The Wine Advocate

Barolo Ginestra Ciabot Mentin DOCG 2019 comes from one of Monforte's most prestigious parcels with a south-south-easterly exposure at an altitude of around 400 metres. The old Nebbiolo vines are deeply rooted in calcareous marl with veins of clay and sand, which gives the wine intensity and finesse. The 2019 vintage is considered one of the most classic of the last decade: long, balanced vegetation, mild summer heat and cool September nights produced grapes of rare aromatic precision. After being harvested by hand, the grapes were carefully vinified and matured in French oak for around 30 months.

Interesting bouquet of eucalyptus, rosemary and other garden herbs, underpinned by damp forest soil and a beautiful blackberry nose. On the palate, multi-layered and complex after coffee, raspberry jam with an exotic note. Wonderfully aromatic, complex and long - a successful and independent interpretation of the Cabernet grape. SUPERIORE.DE

Almost a decade lies between the harvest of this wine and its release. This is no exception for a Taurasi Riserva, but rather the rule: 24 months in barriques, at least a further 30 months in the bottle before release, and then several more years in the cellar until the wine is truly ready. The 2017 vintage has had this time. It comes from the Piano di Montevergine, the most iconic vineyard of the Feudi di San Gregorio estate – an area where vines have always grown amongst hazelnut and olive trees, as has characterised Irpinia’s agriculture for generations. Taurasi, a DOCG since 1993, is regarded as Campania's most serious red wine appellation, grown on volcanic soils in the shadow of the Montevergine massif. One hundred% Aglianico, a grape variety that requires precisely this long ageing period to integrate its tannic structure.

San Leonardo is the flagship of the winery of the same name and one of the best red wines in Trentino every year. Opulent bouquet with nuances of dark fruit such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate notes of spices, leather and tobacco give it a terrific complexity, which is then enhanced on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, all flanked by clearly contoured tannins. A masterful red with a strong personality that will reach its true greatness after a few more years of bottle ageing and live up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

Albe! ... the poetic name of this Barolo refers to the sky at sunrise, as experienced from the estate's various terroirs: Coste di Vergne, Fossati and La Volta. These high-altitude vineyards each produce slightly different dawns, which is symbolically reflected in the harmony of the cuvée. The grapes come from young but mature Nebbiolo vines and combine the nuances of each plot into a fluid, elegant expression. The grapes were carefully hand-harvested; each plot was vinified separately and only blended into the cuvée in the spring before bottling. Ageing takes place over approximately 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (40–75 hl) with annual racking – a process that fosters depth and harmony.

Albe! ... the poetic name of this Barolo refers to the sky at sunrise, as experienced by the various terroirs of the estate: Coste di Vergne, Fossati and La Volta. These high-altitude sites each produce slightly different dawns, which is symbolically reflected in the harmony of the cuvée. The grapes come from young but ripe Nebbiolo vines and combine the nuances of each parcel to create a flowing, elegant expression. The 2021 vintage is characterised by freshness and balance: Long vegetation phase at ideal temperatures, accompanied by cool nights that preserve intense fruit with lively acidity. The grapes were carefully harvested by hand, each parcel was vinified separately and only combined into a cuvée in the spring before bottling. The wine is matured for around 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (40–75 hl) with annual racking – a maturation that allows depth and harmony.

2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. No overripeness, no heat scars, no compromises. And for an east-facing vineyard like Le Lucére – fully exposed to the first light of the morning – this meant that the Sangiovese Grosso was harvested with a ripeness that has rarely been so precisely predictable. Harvested early, fresh and concentrated at the same time. Caciorgna allowed the wine to pass through all of its stages: 13 to 14 months in barrique and tonneau, then almost 28 months in large containers – an ageing process that demands and receives depth. The result is a Le Lucére of princely stature.

2020 posed a simple question for Montalcino's winegrowers: who has the better terroir? In a hot, dry year – august temperatures close to 40 degrees – it was not just the manual labour in the vineyard that decided, but the geology. Le Lucére responded with Galestro and slate: soils that hold water deeper, moderate temperatures and preserve freshness when patience and acidity have long since given way elsewhere. Organic farming since 2013 has paid off many times over in years like these. Living soils, deep-rooted vines, no drought stress that forces chemical interventions. Paolo Caciorgna didn't have to save anything. He just had to listen.

Altesinos Riserva is a taut and firm wine with perfectly nuanced fruit and an impressive aristocracy that always characterises the great elegance of Altesinos wines. In addition to its noble restraint, this Riserva is extremely refined, revealing a cosy ripeness with precise cherry aromas, spices, leather and traces of liquorice. Already exceptionally good today, it will certainly be even better in a few years' time! SUPERIORE.DE

Vecchie Vigne by Siro Pacenti is still one of the most modern wines to emerge from this sun-drenched appellation in southern Tuscany. The grapes come from old vines that are between 38 and 53 years old. You can immediately taste the great 2019 vintage and the richness and suppleness of its dark fruit and lush blackberry flavours. Vecchie Vigne offers that certain hint of exotic spices, savoury tobacco and even notes of talcum powder or buttered popcorn, which come from the oak - it is aged for 24 months in French barriques - which does it a world of good and makes it unmistakable. All the attributes of this exceptional wine are clearly pronounced and unmistakably convincing, all of which contribute to a creamy and infinitely long-lasting mouthfeel and make this wine one of the best of the vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

The project aims to highlight the link between the vines, the wines and their territorial origins. The Mastroberardino family wants to recreate the style of winemaking of the indigenous grape varieties of Irpinia (Greco, Fiano and Aglianico) that took place between the late 1950s and early 1970s for the Taurasi and between 1970 and 1980 for the two white wines from Irpinia. It is the unmistakable style (the stilèma) of a family that has interpreted the natural heritage of its territory over generations and that today impressively emphasises the genuine character of the terroir, which by no means can be expressed through high concentration and intensity alone.

