The Wine Advocate

The 2019 vintage leaves no doubt about its origin from a top vintage in Montalcino. The fruit for Poggio Landis Brunello is harvested at altitudes of 200 to 300 metres above sea level. Interesting aromas of wild cherry, plum and crushed flowers. Taut, polished yet traditional character on the palate. It fits perfectly into the house style, which favours an elegant and less extract-rich approach. A highly sophisticated charmer across the board. SUPERIORE.DE

Ricasoli's Vin Santo is the sublime interpretation of one of the historic grape varieties of Chianti Classico, the Malvasia del Chianti, and at the same time a masterpiece of centuries-old Tuscan craftsmanship. Here, the 880-year-old winemaking tradition of the Ricasoli family merges with the mystical art of passito making to create a wine of rare nobility. The grapes come from vines over forty years old on well-drained alluvial soils at an altitude of 200 metres with southern exposure. At the beginning of October, at the end of the harvest, the Malvasia grapes are hand-picked together with small quantities of Trebbiano and Sangiovese grapes with an optimum sugar content and perfect flavour concentration. Only the best, loose-berried grapes with sparse berries are transported in 18-kilogramme crates to specially ventilated chambers at Castello di Brolio. This is where the magic of time begins: the grapes hang to dry for three months while the water content slowly dwindles and the flavours concentrate. The must from the gentle pressing then ferments for months - a process that takes years and requires the utmost patience. The young wine then matures for nine years in oak caratelli of various sizes, where it develops its characteristic amber colour and complex aromas.

The "Fracia" vineyard has belonged to Nino Negri since it was founded in 1897. It lies at the confluence of several alpine valleys and the vegetation in this area is almost Mediterranean with lavender and rosemary. The result is a wine that is flavoursome and flowery with a characteristic, spicy aroma.

Pinot Nero from Etna has long been the dream of the Planeta family. And the experiment has been a success: Eruzione 1614 offers many positive surprises, starting with a strong varietal identity: the natural characteristics of the grape variety surpass the obvious intensity and energy of this volcanic region. It is probably one of the most Burgundian interpretations of the grape variety in Italy (alongside Alto Adige). The purity and freshness of the wine, with its many aromatic details such as cassis, wild berries, lilac and violets, is rounded off at the end by interesting notes of crushed volcanic rock. Die-hard fans of Pinot Nero will be delighted. SUPERIORE.DE

An archaic red from the volcano – feudo di Mezzo already carries the weight of its origin in its name: the name refers to the central area of the Passopisciaro Valley at an altitude of around 600 metres. The 2018 vintage on the Etna slopes in Passopisciaro was warm and balanced with freshness from the cooling winds. The grapes achieved ripe juiciness with a lively structure – a vintage that allows balance and at the same time shapes character. The cuvée comes from 95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappuccio from old vines, traditionally trained in Alberello. Deep-rooted vines, volcanic rubble and pumice soil, mineral, permeable, characterised by thermal influences – this is Etna terroir in its purest form.

Pinot Nero has always been a challenge for every winemaker. It is a grape variety that places the highest demands on soil, climate and winemaking expertise. The Burgundian noble grape has been cultivated in South Tyrol since 1850, where it has become the region's most important red wine under the name Blauburgunder. Only the best and oldest vineyards in Eppan and the surrounding area are selected for the Sanct Valentin Pinot Nero, which has been part of the winery's prestige line since 1995 – sites between 400 and 550 metres on moraine debris and calcareous gravel. Minimal yields and meticulous care in the vineyard form the basis for a wine of exceptional finesse. The grapes are harvested by hand from the end of September to the beginning of October. After three days of cold maceration, fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks, followed by gentle pressing. Malolactic fermentation and subsequent maturation take place in barriques and tonneaux. After around twelve months, the wine is blended before maturing for a further six months in large wooden barrels – a combination that combines structure with Burgundian class.

Altrovino is a fine blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Intense, rich ruby red colour. Opulent aroma of black fruit, leather and tobacco. Graceful and very charming on the palate, multi-layered flavours, velvety and long. Already a harmonious pleasure today, this wine will enjoy a continuous career. SUPERIORE.DE

On the classic bouquet, ripe cherry, tobacco and some damp earth. On the palate, first the pure Sangiovese feeling: beautiful small red berries, wild cherry, lively acidity. Then an impenetrable mesh of red and black fruits, which together with a fine web of tannins and minerals reveal more and more of themselves. Compressed and with each sip more open and present, the beautifully diversified taste components present themselves until they then lead into an aristocratically long and fresh finish with a hint of liquorice. SUPERIORE.DE

A name carries weight when it is the programme. Stilèma – derived from "Stile" and the name Mastroberardino – is not a marketing term, but a commitment. It was Antonio Mastroberardino, known as the "archaeologist of vineyards", who began digging in the early 2000s: experimental projects, selection of pre-phylloxeric clones, revision of all protocols in the vineyard and cellar. His goal was not a new style – it was a return to a lost one. The great white wines of Irpinia from the 1970s and 1980s had a density, a texture, a depth that later decades could not match. Stilèma was not intended to preserve this memory, but to translate it into the present.

In the upper areas of the historic Contrada Rovittello – at an altitude of around 700 metres, on volcanic rock with a high basalt content – the old Nerello Mascalese vines of Il Musmeci take root. Some of them are even over 100 years old, their roots penetrating deep into the barren, mineral-rich soil. The north-eastern flank of Mount Etna provides a cool microclimate with a strong contrast between day and night – decisive for the aromatic precision. The name Il Musmeci is a tribute to the former owner of the parcel, Cav. Santi Musmeci, whose respect for terroir and tradition became the legacy of this wine.

