Veronelli

This dazzling wine is something for Sangiovese purists and lovers of extreme finesse. It literally vibrates with electric energy and charm. Opening with enticing aromas of roses, violets, berries, ploughed earth and new leather, it is youthfully intense but already a classic at this stage. With its velvety texture, it envelops everything it touches with masses of dark red fruit, liquid violet blossom, notes of lavender and sage, plus a subtle savoury note. Taut, refined tannins and bright acidity ensure a perfect balance and a promising, long ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Produced only in the best vintages and in small quantities, this Riserva follows the classic promise of a traditional and powerful Brunello that becomes softer and better with age. Poggio di Sotto has undoubtedly produced one of the best wines of the vintage. This Riserva 2019 fulfils the promise of its category. This wine offers intensity and complexity in abundance. The bouquet is more refined and deeper than that of the Annata; in addition to dark fruits and blackberries, this wine shows an additional dose of cloves and spices. In the mouth, the wine is supple and silky, but it also shows impressive power and length. Those who are prepared to wait ten years or more will be rewarded in the most excellent way with this Riserva! SUPERIORE.DE

Beguiling aroma of sweet, dark berries with a hint of cassis, cedar wood and antique leather. Very balanced on the palate, beautifully viscous with an elegant melt. Fine-meshed tannins, restrained mineral tones and wonderfully polished fruit accompany a remarkable finish. For all its elegance, it shows pressure and power and, with the right dose of acidity, promises a long life and almost reaches the level of its famous big brother. SUPERIORE.DE

Luca Currado cultivates the Brunate Cru on the La Morra side of the vineyard (opposite the Barolo side) and this wine contains fruit from new plots. It convinces with an impressive aroma of red berries, cherries, wild herbs, mint, minerals and rose petals, rounded off by a hint of blood orange. On the palate we find a terrific softness and textural silkiness, this continues with hints of mint, liquorice and camphor ash for many minutes. Polished tannins round off this masterpiece into an extremely elegant Brunate. SUPERIORE.DE

"An expression of elegance in Serralunga", Luca Currado underlines at the tasting of Lazzarito, and we already agree with him on the nose. Gravel, pebbles, red fruits, rose petals, lavender and sage permeate this plastic and very lively Serralunga Barolo. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit. The balsamic symphony opens the doors to a sip that is undoubtedly powerful, but at the same time refreshing and rich in vitamins. With added aeration, Lazzarito delivers mint and balsamic herbs. Lazzarito sets the pace and never loses its rhythm, the great texture of the tannins flanks this palate spectacle in an ideal way and we will discover much more about this great Barolo in the years to come. SUPERIORE.DE

Vietti's Ravera is one of the great stars of Piedmont in its precision and structure. It uses fruit from Novello, from a site that looks out over the castle of the same name on the hill in the distance. This wine offers an impeccable balance between nose and mouth, showing immense purity and power in one package. Rose petals, chalk, pepper and a hint of pomegranate make this Barolo one of the most sought-after in the appellation every year. With some ageing, the powerful tannins give way to an elegant impression that does not deviate one millimetre from the coveted style of this great vineyard. A monument of Barolo, which only a few other winemakers in Piedmont besides Vietti and also Giacosa bottle with such consistency! SUPERIORE.DE

Guado al Tasso presents itself with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as convincing as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and leather. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with plenty of sweet flavour, elegant tannins and a very long finish. A finesse-rich red that offers maximum drinking pleasure and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Tenuta Tignanello is situated in the heart of Chianti Classico, on the rolling hills between the valleys of the rivers Greve and Pesa, and covers 319 hectares of land, of which around 130 are planted with vines. The estate's vineyards include two jewels: Tignanello and Solaia, which lie on the same hill, on marl soils of marine origin from the Pliocene period, rich in limestone and slate, and which benefit from warm days and cool nights during the growing season. These vineyards produce two wines which, many years ago, were set to become the starting point for the renaissance of Italian wine. Nothing has changed in that regard to this day.

