The Wine Advocate

Tasca d'Almerita recalls the first vintage of their legendary Rosso del Conte from the San Lucio vineyard with this lush Riserva del Conte. Ruby red, the aromas of berries, cherries and spices have wonderfully taken the wood into their midst. A lively taste, dense tannins and an endless finish complete the perfect picture. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio Alle Gazze is a very elegant Sauvignon Blanc with a large addition of Vermentino and small amounts of Viognier, Verdicchio and Semillon. Fabulous flavours of flowers, pineapple, peach and a little mint. Refined and expressive on the palate, well-structured and wonderfully long. SUPERIORE.DE

Two hands, one dream: When Elena Celli and Luca D'Attoma discovered the wild hills of Riparbella in 2000 – unploughed, stony and overgrown with macchia – they recognised the potential of this rugged terroir, situated at an altitude of between 250 and 300 metres. Here, where the salty breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea meets Mediterranean wilderness, one of Italy's most extraordinary Cabernet Francs has been produced for over two decades. Luca D'Attoma, legendary Oenologist and creator of iconic wines such as Le Macchioles Messorio, is committed to radical purity: biodynamic cultivation in accordance with Demeter guidelines, spontaneous fermentation in conical oak vats, and 20 months' ageing in barriques containing 80% new oak.

Above the vineyard is a brown road sign: Passo del Lume Spento m. 621 s.l.m. The highest point of the entire Brunello appellation. The name is self-explanatory: The wind on this sandstone plateau was so strong that it extinguished the lanterns of the carriages that once crossed this pass. The light always went out. The place remained. No Brunello was allowed to grow here until 2016. The DOCG regulations set an upper limit at 600 metres – and Passo del Lume Spento is at 621 metres. When the rules were changed, Riccardo Campinoti was one of the first to take the plunge. The vines were planted in 2010 and 2012 – young, on a sandstone plateau with south-west exposure, which on clear days offers views as far as the Tyrrhenian Sea. Gaja and Marchesi Antinori have also bought in this zone since then. You don't have to be a clairvoyant to understand why.

In the early decades of the 19th century, one man shaped the landscape of Bolgheri like no other: Guidalberto della Gherardesca, an ancestor of the Incisa family, who commissioned the construction of the area's first mills and churches, laid out fields and designed the Viale dei Cipressi – that famous avenue of cypress trees immortalised by Carducci, which still marks the entrance to Tenuta San Guido today. This wine is dedicated to the pioneer of this landscape. Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, who had long maintained that he wished to produce just one wine, recognised in the mid-1990s the potential of new plots along the Viale dei Cipressi, on clay-loam soils that proved particularly well-suited to Merlot. The first harvest was in 2000. Today: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, from vines with an average age of 18 years. Hand-harvested, short maceration, indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation in steel, followed by 12 months in French barriques, approximately 40% of which are new.

Treat yourself to a large glass, or even better: decant the wild and racy Il Guercio, then a dark berry mix with black cherries and a hint of dark chocolate will be in the air. Equally juicy Sangiovese fruit on the palate, full-bodied with fine silky tannins, elegant and finely structured, with animating acidity, very precise and animating in the long finish. Potential for many years in the cellar. Not at all loud, but a highly impressive wine full of elegance and the winery's masterpiece. SUPERIORE.DE

"Pianrosso" – the red plain. When Giuseppe Bianchini began planting this vineyard in 1985, he knew that the heart of his heritage would beat here, on the iron-rich Galestro soils above the Orcia Valley. Eleven hectares between 240 and 360 metres, supported by the slate and marl subsoil that was once seabed before the nearby Monte Amiata left behind its volcanic minerality. Today, his son Paolo and his son Alex continue this legacy – three generations of Bianchini, who face Montalcino's hottest zone with organic cultivation and prudent restraint. The 2020 vintage demanded everything: July heat, which led to 15.5 per cent alcohol, but underneath lies the elegance for which Castelnuovo dell'Abate is famous.

Directly in front of the winery, at an altitude of 600 metres, with a view to the south-west and the sea on the horizon, lies a vineyard that was planted in 1968. It is called Vigna Vecchia – the old vineyard. That's all it needs to introduce itself. 56-year-old vines on quartz-rich soil, the last plot on the estate to be harvested – some years not until mid-October. The old vine is slow, it yields little and concentrates a lot. What it produces is not a broad portrait of the terroir, but a monologue – precise and of a density that can only be explained by age. Riccardo Campinoti vinifies the Vigna Vecchia like all his Brunello: concrete vats, natural yeasts, long maceration, then 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels. No Riserva label – although the wine would justify it. Campinoti deliberately refrains from doing so. As in Burgundy, it is the location and terroir that count, not the category.

