The Wine Advocate

The rarity wine symbolises Terlan's longevity: "A speciality of the Cantina Terlan are the rarities, special bottlings of mature white wines that have been stored for at least ten years on the fine lees in steel pressure tanks. The youthful freshness that characterises this Pinot Blanc despite its mature age is particularly impressive, making it perfect for longer ageing in the bottle. Terlan has the terroir to produce great white wines and skilfully demonstrates this with these rarities." Rudi Kofler, Kellermeister

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.

There is a number worth remembering: 1967, the year in which former cellar master Sebastian Stocker put the first white wines into pressurised tanks, which were actually intended for sparkling wine. No market for South Tyrolean sparkling wine, but an idea: what happens when a white wine is not aged for months, but for years? – decades – on its fine lees for decades? Stocker wanted to know. His successors have refined the answer. Rudi Kofler, cellar master since 2002, has elevated it to a philosophy. Rarity is the result of this patience. Outstanding vintages are first matured for twelve to fifteen months in large wooden barrels – they are then transferred to small 2,Liters steel tanks, where they rest quietly on the fine lees: ten years, fifteen years, sometimes longer. Until Kofler decides that the time has come.

At the beginning of the 20th century, La Fabriseria referred to the parish council of Sant'Ambrogio, the Fabbriceria, commissioned to build a new church. Grandfather Riccardo Tedeschi was one of the Fabbriceri – and it was customary for each councillor to bring his best wine to the meeting. At the end, a toast was made to God and good work. This rite sealed contracts and friendships; today it seals one of the most precious wines of the house. In 2000, the family acquired the seven-hectare vineyard in Le Pontare, between Fumane and Sant'Ambrogio, and planted it with exceptional density: 7,200 vines per hectare in Guyot training, at an altitude of 450 metres with a view of the entire valley, Verona and Lake Garda. The soil tells of the Cretaceous period: pink-white limestone marl, rich in calcium carbonate and iron oxide, interspersed with grey-yellow clay slate – a terrain that provides structure and balance, aromatic complexity and longevity.

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.

In the summer of 1983, Elio Altare picked up a chainsaw and sawed up his father's old Slavonian barrels. An act of rebellion, a break with tradition – and the beginning of a revolution in Barolo. His father disinherited him as a result, but Elio remained true to his path: Burgundian vinification, French barriques, shorter maceration and ageing times. The Langhe traditionalists were horrified. But the wines? They sold immediately. Today, Elio Altare is considered one of the "Barolo Boys", a pioneer of the modern Barolo style – and the Arborina is his flagship.

Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit and simultaneous austerity. Initially restrained red fruit on the nose, dense and very concentrated on the palate. Lazzarito 2021 impresses with its powerful but ripe tannins, typical of Serralunga. This assertive and still very youthful wine is very long-lived and has an impressive drive on the impressively long finish. Let's give it the time it needs and it will delight us completely. SUPERIORE.DE

Rocche di Castiglione is prized for its pure white, chalky soils, which produce wines of exceptional finesse and a wide range of flavours. For lovers of timeless Nebbiolo, it is a real hit. The vines are located not far from the winery, which blends into the stone walls and urban fabric of the village of Castiglione Falletto. The vineyard is about one hectare in size. Rocche di Castiglione is a curiously shaped and elongated MGA with a unique south-east exposure along a steep ravine, with Bussia to the west and Perno to the east. This site is characterised by freshness, extreme precision, straightforwardness, structure and balanced freshness.

Barolo Cerequio comes from vines that are over 35 years old. The vineyards were acquired by Michele Chiarlo in the 2010s through fortunate circumstances. The 2021 vintage confirms once again that the purchase of this vineyard was one of the smartest decisions Vietti has ever made. Cerequio is a wine of nuance and class that reflects the entire pedigree of this great site. Crushed red berry fruit, cherry, blood orange, spice and mint rise from the glass, framed by nervy tannins that convey classicism. An exotic, racy Barolo. SUPERIORE.DE

Around 60% of the grapes for the Monvigliero are not destemmed, which enhances the aromatic nuances of the wine. The utterly enchanting 2021 Monvigliero is delicate and supple with aromas of cherries, boysenberries, violets and spices, with an excellent balance and a lingering aftertaste that reflects the main flavour themes. SUPERIORE.DE

Vietti's Brunate parcels are located on the La Morra side of the cru site. It was fermented in stainless steel and then transferred directly to large oak barrels to mature. Vietti's Brunate 2021 shows blue flowers, wild berries, wild cherry and truffle-infused earth. It reveals a slender but open-knit quality that can be felt in the mouth. This softness or textural silkiness continues for many long minutes with hints of mint, liquorice and camphor ash carefully distributed along the way. The tannins are polished and long. Very elegant. SUPERIORE.DE

