The Wine Advocate

Elisabetta Geppetti is more than just a winemaker – she is the "Signora del Morellino", the energetic woman who took over the reins of the family winery at the age of just 20 and helped the Maremma region to achieve international renown. When she pressed the first Morellino in 1985, she laid the foundations for a success story that continues to this day. This wine is the quantitative and qualitative calling card of Le Pupille – a constant, authentic expression of the terroir between Pereta and Magliano in Tuscany. The Morellino combines Sangiovese (90%) with Alicante and the autochthonous Ciliegiolo (5% each) from vineyards exposed to the south-west at an altitude of 50 to 250 metres. The vines, some of which are over 40 years old, are rooted in skeleton-rich, clayey and ferrous soils, cooled by sea breezes and strengthened by pronounced day-night temperature differences. After the harvest at the end of September, the must ferments on the skins for 15 days and matures for eight months, mainly in stainless steel tanks with a small proportion in used barriques.

In Neive, where the hills of Barbaresco gently undulate towards the horizon, the Pola family has been running the Fontanabianca winery since 1969. What Franco Pola started back then with the first bottle of Barbaresco Bordini is continued today by his son Aldo and grandson Matteo with the same conviction: quality is only created where the wine authentically reflects the terroir. On the limestone and clay soils of the municipality of Neive, 250 metres above sea level, the autochthonous grape varieties of Piedmont thrive in a temperate climate: Nebbiolo for the great Barbaresco wines, Dolcetto for uncomplicated pleasure and Barbera for the powerful elegance that has made this variety the region's most sophisticated popular grape.

A Greco with clear origins: Daltavilla reflects the extraordinary terroir of Tufo with striking precision and elegance. The calcareous tufa soils of the high altitudes give this wine mineral depth and fresh structure. The 2024 vintage is characterised by ripe, clean grapes that were able to ripen particularly aromatically thanks to cool evenings during the ripening phase. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with a golden green hue. The nose smells of yellow fruits such as almond zest, warm lemon and white peach, complemented by floral notes and a subtle smoky flavour in the background. Juicy and dry on the palate, with harmonious acidity and elegant fruit, carried by a spicy mineral note that leads into the long, slightly salty finish. Daltavilla stands for clear origin and stylistic purity – a Greco that combines terroir and style and reveals the soul of a great appellation. SUPERIORE.DE

Zisola is the Tuscan dream of the Mazzei family in the south of Sicily. The winery's bestseller is made from 100% Nero d'Avola from traditional Alberello vines near Noto, where chalky soils and proximity to the sea balance the natural exuberance of this indigenous grape variety with freshness and elegance. The Marchesi Mazzei, one of Italy's most historic winegrowing families with over 600 years of tradition, have been continuing their Sicilian project since 2003. 24 hectares of vineyards surround the historic bagli of the 50-hectare tenuta with a view of the baroque UNESCO World Heritage Site of Noto. Hand-picked and fermented for 14-16 days at 26-28°C, the wine matures for 10 months in French oak barrels (33% new).

When an artist founds a winery, the spirit of this artist wafts right into the last cellar room. The Brio label shows a detail from a fresco by Sandro Chia: chessboard, violin, clock. Existence, soul, time. An unusually serious statement for an entry-level wine. The wine behind it lives up to it. Sangiovese from the Scansano vineyards of Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte – young vines on volcanic soils, close to the sea, cool nights. A few months in wooden barrels, then bottle ageing.

A circular forest sits enthroned on the highest point of the vineyard, and inside it rests an Etruscan tomb – over 2,500 years old. Al Passo, "at the passage", is what they call this place, from where the view extends as far as the Torre del Mangia in Siena. Here, where past and present meet, the estate's most popular cuvée is created: equal parts Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown on the silty-clayey limestone soils of Castelnuovo Berardenga. Double selection, 20 days on the skins, then 14 months in French oak – six of which on the fine lees, which gives the wine its silky texture.

