Supertuscan

Smells intensely of redcurrants and black cherries, leather, spices and liquorice. Lush and flowing on the palate, all elements merge into a great, striking wine. Great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red colour, lush notes of cherries, strawberries and sweet oak spice, vanilla and black pepper. The Sangiovese gives the blend great freshness and is in perfect balance with the silky and soft tannins of the Merlot. Overall rich, but always elegant and with great persistence. A complex, excellently structured red wine in absolute Super Tuscan quality and produced in a limited edition of just under 3,000 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

Lodano Rosso is a blend of Petit Verdot and Merlot that is seamlessly integrated with its dark fruits, blackberries and plums, nicely rounded off by smoke and tobacco from French oak and a smaller proportion of American oak. The Merlot comes from the winery's famous old vines, and the contemporary concentration and richness of the Lodano can be found in this wine as well as in the winery's entire portfolio. The dark fruits and spices speak in a deep baritone that calls for a juicy grilled steak, it also offers excellent value! SUPERIORE.DE

The top wine Cavalli Rosso comes from loose marl soils at an altitude of 400 metres facing south. It reveals a dark and lush fruit profile with intense blackberry, sour cherry, plum and graphite flavours. On the palate, it has a high primary intensity and medium weight, finishing with a very crisp acidity. It is polished and deep, balanced and supple with plenty of fruity power, weight and length. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Ornello is an open wine with beautiful, inviting aromas of ripe, dark fruit, cedar wood, dried herbs, tobacco and incense. All of this has a pleasant depth. Medium to full-bodied with supple tannins and a juicy, ripe finish. Very good value. SUPERIORE.DE

The story begins with a drunk and Shakespeare. When a staggering reveller once pestered Sting – "How beautiful is the moon?" –the musician replied with a verse from sonnet 130: "My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun." The man was satisfied and disappeared into the darkness. This nocturnal encounter gave rise to a song dedicated to all moon addicts in 1987 – "for the lunatics everywhere, for all those whose sanity is dependent on the phases of the moon." It seems only logical that this title of all things should become Il Palagio's flagship: the winery's first great Supertuscan also unfolds its magic in the twilight between day and night. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon merge in equal parts – tuscan tradition meets international elegance without one side dominating. The biodynamically cultivated vines on the hills of Figline Valdarno provide the foundation; fifteen to eighteen months in new French barriques lend depth and polish.

The often underrated Madre is an elegant yet juicy cuvée of Sangiovese and barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark and luscious on the palate, it captures many of the best qualities of the house's established style. Black cherries, raspberry jam, plums, graphite, smoke, lavender, liquorice and dark spices envelop the palate in an effortless, juicy red wine that is a real insider's tip after some aeration. SUPERIORE.DE

Rich, deep dark ruby colour with a fine violet sheen. Compact and appealing nose, showing crisp fruit, especially blackcurrants and mulberries, underpinned by fine chocolate tones. Extremely precise on the palate too: ripe, fresh fruit, opens with firm, densely woven tannins, develops rich pressure, then juicy and long-lasting in the vibrant final. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red colour, lush notes of cherries, strawberries and sweet oak spice, vanilla and black pepper. The Sangiovese gives the blend great freshness and is in perfect balance with the silky and soft tannins of the Merlot. Overall rich, but always elegant and with great persistence. A complex, excellently structured red wine in absolute Super Tuscan quality and produced in a limited edition of just under 3,000 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

It was in 1991 that Michele Satta planted his first vineyard with a visionary blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah. An assemblage that would simultaneously honour Bolgheri's established Bordeaux excellence and unite the Tuscan elegance of Sangiovese with the Mediterranean complexity of Syrah. Three years later, in 1994, Piastraia was born – the wine that changed everything and catapulted Michele Satta into the ranks of the great Bolgheri producers. The name comes from the chestnut trees that surround the vineyard – piastraia refers to the characteristic paving of chestnut leaves that covers the ground. But it is more than just a name: it is the manifestation of a philosophy that combines international greatness with Tuscan soul. Almost three decades after the first planting, Piastraia has found its final form. Since 2012, it has proudly borne the designation "Bolgheri Superiore" – an honour for vineyards that have reached their full complexity after two decades. From the 2019 vintage, Satta said goodbye to Syrah in this blend to make room for the pure essence of Bordeaux varieties and Tuscan Sangiovese.

Terra di Monteverro is the estate's finely composed second wine, but in terms of expression, fidelity to its origins and depth, it is far more than that. It comes from the stony, coastal slopes near Capalbio in the southern Maremma - a region that was characterised by a long, warm summer in 2021 with moderate peaks and cool nights in September. The climatic balance allowed the Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot grape varieties, which were harvested and vinified parcel by parcel, to ripen perfectly.