You can lose yourself in the bouquet of the Brunello di Montalcino 2020 from Poggio di Sotto. One moment crushed cherries with autumnal spice, the next exotic flowers and candied orange peel, another floral undergrowth, white smoke and wild berries. It is incredibly soft and pure, lifted by salty minerals, while sweet notes of cherry and raspberry slowly begin to saturate. What they then leave behind are youthful, grippy tannins and a wonderful structure. Thanks to vibrant acids and notes of citrus fruit, it always retains its impressive freshness. It will develop superbly with further years of bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Ravera, located in the municipality of Novello, is one of the best Barolo vineyards that continues to surprise and impress despite the changing climate. Thanks to the high altitude and the open view of the snow-capped mountains, the microclimate is well ventilated but at the same time protected. Freshly cut flowers, white pepper and mint energise a wine that is now very shy and tightly wound. But it wouldn't be Ravera if pickled dark cherries, lavender, mint, crushed stones and sage weren't pouring out of the glass, creating a powerful, breathtaking Barolo endowed with great purity. A particularly stunning and breathtaking wine in the dream vintage of 2021. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio di Sotto's Brunello 2019 is a true masterpiece. Bright, sparkling garnet red in colour. The multi-layered, seductive bouquet alternates cherry, autumnal spice, exotic flowers, candied orange peel with undergrowth, white smoke and wild small berries. Masterfully interwoven on the palate, with a softness and purity that, together with notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, delivers a firework of impressions. Add to this grippy tannins and an agile acidity and you have a prime example of Montalcino. It is already classic and modern at the same time, and we can only eagerly await its further development! SUPERIORE.DE

The year 1991 was the first. With the 2021 vintage, Poggio di Sotto is celebrating its thirtieth Brunello – an anniversary that the estate is marking with a special label in gold print, discreetly and without pomp, entirely in the style of the house. Thirty vintages that have proven that elegance is not a weakness. 2021 was not an easy year. Late frosts in spring decimated the harvest, summer brought heat, August finally brought rain – a sequence that could have been disastrous in other hands. Cellar master Leonardo Berti sees this as the special character of this vintage: fewer grapes, more concentration and an intensity gained through stress, which was kept in balance by the freshness of the long growing season. The soils – a mosaic of white and red clay, galestro and grey marl – did the rest. Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vats, maceration for at least 30 days, 42 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, unfiltered. The recipe is the same. The wine is not.

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.

The Ravera vineyard in Novello is considered one of the coolest and structurally most demanding crus in the Barolo zone – a terroir of calcareous marl with fine layers of sand, which gives the wines precision, firm tannins and exceptional longevity. Bricco Pernice originates from a parcel on the upper slope, perfectly exposed to the south-west, where the vines ripen evenly under a gentle breeze. 2018 was a moderate year with a balanced growing season and a long ripening phase, which gave the Nebbiolo elegance and aromatic depth.

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 spice, leather and tobacco notes give it a terrific complexity, which is then extended 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

Firmly anchored in La Morra, Elio Altare has been vinifying a Barolo in Serralunga d'Alba on a rented plot for a few years, vinified and bottled separately. A fascinating and powerful Nebbiolo with elegant fruit, truffle, leather and floral aromas. Full-bodied, juicy and long on the palate, with a remarkably elegant tannin structure. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

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

2021 – a Tuscan vintage for the ages. In the annals of Bolgheri, this year will be remembered as the one that revealed the perfection of the Mediterranean terroir in its purest form. A rainy winter, which replenished the water reserves for the coming summer, was followed by a growing season of classic elegance: a cool spring initially delayed budding, but when temperatures rose at the end of May, the development of the vines accelerated in an ideal way. The summer of 2021 was characterised by the Mediterranean drought that makes Bolgheri so unique – three months without any significant rainfall, but the vines did not suffer. The deep, sandy soils, enriched with limestone and stones, had stored the winter moisture and continuously nourished the roots. The exceptional day-night temperature difference, which was amplified by the nearby coast, was decisive and gave the grapes the freshness that makes the 2021 so distinctive.

There are moments in wine history when terroir, vintage and human mastery come together to create something extraordinary. The Barolo Bricco Boschis 2021 is one such moment – born from one of the most celebrated vintages in recent history and from a vineyard that has belonged exclusively to the Cavallotto family for almost a century. 2021 was the year that reminded Barolo lovers of the classic virtues of the great vintages: elegance instead of power, finesse instead of opulence, freshness instead of overripe sweetness.

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.