Il Falcone is a famous Riserva from the heart of the DOCG Castel del Monte, named after the famous hunting falcon of Emperor Frederick II. The Nero di Troia and Montepulciano grape varieties come from the best hillside vineyards at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres. After around 14 months of ageing in large wooden barrels and barriques, it presents a dark ruby colour with garnet-red reflections in the glass. Ripe blackberry, black cherry, tobacco leaf, some leather and balsamic herbs on the nose. Powerful yet finely balanced on the palate, with robust tannins, mineral tension and a spicy, long final. A serious, historic wine with elegance, structure and clear provenance. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1987, Castello Romitorio was not yet a winery. Just a castle, an artist and an idea. Sandro Chia bought grapes from his friend and cellar master Franco Martini and had the first wine vinified – even before a single vine of his own had ripened. That was the Romitorio: not a reaction, but an attitude. Today it grows at Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte in Scansano, 25 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at an altitude of 170 metres. The soils are of Pliocene origin – galestro, clay, Alberese, interspersed with fossils and shell remains, remnants of a primeval seabed. Petit Verdot and Syrah give the wine its profile: fermentation in steel, ageing in cement and oak.

In school philosophy, A quo denotes the starting point of an argument – the place from which everything else begins. Fabio Chiarelotto has dedicated a wine to this Latin thought. And what he meant was: Montepeloso begins here. The Swiss national with a Tuscan mother bought the estate in Suvereto, near Bolgheri – one of the hottest wine-growing regions in Tuscany. What others drown in heat, he wanted to translate into elegance. He replanted, pruned, worked biodynamically and bet that it was possible to make wines that glow instead of sweat on these limestone-rich, fossilised clay and silex soils. 2024 shows that he was right. The blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malvasia Nera and other varieties is fermented in steel, then matured for twelve months in used barriques – no wood to cover the fruit, just one that polishes delicately. Bottled unfiltered.

Sodale presents Merlot in its clearest and most charming form: This single-varietal representative grows on calcareous hillsides around Montefiascone – where fresh evening air promotes sophistication and elegance. The 2022 vintage is characterised by optimally ripe harvest, while the cool nights have allowed the vines to retain balance and a fine acid structure. Brilliant ruby red in the glass with a light violet rim. The bouquet seduces with aromas of blackcurrant, ripe plum, dark cherry and a hint of floral violet notes, accompanied by delicate hints of herbs. Juicy and harmonious on the palate with velvety tannins, lingering fruit sweetness and a lively texture. The subtle acidity lends freshness and encourages drinking, while the elegant, spicy finish whets the appetite for more. Not an opulent statement, but a stylish Merlot with balance, flow and character. Authentic, charming and typically Cotarella. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1872, Bettino Ricasoli wrote down his famous formula – the blueprint of what Chianti Classico should be: Sangiovese as the heart, structure as the backbone, terroir as the argument. The fact that his descendants have named this wine after him is not nostalgia. It is a commitment. Brolio Bettino is a single-varietal Sangiovese – and that is intentional. No blending, no corrective. The grapes grow on five geological formations: Sandstone, Galestro, Alberese, marine sediments and old river terraces – a terroir mosaic that combines depth and complexity in one glass. Fermentation in small stainless steel tanks, 18 months of ageing in large barrels: classic, without compromise. The 2022 vintage was capricious – mild winter, dry spring, a hailstorm in July, but it ended on a mild note.

Forcole is produced in a surprisingly small quantity for a Chianti Classico - just 15,000 bottles. The bouquet begins with a slender texture and aromas of wild berries, sour cherries, pressed violets and sweet earth. Supple, generous and inviting on the palate, it captures all the natural intensity of the vintage. Its attractive silky tannins and the rather darker and crispy-cool Sangiovese flavour profile of the Panzano region make it a great soloist as well as food companion. SUPERIORE.DE