So much verve and purity, integration and harmony can be found in the Masseto 2021. Black raspberry, mulberry, a hint of toasted brioche. A beautiful natural sweetness, plus a delicacy and subtlety that is simply beautiful and tantalising. Black biros ink and more and more cedar wood with gentle aeration. Creamy. Essences of petals - with a little more lilac, lily and hyacinth than rose. Then graphite again. A wonderful texture on the finish, as soft and caressing as a million layers (milles feuilles plus!) of silk, but actually with a deeper and richer texture - so more cashmere perhaps than silk. Lively, flowing, dynamic and incredibly juicy. Radiant in its incredible dynamism and energy. Very special and above all endless on the finish. Wow! SUPERIORE.DE

In the early 1980s, André Tchelistcheff, the legendary Russian-American Oenologist, stood on a hill near Bolgheri and saw what others overlooked: blue clay. Argille blu – pressed to the surface millions of years ago by tectonic faults, so compact that the Tuscans call it masso, rock. Tchelistcheff recognised the potential for something unheard of in this soil: a Merlot that could rival Pétrus. In the middle of Italy, in the land of Sangiovese. People thought he was crazy. History proved him right. Today, Masseto has long been more than just a wine – it is a monument. Twelve perfect 100-point ratings since its debut in 1986, a name that is mentioned in the same breath as the greatest wines in the world. And a vineyard that is reluctant to reveal its secrets: seven hectares, divided into three parcels with completely different characters. Masseto Alto delivers structure and ripe fruit, Masseto Centrale – with the highest clay content, the "Grand Cru" of the vineyard – gives opulence and monumental tannins, while Masseto Junior with its younger vines contributes freshness and vibrancy. The mosaic only comes together to form the whole.

An impressive and unforgettable Merlot from the sun-drenched vineyards of the Bolgheri zone near the Mediterranean Sea. It has received lavish praise in the trade press from all over the world. The bouquet combines dark, very ripe fruit and tobacco. Velvety tannins, an ingratiatingly alcoholic character and tremendous persistence are part of its soft taste. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Lazzarito 2019, which obtains its fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, is built like a pyramid. It stands on a thick base of robust fruit and power and rises in intensity thanks to its wonderfully elevated bouquet. It shows direct and solid lines with blackberries, plums, spices, tar, liquorice, candied orange peel and truffle-infused earth. A second wave of flavours offers dark minerals, iron ore and rust. Baroli from Serralunga d'Alba are often in a category of their own thanks to their richness and sheer abundance of fruit. With additional aeration, the Lazzarito, certified organic for the first time in this vintage, delivers mint and fine balsamic herbs and will fully inspire with further maturation in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Masseto 2020 combines all the special features of the vintage. Its colour and aromas show optimal concentration both visually and olfactorily and are characterised by a constant liveliness in the glass that does not diminish over time. On the palate, the power of this wine is expressed with a beautiful length and balsamic notes. Its solid tannin structure reveals the ageing potential typical of Masseto. SUPERIORE.DE

"Everything was slow, calm and beautiful." This is how cellar master Carlo Paoli described 2013. After an April frost that regulated the natural grape yield, a summer without extremes followed – no heat spike, no stressful events, just a gradual, even ripening that gave the Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravel marl soils of Tenuta San Guido exactly what it needed: Time. Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, granddaughter of the founder, called the result a record year for Sassicaia. The harvest began at the beginning of September with the Cabernet Franc, which was the first to reach phenological ripeness, and ended at the end of September in the high vineyards of Castiglioncello.

"Sassicaia really was our house wine back then," says Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, daughter of the president of San Guido, Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta. "It was more of a wine experiment that was only tested within the family and among friends, until we went on the market for the first time with the 1968 vintage. Today, this wine is all about elegance and balance. We like this style, which is not so much about the body. Sassicaia is a good representative of what we want to convey as a style."

Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is said to have once said that Sassicaia is always great in years with an eight at the end: 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008. The sentence sounds like a legend – but it holds water. 2008 was a year of transition: spring began cool, the vegetation was delayed by ten days, the summer gradually warmed up and led to a concentrated, structurally rich harvest. It was also the first year in which the new oenological team worked together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis – a baton that was passed in slow motion.

There are vintages that are underestimated on release and only assert their true status over the years. The 2009 Sassicaia is one of them. When it came onto the market, critics debated 2008 and 2010, but anyone who listened carefully realised that the 2009 climate year in Bolgheri was simply perfect. A long, cold winter secured the water reserves. The spring began cautiously, the summer gifted the vineyards with warmth and pronounced day-night temperature contrasts – conditions that lead Cabernet Sauvignon to extraordinary phenolic ripeness on the gravel soils of Bolgheri. The harvest began at the beginning of September and was flawless.

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

An unrivalled powerhouse and at the same time of a unique beauty and finesse. Villero (only produced in the best vintages) is an overwhelming interpretation of the otherwise rather austere Nebbiolo grape, which here displays a kaleidoscope of life and vigour.

Deep, full red with a fine sheen. The La Morra edition from Vietti's famous Barolo family convinces with an impressive aroma of red berries, cherries, wild herbs, mint, minerals and rose petals, rounded off with a hint of blood orange. The palate is opulent, full, with fine sweetness and structure, and the multi-layered, long final is accompanied by downright aristocratic tannin. A typical Vietti cru with a lot of class. SUPERIORE.DE

Giuseppe Massolino fell in love with a vineyard in 1956 and put all his eggs in one basket. In order to acquire a small part of the Vigna Rionda, he swapped a plot twice as large. Madness, people said. A stroke of luck, as it turned out. Because Giuseppe knew that Vigna Rionda was no ordinary vineyard. Since 1879, the name has been listed in Giovanni Gagna's book on viticulture in the Langhe – as one of the few places that produces exceptional wines. Before 1340, the land belonged to the Marquis of Saluzzo, then for centuries to the Falletti family. History knows many names for this hill: Vignarionda, Arionda, Rotonda – because of its round shape. But they all mean the same thing: the epitome of Serralunga.

There are wines that become living memories. There are grape varieties that only discover their true calling when they are far from home. And there is sibling love that survives death and becomes immortal in liquid form. Dedicato a Walter is all of this at the same time – above all a 100% Cabernet Franc of such moving purity that it is one of the rarest and most precious treasures not only of Bolgheri, but of Italy as a whole. Walter Allegrini died far too young in 2003, just two years after he had begun to realise the Tuscan dream together with his sister Marilisa. But his spirit lives on in those three magical hectares of the Via Bolgherese vineyard, the most prestigious area of Bolgheri, reverentially known as the "Soprastrada". This extraordinary plantation with south-west exposure at only 56 metres above sea level benefits from Bolgheri's unique microclimate, where salty sea breezes meet the intense exposure of the Tuscan coast. The Cabernet Franc – the noble grape variety that traditionally ensures elegance and finesse in Bordeaux blends – finds the ideal conditions here to develop completely independently and in its purest form.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

There are wines that make history. Solaia is one of them. When the Antinori family bottled this wine for the first time in 1978 – a pure Cabernet cuvée made from 80 per cent Sauvignon and 20 per cent Franc – nobody could have guessed that one of the most influential chapters in Italian wine history was about to begin. The name itself says it all: Solaia is derived from "sole", the sun, as this vineyard on the Tenuta Tignanello enjoys the sunniest south-west exposure on the entire estate. Twenty hectares between 350 and 400 metres above sea level, where the vines drive their roots deep into Alberese and Galestro – the hard limestone and schistose claystone that date back to the Pliocene and are rich in marine fossils. Solaia is only produced in exceptional years; there was no bottling in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992. This consistency, this relentlessness in the pursuit of perfection, makes Solaia what it is: not just a wine, but an icon.