Supertuscan

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

Siepi has always been more than just a vineyard – it was a vision waiting to become reality. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, this mystical place lies amidst dense oak forests near Castellina in Chianti: ten hectares of pure magic on Alberese soils, which even the ancient Romans knew how to appreciate. Paradoxically, the story of Siepi 2023 begins with one of the most challenging vintages of recent times. A mild winter with scant rainfall, followed by a rainy spring that pushed the Mazzei winemakers to their limits. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, a wine emerged that impressively embodies the estate's philosophy: "Great vineyards shine in difficult vintages."

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

Luce is the iconic wine of the estate of the same name and symbolises the harmonious balance between the elegant structure of Sangiovese and the richness of Merlot. The wine marries the tradition and terroir of the Montalcino region with a personal interpretation of this extraordinary land.

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

Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi shake hands in 1993. Two worlds, one idea: to create a wine that combines the best of Montalcino – the structure and elegance of Sangiovese – with the rounded depth of Merlot. A combination that had never before been seen in this region. Luce became the first Super Tuscan made from a Sangiovese-Merlot blend from Montalcino. Thirty years later, the 2022 vintage is released as 30° Vendemmia – the thirtieth harvest of a wine that pioneered a new era. The estate is situated in the south-west of Montalcino, in the heart of the Val d'Orcia, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. The estate covers 249 hectares, 88 of which are planted, at altitudes ranging from 280 to 418 metres, with a south to south-west aspect. The soil follows its own logic: slate and sandstone at higher altitudes, perfect for Sangiovese; clay layers deeper down, which give Merlot the power and suppleness it needs.

Rich, concentrated Bordeaux-style red with the unmistakable signature of top oenological consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. Multi-layered black fruit on the nose, plus rock, liquorice, camphor and graphite. Impressively supple on the palate, the fruit is always juicy and centred, wonderful and almost perfect in structure, polish, elegance and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, shiny red colour. A beguiling blend of dark cherries, plums, mocha, liquorice, leather and cloves on the nose. Very compact and powerful fruit on the palate, characterised by deep intensity, dense layers and a velvety texture. Very focussed, balanced and certainly needs a few more years to develop fully. Outstanding elegance and length. In short: an absolute beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

There are wines that define a region. Saffredi is one of them. In 1987, when Elisabetta Geppetti – just in her mid-twenties and with the vision of helping the sleepy Maremma region achieve world fame – created this wine together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis, nobody could have guessed that a Supertuscan was born here that would rival Sassicaia and Tignanello. The name is a loving tribute to Fredi, Elisabetta's father-in-law Alfredo Gentili, who sparked her passion for wine and planted the five-hectare vineyard in the 1980s from which the grapes for Saffredi are still sourced today. The single vineyard Saffredi near Pereta lies at an altitude of 250 metres, south-west for the old vines and south-east for the newer plantings. The soil is the result of millions of years of geological history: Sandstone origin, rich in limestone marl and iron minerals, poor in organic matter, with clay layers only from a depth of 30 centimetres. On a clear day, the view from here sweeps over the hills to the Mediterranean 25 kilometres away – a proximity to the coast that gives the wine its special freshness and tension.

Three generations bear this name: The grandfather, who always encouraged Giampaolo Motta in his wine dreams. The son who carries on the torch. And in between, this wine, the highest expression of a man who left the leather goods business of his Neapolitan family to create his Bordeaux in the Conca d'Oro of Panzano. The "Golden Basin" – cultivated since 1490, planted with Merlot and Cabernet for almost 400 years – became Motta's stage in 1992. He experimented with Chianti Classico for ten years, then the break: he left the Consorzio because the rules stood in the way of his vision. "I wasn't really happy with the result after ten years of work," he explained laconically. What followed was pure consistency – and, since 2008, a partnership with Stéphane Derenoncourt, perhaps the most influential consultant on the right bank of Bordeaux.