When you start afresh on Etna, you don't start small. In 2016, Davide Rosso acquired fourteen hectares in Solicchiata, at the foot of the extinct small crater Montedolce on the north-eastern slope of the volcano – at 730 to 750 metres, in a microclimate that immediately brought to mind the Langhe precision with which he grew up: cool nights, strong temperature amplitudes, mineral-rich lava sand soils, constant ventilation. "Contrade Nuove" – the new sites – stands for the estate's younger Carricante vines, cultivated as Alberello in a north-north-easterly exposure. They represent a different tone to the old vines of the main cuvée: livelier, more direct, with a freshness and accessibility that makes the terroir of Montedolce immediately recognisable. 100% Carricante. Spontaneous fermentation at low temperatures in stainless steel for 15 to 20 days. Then five months sur lie with weekly bâtonnage – no wood, no intervention, just the volcano with its soil and climate.

This red classic comes from marl- and clay-rich soils from the high and steep hills near Taurasi, not far from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The soils are rich in minerals and salts and give the Aglianico grape a wonderful depth and minerality.

"This is the wine with which my experience as a winemaker was born. A wine from a single vineyard in which I frankly find all the characteristics of Bolgheri that I love: clear and juicy fruit, balance. The Merlot brings volume and softness, the Cabernet Sauvignon structure. I give a lot of space to the very Tuscan Sangiovese, which adds complexity and drinkability." Fabio Motta

In the southernmost tip of the Bolgheri appellation, where the vines almost touch the sea and rows of pine trees stand guard over the landscape, lies Tenuta Le Colonne – the winery with the vineyards closest to the sea in the entire denomination. Under the leadership of Alejandro Bulgheroni, organically certified wines of impressive clarity have been produced here since 2016. Originating from vineyards at an altitude of 50 metres with a south-westerly exposure, the vines are rooted in sandy alluvial soils with skeleton-rich inclusions. Spontaneous fermentation in truncated cone-shaped cement tanks with indigenous yeasts for 13 days, followed by twelve months of ageing in large, untoasted barrels, gives this wine its characteristic elegance.

"Cladrecis" is an elegant interpretation of Chardonnay from the far north-east of Italy – full of character, harmonious and impressively balanced. The grapes come from a small parcel in the eponymous district of the municipality of Prepotto, whose chalky soils and cool microclimate offer ideal conditions for the finesse typical of the grape variety. Maturation in wooden barrels and on the fine lees gives the wine a subtle creaminess, fine roasted flavours and a hint of vanilla without masking the freshness.

Light, bright straw yellow with a subtle greenish shimmer – is how this exceptional white wine appears in the glass. The grapes come 100% from Nascetta, probably the only autochthonous white wine variety in the Langhe, which has been revitalised in Novello far beyond eye level – as a true expression of the diversity of regional grape varieties. The wine is matured in equal parts in stainless steel tanks and Slavonian 15-litre oak barrels – precisely balanced to combine freshness with an enveloping structure.

Palazzotto is the name of the two hectares of vineyard where only Cabernet Sauvignon is grown. Fausto Maculan vinifies a fine wine from these grapes. A spicy start in the glass: cedar wood and ground ginger give way to dusty roses and redcurrants. It's elegant yet refined, with creamy textures lifted by vibrant acidity, while a wave of mineral-tinged wild berries lightly wash over the palate. Leaves a tart note of citrus and raspberry and subtle, grippy tannins that frame the wine without slowing its momentum. Although already showing very well now, this beautifully balanced version of Palazzotto should improve even more with medium-term cellaring. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the historic centrepiece of the Planeta estate in Ulmo near Sambuca di Sicilia – a vineyard that was planted back in the mid-1980s. The vines are rooted at an altitude of around 250 metres in loamy-sandy soils with a high lime content, not far from Lake Arancio. Deep ruby red in the glass with a purple rim. The nose opens powerfully and invitingly: black cherry, plum, cassis and blueberry, accompanied by cocoa, tobacco, fresh leather and a subtle herbal spice. On the palate, Sito dell'Ulmo is both full-bodied and elegant: dense, with polished tannins, fresh acidity and a long, silky finish. The integration of the wood is finely balanced and the fruit always remains in the foreground. A Sicilian Merlot with format, origin and depth. SUPERIORE.DE