The fifth vineyard. Such is the simple origin of this name – and so direct is Carlo Ferrini's philosophy behind it. La Quinta is not the little sister of Brunello, but its self-confident counterpart: the same address in Sant'Angelo in Colle at 400 metres, the same Sangiovese from skeleton-rich soils with a south-easterly orientation, the same care in the cellar and ageing. Only the time horizon is different. 2020 brought Montalcino warm, balanced conditions with a good night-day temperature amplitude – a vintage that favoured depth and drinkability in equal measure. 7 days of fermentation, 13 days of maceration in steel, then 12 months in a combination of 700-litre Liters, 2,500-litre Liters barrels and cocciopesto amphorae, rounded off in cement tanks. The baked clay amphora provides the breathable openness that keeps the wine alive without oxidising it.

Normally, the Sangiovese grapes from the 14-hectare single vineyard are mainly harvested in Ama and San Lorenzo. Since the 2018 harvest, Lorenza and Marco have decided to vinify a small quantity separately. Deep, dark ruby red colour with violet reflections. Extroverted bouquet of blackberry, raspberry and redcurrant, with notes of crushed gravel, tobacco and traces of young leather. Very powerful and beautifully textured on the palate, the various layers of primary fruit only gradually unfold, the wood pleasantly receding into the background. Finely granulated tannins and a well-integrated acidity flank this very harmonious red on an elegant, long final. There is a lot to like here, for us it is once again a typical Ama wine: racy, powerful and elegant! SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, dark ruby violet colour. Pugnitello impresses with intense notes of elderberry and blackberry, interspersed with subtle smoky notes, slightly peppery in the background. Juicy attack with a well-structured body, dense, gripping tannins, long and persistent with a salty component. SUPERIORE.DE

Montalcino and Cabernet Sauvignon – at first sounds like a marriage against nature. Sangiovese reigns here, Brunello grows here, the grape variety has found its expression here for centuries. The fact that Count Alberto Marone Cinzano nevertheless planted Cabernet Sauvignon on the hills of his estate in the early 1980s was neither a coincidence nor an experiment – it was a conviction. The conviction that this terroir, these soils, this altitude are capable of more than just one wine. Today, Olmaia is a monument to this vision. The vineyard – 365 metres above sea level, planted in 2005 – bears his name. The DOC Sant'Antimo, founded in 1996, created the legal framework for just such wines: international grape varieties, grown in Montalcino's chalky soil, with the ambition not to imitate, but to interpret.

Deep ruby red colour, lush notes of cherries, strawberries and sweet oak spice, vanilla and black pepper. The Sangiovese gives the blend great freshness and is in perfect balance with the silky and soft tannins of the Merlot. Overall rich, but always elegant and with great persistence. A complex, excellently structured red wine in absolute Super Tuscan quality and produced in a limited edition of just under 3,000 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

High above the slopes of Monforte d'Alba, where the morning sun bathes the valley in golden light, the mineral-rich, calcareous clay soils of the cool Pajana, Ciabot Mentin and Percristina (Mosconi) parcels produce grapes that find their expressive calm and depth in this Barolo. The 2020 vintage developed harmoniously: long ripening with constant warmth, cool nights and a dry autumn enabled a perfect balance of aromatic density and freshness. Carefully selected manual harvesting completed this natural process.

Lis is a mixed blend of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and is one of the house's top wines. It has a wonderfully complex aroma of citrus and passion fruit, yellow apple and an initially barely perceptible flavour lead from the Sauvignon Bianco. All elements of this cuvée are equally and masterfully married on the palate, the mouthfeel is soft and round. This complex and at the same time elegant white wine, with its subtle pressure, whets the appetite for more and inevitably casts a spell over every Friuli fan. SUPERIORE.DE

The top wine Cavalli Rosso comes from loose marl soils at an altitude of 400 metres facing south. It reveals a dark and lush fruit profile with intense blackberry, sour cherry, plum and graphite flavours. On the palate, it has a high primary intensity and medium weight, finishing with a very crisp acidity. It is polished and deep, balanced and supple with plenty of fruity power, weight and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Piandorino, the "entry-level wine" from Pian dell'Orino, represents its noble origins with great class. Light, bright ruby red in colour, with a beautiful bouquet of dark cherry, fresh plum, peppery notes and delicate vanilla tones. Juicy fruit on the palate, accompanied by a flattering woody note, finely balanced tannins and good length. This wine is fine and beautifully delicate on the finish. The grapes for Piandorino come from the estate's younger Brunello vines and around 3,000 bottles are produced each year. SUPERIORE.DE

When we discovered this winery by chance at the beginning of the 2000s, we were immediately impressed by the modesty and purism of the Biliorsi winemaking family. This is still the case today, they remain true to themselves and their philosophy and in good years, they produce just 10,000 bottles of a "slightly different" Brunello in the cellar.

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 for depth and harmony.

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.

The name alone reveals the poetry of this vintage sparkling wine. For decades, Perlé has been considered the essence of Ferrari's art, born from a meticulous selection of the best Chardonnay grapes from the Trentino mountains. The grapes for this Millesimato come from altitudes 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 makes Perlé so unmistakable. The Lunelli family only selects the very best batches – the grapes that most purely reflect the terroir. Perlé matures for almost five years on the fine yeasts – an exceptionally patient maturation period that gives the sparkling wine its characteristic creaminess and delicate yeast notes that harmonise perfectly with the fruity elegance of the Chardonnay.

Vigna San Francesco Cabernet Sauvignon is a solitaire among Sicilian red wines - not a Mediterranean outlier, but an expressive, noble representative of its grape variety, grown at an altitude of 570 metres in the cool vineyards of the Tenuta Regaleali winery in the heart of Sicily. The San Francesco parcel, planted with Cabernet since 1985, rests on calcareous clay soils whose structure and drainage lend the wine precision, depth and vigour.