A Barolo from a great vintage: the 2021 wine year brought a long growing season with clear day-night amplitudes and precise harvest: fully ripe phenolics, bright acidity, impeccable health. The grapes come from family-owned plots in Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte and Mosconi. Each vineyard is fermented separately in stainless steel; prolonged maceration with gentle extraction, followed by unhurried malolactic fermentation. For the ageing process, the estate primarily uses large Slavonian oak barrels (botti), discreetly supplemented by French oak.

Altare 's Barolo is a Barolo of the four cardinal directions. Not geographically, but in terms of character: from La Morra, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and the municipality of Barolo, a wine emerges that does not let any single vineyard site take centre stage, but rather all of them at once. A map of the entire appellation in 10,000 bottles. What gives each vintage its unique character is the climate. 2022 was hot, dry and concentrated in the Langhe – a year that Parker ranked among the most extraordinary of the last decade. The vines were under stress; the grapes ripened early and fully; and the extraction from 4 to 5 days in rotary fermenters yielded denser fruit and softer tannins than in a cooler year. Twenty-four months in used French barriques gave the wine structure and complexity without overshadowing the warmth of the vintage.

The Cotarella family's Le Macioche Brunello 2020 shows balance and character, opening with bright cherry fruit, menthol, balsamic herbs, minerals and soft earthy tones. On the palate, the wine unfolds with lightness, silky and refined, with a pure presentation of ripe red berries accompanied by violet-coloured flowers and a hint of leather. Although grippy and structured, it remains energetic and fresh on the final, leaving a hint of violets and lavender. SUPERIORE.DE

This exceptional Recioto was matured for 6 years in Slavonian oak. Deep, dark ruby red in colour. In the nose, a beguiling extract of black cherry, dried flowers and a fine spiciness, with hints of liquorice and mint. On the palate, the fruit is uniform, extremely harmonious and concentrated to the point. Notes of gingerbread, dark chocolate and black cherry glide into an almost endless finish with an unforgettable aftertaste. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Casanovina Montosoli is one of those wines where you know you are in for an experience as soon as you smell the glass. Dark berries and cherries are followed by roasted nuts, gravel and slate. It is remarkably fresh and light on the palate, but also rich and exotic, with a silky texture that is layered with tart wild berries, savoury herbs and a hint of balsamic spice over a medium-bodied palate. Inner roses, violets, lavender and tart citrus - this wine is remarkably layered and has an unseen depth. The balance between lively acidity and increasing tannin keeps the experience alive. With only 3,800 bottles produced each year, Riccardo Campinoti creates a cru here that not only represents the individuality of Le Ragnaie wines perfectly, but is also hard to beat in terms of elegance and finesse. SUPERIORE.DE

The fruit for this Brunello comes from a 14.4 hectare south-facing vineyard with loamy soils and lots of boulders. Complex, dark and earthy bouquet of ripe black cherries, enriched with notes of dried flowers, spices, crushed stones and a hint of animal musk. The palate reveals silky textures and pure Sangiovese fruit, underpinned by earthy tones supported by a network of minerals and tannins. The mouthfeel is always lean, tangy and soft, although you can feel the wine's full body and great appeal at all times. The final is polished and refined and lasts for several minutes. SUPERIORE.DE

Guado al Tasso is not only the name of the winery, but also the historical term for a ford in the torrent on the Marchesi Antinori estate. In the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the place where one encountered the "tasso" (badger) while travelling through the water on horse and cart. This poetic place name came to symbolise a wine that combines depth and movement: A Bolgheri Superiore with provenance, history and attitude. Despite the summer heat, the 2022 vintage produced an astonishingly balanced structure. Selective harvest in the best parcels between the hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea, fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 18 months of ageing in new French barriques, followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing.

