft texture, fine and creamy, accompanied by wonderful flavours of laurel and flowers. Monvigliero from Verduno impresses with its purity, its sheer serenity and its class. Excellent every year and unfortunately very rare. SUPERIORE.DE

The Ravera vineyard on the Novello side, where steep hills descend from a castle perched on a beautiful panorama, is one of the best cru sites in the Barolo DOCG. From this vantage point, you can see Novello and the Elvio Cogno winery, which is located halfway up the slope. Valter Fissore's Ravera from the great 2021 vintage benefits from this special location and shows terrific versatility and depth every year.

Sperss. The word sounds like a sigh, like a breath of melancholy wafting over the hills of Piedmont. In the local dialect, it means nostalgia, longing, homesickness for a time that will never return. When Angelo Gaja was finally able to acquire the twelve hectares in Serralunga d'Alba in 1988, which his father Giovanni had raved about since his youth, there was only one possible name for this wine. Sperss was the fulfilment of a family dream – the first Barolo from the Gaja family, the step out of Barbaresco into the legendary terrain that Giovanni had already learnt about as a young man during the grape harvest. The Marenca and Rivette vineyards form a natural amphitheatre at an altitude of 370 metres – compact, calcareous marl that gives the wine the mineral depth and iron structure for which Serralunga is famous. Here, where the over 50-year-old Nebbiolo vines drive their roots deep into the stony soil, the wine is not a pleasant one.

Le Potazzines Riserva from the dream vintage 2019 is an absolute eye-catcher, vibrantly fruity yet refined. It is a prime example of purity. Ripe black cherry, exotic spices, liquorice, rose petals, cedar wood and sage can all be detected in the glass. This is one of the most harmonious wines of the vintage, with a deep, silky texture and an abundance of red fruit complemented by a hint of clove, crisp minerals and a core of vibrant acidity. Then dramatically long and powerful but still fresh on the final, ending with a cascade of spices, flowers over a complex web of graphite-like tannins. One of the most perfect wines of the vintage in Riserva quality! SUPERIORE.DE

Energy and elegance are the hallmarks of the 2013 Brunello vintage. The top wines are stunning, with a vibrancy that is missing in many of the muscular, approachable and higher alcohol Brunellos from recent vintages. However, the 2013s will also require some patience to reach their maximum potential. In contrast to the extremely warm, dry years that have become the norm in Montalcino since the mid-1990s (the exceptions being 1998, 2002 and 2005), the 2013 vintage was a reminiscence of the past. It was a cool year with lots of rain in spring and the first half of summer.

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.

San Leonardo is the flagship wine of the winery of the same name and, year after year, one of the finest red wines in northern Italy. It boasts an opulent bouquet with hints of dark fruits such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate hints of spice, leather and tobacco lend it a terrific complexity, which is then enhanced on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, all flanked by clearly defined tannins. A masterful, characterful red that, after a few more years of bottle ageing, reaches its true greatness and lives up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

In 2020, the single vineyard Asili was chosen for the Barbaresco Riserva in its characteristic red colour, which will come as no surprise to Giacosa connoisseurs. Just 10,000 bottles of what is probably the best Giacosa vineyard are only released as Riserva in outstanding years. Asili 2020 shows a seamless integration of wild fruits, blue flowers, spices, balsamic herbs and liquorice. Its true class is revealed on the palate: structure, dimension, intensity and depth leave nothing to be desired; this vintage is probably one of the best wines we have ever tasted from Bruno Giacosa. There is only one flaw with this highly dramatic growth: anyone who wants to enjoy this wine with all its facets and components should be patient for at least another 10 years. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 is considered one of the vintage highlights of the last decade in Barolo: cool nights, sunny days and a long vegetation period led to perfectly balanced ripeness. In Bricco Pernice, this meant maximum aromatic clarity and structural depth. The high, south-westerly exposure in the Ravera cru site ensures an interplay of warmth and freshness, while the calcareous marl soils promote a taut, vertical style.

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.

The rarity wine symbolises Terlan's longevity: "A speciality of the Cantina Terlan are the rarities, special bottlings of mature white wines that have been stored for at least ten years on the fine lees in steel pressure tanks. The youthful freshness that characterises this Pinot Blanc despite its mature age is particularly impressive, making it perfect for longer ageing in the bottle. Terlan has the terroir to produce great white wines and skilfully demonstrates this with these rarities." Rudi Kofler, Kellermeister

From the 2020 vintage, Ornellaia Bianco is a single-varietal Sauvignon Bianco from three selected, small vineyards at Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. It ferments on the lees for 10 months, which gives it freshness, precision and a fine citrus flavour. Delicate golden yellow colour. A cornucopia of light-coloured fruit on the nose, with wonderful mint and citrus notes. Complex, lush and multi-layered on the palate. One of Italy's great white wines, in the style of the house. SUPERIORE.DE

Not every year gets a name. 2016 has earned it – and Montalcino does not award such honours lightly. A mild winter, a spring with heavy rainfall that got the growing season back on track. Then, from the second decade of June, a gradual, gentle rise in temperatures throughout July. And finally an August that brought everything together: large daily temperature fluctuations, no rain, perfect ripening conditions. The Consorzio called 2016 one of its best vintages in decades. And Col d'Orcia turned the best site into a Riserva. The Poggio al Vento vineyard is located in the heart of the Tenuta, halfway up the hill above the Orcia Valley, at 350 metres. Planted since 1974. The name – "hill in the wind" – is the programme: constantly ventilated, south-facing, on calcareous, skeleton-rich soils. Grapes are grown here that Col d'Orcia reserves for the most demanding category in the cellar, and even then only when the vintage poses the question: Is this more than a Brunello annata? Can this wine last for decades? In 2016, the answer was yes.