Rocca di Frassinello is a bold, exotic wine. Ripe red cherries, kirsch, cinnamon and rose petals can be found in this extravagant red wine from the Maremma. The luscious fruit and silky tannins contribute to its great appeal. Over time, notes of sweet pipe tobacco, cedar and mint emerge, giving it a striking inner perfume and sweetness. This is Maremma in Purezza. SUPERIORE.DE

Michele Satta planted his first vines in Castagneto Carducci in 1991 – cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah. No master plan, no blueprint from outside. Just the conviction that this soil, this sea air, this Tuscan stubbornness can do more than what Bolgheri was already capable of back then. Piastraia was the result. In bottle since 1994, a Bolgheri Superiore since 2012 – and 2023: the thirtieth vintage. Thirty vintages of observation, correction, refinement and always on course for excellence. The blend – cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc – ferments separately in conical concrete vats, exclusively with wild yeasts. No intervention, no shortcuts. 18 to 24 months in French barriques, one fifth of which are new – subtle framing, no dominance.

Il Randagio (the stray) is wonderfully complex and nuanced. Initially quite closed, the delicately spicy nose creeps up with increasing aeration and opens further into a wonderfully complex bouquet of dark red to black berries. Rising floral, savoury and spicy accents point to a wine that says more about the style of the house than anything else. The palate is wide-ranging with delicate wild berry flavours, perfectly polished tannins and a fresh, very invigorating acid wire that uninhibitedly enhances the drinkability of this once again typically different red. The best days of this wine still lie in the future. SUPERIORE.DE

Angelo Ambrogini was born in Montepulciano in 1454. As a humanist, poet and confidant of Lorenzo de' Medici, he wrote some of the most beautiful stanzas of the Renaissance under the name "Il Poliziano". Le Stanze, his most famous work, is a poem about beauty, transience and the power of the moment. Federico Carletti has named his winery after the great poet. And this wine the title of his masterpiece. This is no coincidence. Le Stanze is Poliziano outside its borders – no Prugnolo Gentile, no DOCG obligation, no looking back. 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, certified organic since 2021: a Super Tuscan. The grapes grow on the best plots around Montepulciano, on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, fermentation in stainless steel tanks with a long maceration period of 20 to 25 days, 16 months in French barriques – precise, without exaggeration.

In the heart of Valdarno, where history and vision merge in a timeless act of faith, Il Borro – the flagship wine of a dream that began in 1993, when Ferruccio Ferragamo acquired the abandoned medieval village and brought it back to life. This exceptional blend not only embodies the essence of the Il Borro estate, but also the unshakeable conviction that wines of global appeal can be created from careful terroir analysis and a visionary grape variety philosophy. After meticulous geological studies, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah were planted on the soils that promise them optimal development: Merlot on the clay-rich layers, Cabernet Sauvignon in the alluvial sand, Syrah on the mineral-rich, stony terraces at the foot of Monte Pratomagno. Between 300 and 500 metres above sea level, the vines thrive on sandstone subsoil over a loamy-sandy matrix – a rare combination that was already considered ideal for great wines during the Renaissance. The dense planting of 4,500 vines per hectare forces each vine to fight for nutrients and concentrates the flavours in the berries.

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

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.

Vigorello was created back in 1968 at the beginning of the Super Tuscan movement. It is a powerful yet refined wine that bursts from the glass with unadulterated tones of black fruit, liquorice, rose and dried lavender, Mediterranean herbs and a sweet hint of vanilla. The balance and structure are outstanding and it will develop even more complexity over time. SUPERIORE.DE

Concerto was born in 1981, a time of dynamic change in Italian viticulture. The hitherto untapped potential was recognised and experiments were carried out with new grape varieties and, for the first time, successfully with international grape varieties. It was Marchesa Carla Mazzei who spontaneously chose the name Concerto in 1981 after the first tasting of just fifteen barriques – a symphony had taken place in her glass. As one of the first ten Super Tuscans, this wine made history and revolutionised the Tuscan understanding of wine. From the Scassi vineyard in the western part of Fonterutoli, surrounded by oak forests at an altitude of 350 metres, the Sangiovese comes from mass selections from an experimental vineyard in the 1930s. And the small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon has developed a completely independent character here over four decades, far removed from the international character it develops elsewhere. The 18-month maturation in French barriques then gives the wine its noble structure without overshadowing its original elegance.

Concerto was born in 1981, a time of dynamic change in Italian viticulture. The hitherto untapped potential was recognised and experiments were carried out with new grape varieties and, for the first time, successfully with international grape varieties. It was Marchesa Carla Mazzei who spontaneously chose the name Concerto in 1981 after the first tasting of just fifteen barriques – a symphony had taken place in her glass. As one of the first ten Super Tuscans, this wine made history and revolutionised the Tuscan understanding of wine. From the Scassi vineyard in the western part of Fonterutoli, surrounded by oak forests at an altitude of 350 metres, the Sangiovese comes from mass selections from an experimental vineyard in the 1930s. And the small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon has developed a completely independent character here over four decades, far removed from the international character it develops elsewhere. The 18-month maturation in French barriques then gives the wine its noble structure without overshadowing its original elegance.