The Wine Advocate

The name alone hints at the poetry of this vintage Spumante. For decades, Perlé has been regarded as the very essence of Ferrari's artistry, born from a meticulous selection of the finest Chardonnay grapes from the Trentino mountains. The grapes for this Millesimato come from vineyards situated at altitudes of between 300 and 600 metres. Here, where the vines are bathed in the mountain sun all day long but rest in the cool mountain air at night, the Chardonnay develops the mineral depth and aromatic complexity that make Perlé so distinctive. The Lunelli family selects only the very best plots – those grapes that most purely reflect the terroir. Perlé matures on the fine lees for almost five years – an exceptionally long ageing period that gives the spumante its characteristic creaminess and those delicate yeasty notes that harmonise perfectly with the fruity elegance of the Chardonnay.

This is the top wine from Il Poggione, and it is a must for anyone who collects wines from this famous vineyard. The estate's oldest parcel, Vigna Paganelli, is a 12-hectare vineyard that was planted back in 1964. It boasts a rich variety of old Sangiovese clones, which are used for the newer plantings.

Pietradonice 2020 is so easy and pleasant to drink that it is almost dangerous: the bottle is finished much quicker than you would like. In Montalcino, there are few alternatives to the local Sangiovese grape, and wines of this quality made from Cabernet Sauvignon can be counted on one hand. Rich, dark ruby red in colour, followed by ripe aromas of blackberries, plums, spices and sweet tobacco. Complex and multi-layered on the palate, with wonderfully polished tannins and already a beautiful accessibility. Juicy on the attack and on the palate, very well-developed fruit, monumentally long final. Giacomo Neri's Pietradonice is Cabernet Sauvignon at the highest level and has become a legend, as there is hardly a wine in Montalcino that can even come close to equalling it. SUPERIORE.DE

Hardly any Brunello is as authentic as the wines from Le Potazzine - they reveal the whole truth of the Sangiovese grape. The result is neither completely polished, nor is it boring or predictable. The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino achieves a degree of extreme authenticity and originality that you don't find on every corner in the appellation. It is a wine full of understatement and equally great personality, for which one must take time and leisure to discover every last nuance. On the nose, it reveals a subtle and well-composed bouquet of red roses, spices, earth and wild mushrooms. As always with Le Potazzine, there is also a wild hint of rusticity. On the palate, this Brunello reveals its powerful fruit and perfectly integrated tannins. Like a friend you can rely on, this Brunello is both a role model and a lovable buddy. SUPERIORE.DE

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta's Chardonnay combines the French tradition of grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing, year after year, one of Italy's most distinctive white wines. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 m and Maroccoli at 415 m above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, pan-fried fish, poultry in a butter sauce, or even on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

In 2021, the Montalcino DOCG produced a vintage of rare clarity. Cooler nights, marked temperature fluctuations, a slow and steady ripening process lasting well into October – these are the conditions that allow Sangiovese Grosso to reveal what lies beyond the fruit: minerality, structure, and the subtle geological layers of a vineyard that has been producing wine since the Middle Ages. Pieve Santa Restituta vinifies according to this philosophy: each of the plots – Sugarille, Rennina, Santo Pietro, Castagno, Pian dei Cerri and Torrenieri in the north-east of the appellation – is harvested, fermented and macerated separately. Only after individual ageing in oak for 24 months is the final blend for the vintage determined through extensive blind tastings. Six months in concrete tanks before bottling.

Gabbro, produced in small quantities of just 2,500 bottles each year, is the essence of Montepeloso's finest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the vines are over 40 years old. Impressively complex bouquet of dark fruits, smoke and grilled vegetables. Powerful and muscular on the palate, revealing its pedigree and great class. Exquisite, complex, nuanced, persistent, long ... Gabbro really does offer everything you need for an unforgettable wine experience at world-class Cabernet level. SUPERIORE.DE

On 11 September 2001 – the day that changed the world – luca Sanjust planted 5,000 Cabernet Sauvignon vines on half a hectare of natural terraces, directly below the medieval watchtower of Galatrona. "Campo Lusso" – the luxury field – is what the local farmers have called this place at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres, surrounded by the pristine forests of the Chianti hills. A place of such beauty and favourable climate that it really was a luxury. Here, where calcareous slate mixes with marl and sandstone, Cabernet Sauvignon finds the mineral complexity that distinguishes it from the usual interpretations of this Bordeaux grape variety. The Gobelet cultivation – that ancient bush form – forces the vines to reach the lowest concentrations, while the forests protect them from the cool down winds and the morning sun dries everything quickly.

Currá is an archaic long-distance runner and presents itself very aristocratic when young with increasing bottle maturity or also good aeration. Then it reveals dark berries and a fine chocolate note in the bouquet. In its style, it is edgy at first, but then at no point denies its greatness and harmony. Tobacco, plums, smoke and tobacco: with every glass, this exceptional wine reveals new facets and a firework of impressions. This is Nebbiolo from 65-year-old vines at the highest level! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this remarkably Burgundian Gran Selezione come from the single vineyard of the same name in a 2.25-hectare Chianti Classico vineyard, which was planted in 1971 with a density of 3,400 vines per hectare and is south-facing on old terraces. Riecine has leased these plots since the 1980s, and in the 2019 debut vintage, the winery succeeded in acquiring this site, which is one of the best terroirs in the Chianti Classico region. The bottles are numbered and around 4,000 bottles and 50 magnums are bottled each year.