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

Montebello is a sophisticated blend of Mammolo, Ciliegiolo, Pugnitello, Colorino, Sanforte, Malvasia Nera, Canaiolo, Fogliatonda and Sangiovese. Each grape variety is harvested and fermented separately in open Liters barrels with indigenous yeasts and manual racking. A captivating bouquet of dark cherries and earth, with notes of cinnamon, tar and grilled herbs. The defined tannins are accompanied by a beautiful acid wire. A wine with great character and beautiful structure that changes with every sip. SUPERIORE.DE

Ridolfo was the son of Geremia, the founder of the noble family of Ricasoli in the Lombard era. His descendants called themselves "di filiis Rodulphi" – the children of Ridolfo – which over the centuries became Firidolfi. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi is the 37th generation. The wine is dedicated to this ancestor: not to the father, the founder – but to the son, the continuator. Ridolfo is Marco's most personal intuition: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello – equal parts internationality and tradition. Pugnitello, an autochthonous Tuscan variety that almost died out in the 1980s, grows on these hills in Gaiole in Chianti, 340 to 510 metres, calcareous-loamy soils, certified organic. It brings wild cherry fruit, pepper, rustic character. The Cabernet gives linearity, silky tannin, fine herbal depth. Hand-picked, fermentation in upright wooden tanks with wild yeasts, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, 36 months bottle ageing. Exclusively in magnums, hand-numbered, only in outstanding vintages.

In 1994, whilst Lodovico Antinori was searching for suitable land to expand his Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, he discovered, almost by chance, the hills of Bibbona that were to rewrite his destiny as a winemaker. What he found there was not just land – it was a revelation. The soils – a complex symphony of clay and the legendary Bolgheri conglomerate – the orientation of the slopes, the salty breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea – —all spoke a different language to the familiar Ornellaia terroir. Too different, too wild, too full of character for a simple expansion. And yet too fascinating to let go of.

Its multi-layered bouquet of spices, black olive, rosemary, plum and cherry opens slowly. On the palate, firm, compact and initially introverted, then mint, spices, dark red fruit, plus cassis and graphite. The taste experiences come to light in small slices; with this outstanding red wine, it is worth waiting as hardly anywhere else to be able to fully discover the depth and complexity of this Tuscan jewel. SUPERIORE.DE

In the autumn of 1988, the owners of two Tuscan wineries sat together over a convivial dinner and began to compare their wines. What began as a friendly gesture led to a discovery: the blending of Capannelle's Sangiovese from Gaiole in Chianti with Avignonesi's Merlot from Montepulciano resulted in an extraordinary harmony. This is how the 50 & 50 – a legend that has endured for over three decades. The two grape varieties are vinified separately: The Merlot undergoes a 20-day maceration at a controlled temperature, while the Sangiovese macerates on the skins for ten days. Both then mature for 18 months each in French barriques before being blended into a perfect unit.

Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, the 37th generation of a family that has lived in Gaiole in Chianti since the Lombard era, dedicates this wine to an ancestor of the 10th century: Ridolfo, son of Geremia, founder of the Firidolfi branch. A wine as a family memory – and an experiment. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello. Pugnitello, an indigenous Tuscan variety that almost disappeared from the vineyards, grows on the chalky-clay hills of Gaiole, certified organic, between 340 and 510 metres. In the blend, it gives wild cherry fruit, pepper and rusticity – characteristics, which the Cabernet frames with linearity and fine herbal depth. Hand-picked, wild yeasts, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, 36 months bottle ageing. Exclusively in magnum, hand-numbered.

The name harks back to the depths of the family's history: Ridolfo, son of Geremia and progenitor of the Firidolfi branch, lived in the 10th century. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, the 37th generation, still cultivates the same hills in Gaiole in Chianti today – and distils the very essence of what his terroir has to offer into this wine. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello: international flair and tradition in equal measure. The Pugnitello, an indigenous variety that had almost died out, is grown here under organic certification on calcareous-clay soils at altitudes of between 340 and 510 metres. It contributes wild fruit, pepper and mineral depth. The Cabernet brings linearity and silky tannins. Hand-harvested in three stages, fermented in upright wooden tanks with wild yeasts, aged for 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneaux, followed by 36 months' bottle ageing. Magnum, hand-numbered, produced only in outstanding vintages.

Complex and exotic bouquet of spices, black olive, rosemary, plum and cherry. Firm, compact and initially introverted on the palate, followed by mint, spices, dark red fruit, cassis and graphite. The flavours come to light rather in slices, with this outstanding red it is worth waiting like nowhere else to fully discover the depth and complexity of this Tuscan jewel. SUPERIORE.DE

On the terraced south and south-east slopes of the Conca d'Oro, a wine is created that is more than just a homage – it is the materialisation of a vision. D'Alceo bears the name of its creator, Alceo di Napoli, who in the early 1990s ventured an experiment on virgin, never before cultivated soil that was to become a legend. Where olive trees once stood and stables characterised the land, the terraced vineyards that Antonio Galloni describes as the embodiment of everything that makes these slopes of Panzano so extraordinary have been created to this day.