Barolo Ravera comes from a single vineyard with almost 50-year-old vines. In the glass, it impresses with a strong, aromatic opening aroma. Bright, precise and finely chiselled, the Ravera captures all the goodness the vintage has to offer. Cherry, sweet mint, candy and expressive floral notes get an extra kick of inner sweetness from the Ravera's natural energy. There is so much to look forward to as the wine develops over the next few years! SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Petroso is only produced in the best years and in an extremely limited quantity - just 1,200 bottles of the 2019 vintage will be released onto the market. The exciting bouquet combines rich dark fruits with savoury spices, sage and violets to create a captivating spectacle. Soft and enveloping on the palate, initially quite feminine, with a mix of vibrant acids and minerals giving way to wild berries and pretty inner flowers. This cool, balanced and savoury wine already shows enormous purity and finesse when young, but with its grippy tannins it definitely needs more years to develop fully. With such a limited production, it is a shame that more people will not be able to enjoy this exceptionally beautiful Brunello. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the Fornace come from a vineyard high in the hills of Castelnuovo dell'Abate. It is only vinified separately in the best vintages in a small production run of around 3,000 bottles. In the glass, Fornace presents itself with a saturated, dark garnet-red colour. It makes a great first impression, which is enhanced by the depth and intensity of its flavours. Its personality is slender, refined and noble. This wine eschews the classic primary flavours of red and purple fruit, instead composing a beautiful symphony of spices, balsamic herbs and camphor ash. A wonderful wine. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the family's own plots throughout the Barbaresco zone – mainly in Treiso (including Il Bricco, San Stefanetto, Bongiovanni) and in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio (Rocche di Massalupo). Each vineyard is harvested and fermented separately in order to preserve its own characteristics; the lots are only combined after ripening. The wine is matured in the classic way over a long period in large Slavonian oak barrels, supplemented by a smaller proportion in French oak, enough to refine the texture without masking the origin. The 2019 vintage benefited from long, balanced vegetation with cool nights in autumn: fully ripe, aromatically dense grapes with an ideal acid structure.

Podere Uccelliera is located on the south-eastern slope of the hill of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where the view falls on the extinct volcano Monte Amiata and the breeze from the Orcia Valley blows through the vineyards. Not a large estate, not a marketing machine. Nine hectares, one man, one idea of wine. Andrea Cortonesi comes from a Mezzadria family that cultivated these lands for generations, long before Brunello was a word the world knew. In 1986, he bought the old Podere – with centuries-old olive trees, half a hectare of vines and the firm intention of creating something lasting here. He had previously worked at Ciacci Piccolomini, Poggio di Sotto and Mastrojanni – as a cellar master, as an observer, as a learner. What he took with him was not a recipe. It was a flair. He vinified his first Brunello in 1991.

Just a few metres down the slope from the legendary Bricco Boschis lies a cru that was long overshadowed by its famous neighbour until Cavallotto recognised the potential of this unique location in 1989: the Vignolo. On 1.96 hectares of steep south-west-facing slopes, where 10,700 Nebbiolo vines planted in 1948 and 1966 are rooted in calcareous marl, a Barolo with a completely different personality is created – more elegant, more floral, more seductive than the powerful wines from Bricco Boschis. Vignolo embodies the feminine side of Cavallatto – a wine that does not impress through power, but enchants through finesse. The site, 60-80 metres lower than Bricco Boschis, benefits from a milder microclimate and a different geological composition, which produces wines with "soft and sweet" tannins – already accessible in their youth, but with the potential for decades of development.

In 2001, the brothers Piero and Lodovico Antinori, together with their nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi, recognised the extraordinary potential of the hills of Bibbona in the Upper Maremma. Instinct, passion and centuries of family experience led to a plot-by-plot study that would ultimately result in the creation of Tenuta di Biserno. The terroir of these 40 hectares, situated at an altitude of 90 metres, is exceptionally complex: mainly alluvial and clay-limestone soils, which create the ideal environment for Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The varying exposures and the distance from the sea shape the varietal expression so strongly that the decision to create two production lines was inevitable: Biserno – the estate’s most prestigious and representative wine – and Il Pino di Biserno.

At Fuligni, the Riserva is not a matter of course. It is produced only when a vintage deserves it – and when the estate's oldest vineyards have yielded something that is more than just Brunello. More than just good. 1972, 1976, 2002: vintages in which Fuligni simply did not release any Brunello at all because the quality wasn't up to standard. Such consistency is rare, for one must be able to afford it and be willing to do so. It is also the foundation upon which a Riserva acquires its very special significance. 2020 was no easy year. Warm, dry, early-ripening – a vintage that many producers dismissed as too opulent, too soft. Fuligni saw it differently. The north-east-facing vineyards in Cottimelli, at altitudes of between 380 and 450 metres, on Galestro soil – stony, cool, with natural acidity even in hot years – tempered the heat and preserved the freshness. What proved a challenge in flatter, warmer sites resulted here in concentrated, healthy grapes with depth and surprising elegance. The estate's oldest vines, over forty years old, with reduced yields and highly concentrated juice, provided the grapes for this selection.

In 1978, the first bottle of Brunello from Casanova di Neri found its way onto the market – then still called "Vino Rosso dai Vigneti di Brunello", five years after the first harvest. Giovanni Neri had found his dream and his son Giacomo began to realise it. The white label was there from the very beginning – and still is today. The Brunello White Label comes from specially designated vineyards around Podere Fiesole to the east of Montalcino – the same vineyards from which the estate has been making its Brunello for over four decades. After a cool, slow spring, 2021 brought a balancing, dry summer and even ripening into September.