Pajana - most modern wine of the entire Clerico range - presents itself closed, compressed and with great potential. Rich ruby with a light garnet rim. Compact nose, showing rich notes of blackberry, dark cherries, a little cinchona bark in the background. Explodes literally on the palate, lots of ripe, present fruit, then opens up with lots of fine-meshed tannin, salty depth, rich pressure. SUPERIORE.DE

Like a precious legacy, this wine is steeped in the history of the Serristori patrician family, who acquired the Donoratico estate in 1512 and built the magnificent villa in 1660. From the shadow of these historic walls springs a wine that embodies the soul of the Tuscan Maremma – where the salty murmur of the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the warm hills of Bolgheri. In the vineyards of Argentiera – the estate within the Bolgheri DOC that lies closest to the coast and is also the highest in elevation – the grapes ripen amidst Mediterranean scrub and the endless blue of the archipelago. Here, on just twelve hectares of the Villa Donoratico vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot take root in sandy and rocky soils, whilst the subsoil is permeated by marine flysch rock – a geological memory of seas long past.

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.

Contrada Sciaranuova Vecchie Vigne is the most concentrated, broodingvoice from the Sciaranuova vineyard - a Nerello Mascalese from vines over 80 years old, grown at an altitude of 730 metres on the northern flank of Mount Etna. The ungrafted vines stand in an amphitheatre of dark, sandy volcanic ash, interspersed with basalt rock and characterised by enormous day-night amplitude. The 2019 vintage was one of the most balanced of the decade: a rainy spring was followed by a moderately warm summer and a dry autumn, which allowed for a late, very differentiated harvest.

The small vineyard is located 500 metres above the Galatrona Tower and offers the best conditions for growing the French Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety. Due to the limestone subsoil, this site is also known as a luxury site (campo lusso). Intense and generous bouquet of dark fruit, leather and chocolate. Complex and deep on the palate, very focussed and, with aeration, very elegant and aristocratic. A complete red that will not only delight Cabernet lovers. Only around 1,300 bottles of this spectacular wine can be produced per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

The Vigna Sorì Ginestra cru parcel stands proudly overlooking the rolling hills of Monforte d'Alba – one of the vineyards on which Conterno Fantino bases his entire winemaking art, true to the motto: "Il Barolo è il vino che ha fatto la nostra storia." (Barolo is the wine that made our history). The 2021 vintage, widely celebrated as one of the best of the decade, brought ideal conditions: a balanced ripening climate, cool nights paired with sun-drenched days. Hand-picking was carried out in mid-October – carefully selected, absolutely ripe. The ageing – around 24 months in French oak – was carefully chosen to anchor depth and elegance without masking the typical freshness of this unique Ginestra site.

1,900 bottles of this 0.8 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Tenaglia" (at an altitude of approx. 550m, mainly limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Impenetrable, dark wine with a bouquet of flint, crushed minerals and some chalk. The texture is rich and opulent, but always supple with a hint of minerality. Campo di Tenaglia is one of the juiciest Cabernet Francs we have ever had in the glass. Beautiful, long final and certainly great Storage potential. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for Istine's cult Riserva come exclusively from the estate's own vineyards Istine (Radda), Casanova dell'Aia (Radda) and Cavarchione (Gaiole). Only 4,000 bottles of this breathtaking wine, which matures for 12 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, are bottled each year.

Monforte d'Alba lies in the southern Barolo region, where the soils become heavier, richer in clay and higher in iron content. Those who grow Nebbiolo here produce a different wine to that made to the north and east – one that is more structured, darker and possesses a density that takes time to develop. In 2009, Chiara Boschis purchased a plot in the MGA Mosconi – the most recent addition to the estate's portfolio, and the one with the most intense character. 1.9 hectares at an altitude of 370 to 400 metres, south-facing. The soils are of Helvetic origin – calcareous clay-marl layers in a characteristic grey to slightly warm pink hue, depending on where calcium carbonate and iron shift the composition. In some places, these layers take on a reddish hue, tinged with iron and interspersed with pebbles. It is a soil that lends substance to the Nebbiolo, demands long ageing and produces a kind of vinous power that does not arise in this way in lighter soils. Chiara Boschis was the first Oenologist to obtain organic certification in Barolo. Today she works alongside her brother Giorgio – and the Mosconi bears the hallmark of both.

Just 2,100 bottles of this 1.5 ha single vineyard Cabernet Franc "Campo di Magnacosta" (a former riverbed with mainly clay, gravel and crushed stone soil) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. The vines were planted in the mid-1990s and come from Pomerol. In terms of aromatic intensity, Magnacosta is probably the most sensually elegant representative of the house's three great site cabernets. It has great straightness, but somewhat less power and intensity. It subtly combines black fruit aromas with spicy notes, tar and antique leather. It is already silky and elegant and will certainly gain in finesse over the years. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby red, with a fine cherry scent, in which there are also hints of nuts and forest fruits, vanilla, cinnamon, sage and tobacco. Concentrated, rich flavour with harmonious tannins and a long, velvety final. SUPERIORE.DE

Only 1,650 bottles of this 1.5 ha Cabernet Franc single vineyard "Campo di Camagi" (mainly quartz and limestone) reach the specialised trade and the menus of the best restaurants worldwide. Campo di Camagi is a very precise and focused wine. The high quality of the Cabernet Franc grape is noticeable here with every sip. Black fruits and spices are in elegant unity here and the full, racy body of this exceptional wine will only fully reveal itself in many years. Please be sure to put this bottle far away! SUPERIORE.DE

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

Monprà combines equal parts Barbera and Nebbiolo from vines in Monforte d'Alba, some of which are over 50 years old, at an altitude of 300-400 metres, from sites with clayey-limestone marl soils interspersed with sandy veins. Fermentation is temperature-controlled and takes place separately for each grape variety in stainless steel, while malolactic fermentation and 18 months of ageing take place separately in French oak. Only then are the batches blended – a precise, elegant blend that combines the fullness of Barbera with the noblesse of Nebbiolo.