The Riserva Lupi e Sirene (Wolves and Mermaids) label is reminiscent of the good old days when Podere le Ripi was so remote that the howling of the wolves was the only sound you could hear at night.

Wolves and sirens. The coat of arms of Podere Le Ripi bears both – the wild and the seductive, the earthbound and the mythical. It is no coincidence that the Riserva bears this name. It is both. The vineyard is located on the eastern side of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where oceanic marl soil with a granite skeleton has been shaping the vines for millions of years. The vines are planted in Alberello – the old, bush-like training system in which each plant fights for itself, roots deeply, gives little and gives everything. 11,000 vines per hectare. Biodynamic, without concessions to simplicity. The vinification follows an inner logic that Sebastian Nasello thinks through to the end: spontaneous fermentation, maceration for 20 to 25 days in open oak vats – 80 per cent with classic pumping over, 20 per cent according to the Piedmontese principle of skin infusion. Then 36 months in large wooden barrels, followed by 14 months in cement. No shortcuts. No cosmetics. Just time and conviction.

San Leonardo is the flagship wine of the winery of the same name and, year on 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, the whole 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

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

Altesinos Montosoli displays the famous characteristics of this particular site, which are always characterised by a pronounced mineral intensity, with hints of crushed granite and lead pencil layers. The five-hectare vineyard has a higher concentration of Galestro clay-slate rock, and the altitude contributes to the freshness of the wine.

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to practically abandon this noble location. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) has become what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron and is therefore very different from all other Fèlsina vineyards.

There are vineyards that were planted by a father and vineyards that were planted by a grandfather. Vecchie Vigne has both. The oldest parcels of Pelagrilli – planted in 1970 by Siro Pacenti himself, still in production – make up one half of the wine. The other comes from partial plots in Piancornello, which Giancarlo's maternal grandfather planted in the 1960s and which the family acquired in 1990. Two locations, two climates, two soils: the sandy loam of Pelagrilli with its cooling westerly winds in the north; the pebbly soils over hard bedrock and Mediterranean warmth of Piancornello in the south. Siro Pacenti thus holds almost a fifth of all the Sangiovese Grosso vines over forty years old in the entire appellation. Giancarlo Pacenti applies the same philosophy to Vecchie Vigne as he does to all his wines – only with a different approach to the starting point. The berry selection is a two-stage process: optical sorter and hand-picking before and after vinification. No compromises. Fermentation in steel, then 24 months in customised French barriques, two months in concrete tanks, 22 months bottle ageing.

The strong ruby-red Pinot Nero Schweizer, which is only produced in the best vintages, is a masterpiece. Its bouquet is large, complex and reminiscent of very ripe small wild berries. These special flavours are also found in the mouth, in combination with ripe, candied dark cherry and delicate floral and red berry notes. Juicy, wide-ranging palate, mouth-filling and with delicate, sveltenuances and an inviting and slightly tannic body which, together with the well-proportioned acidity, gives the wine a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

Currá: 2.8 hectares in the municipality of Neive, exposed to the south-south-west, where 55 to 75-year-old Nebbiolo vines sink their roots deep into pure limestone soil. This cru has always been synonymous with Barbareschi wines of exceptional structure and long ageing potential, wines that open up more slowly than their siblings and defy time with powerful, persistent tannins. The average yield is a modest 40 hectolitres per hectare – a deliberate self-restriction that guarantees concentration and expression in every berry. Currá combines the tannic power of a classic Barbaresco with the charming elegance that Neive brings to its wines, creating a wine of remarkable complexity. Andrea Sottimano treats the grapes from this vineyard with the same respectful care as all his cru wines: After meticulous hand-picking and selection, alcoholic fermentation takes place spontaneously with native yeasts. Maceration lasts up to three months, during which the cap of marc is regularly punctured in open stainless steel vats – this intensive extraction gives the Currá its characteristic tannin-emphasised structure. After transfer to wood, malolactic fermentation takes place slowly and naturally in barriques from the Burgundy cooperage François Frères, with around 15 per cent new wood being used. The wine matures in the barrel for 24 months before being bottled unfiltered and unfined and then left to rest in the bottle for another year to reach its full expressive potential.

This is a beautiful creation from a vintage that has presented some challenges to winemakers elsewhere in Italy and here in Piedmont. Barbaresco Bernadot with Treiso fruit shows a graceful, mid-weight approach to the 2014 vintage with red and purple fruits that are crisp and fresh. The bouquet is a sounding board for cassis, sour cherry, camphor ash, crushed stone and powdered licorice. Bernadot shows a firm texture and a lingering, silky intensity, while being refreshingly natural and weightless; an utterly captivating wine. SUPERIORE.DE