Vinous | 95–100 Points

Monika Bär-Bettschart spent her holidays in Castellina as a young girl. She fell in love with this piece of Tuscany – and later with Thomas. After their marriage, the two acquired Gagliole. A Swiss couple, a Tuscan Podere, a very simple conviction: If you really love a piece of land, you have to farm it. La Valletta in Panzano has also been part of the family since 2011 – ten hectares on the north-western edge of the Conca d'Oro, at 450 to 500 metres, exposed to the south-west, on Pietraforte: that compact, limestone-rich sandstone that does not yield to Sangiovese – and therefore demands the best from it.

Brilliant and vertical, it retains its characteristic floral note and the freshness of the fruit typical of the terroir.

A fruity and graceful Barbaresco. The loamy soils give it a firm backbone and strong tannins.

Cherry-accentuated bouquet with hints of violet flowers, clove, cigar box and a pleasant spicy sweetness. Dense and expressive on the palate, it opens vibrant and multi-layered and then reveals a wonderful load of black cherry, exotic spices and a fine salty vein. The perfectly balanced tannins always provide the necessary balance and give it a racy, very long finish with its extremely refined flavour components. SUPERIORE.DE

Ilatro – is the Tuscan name for the wild olive tree (Phillyrea latifolia), which grows in the maquis surrounding the Brancaia estate in the Maremma. An unassuming plant that nobody plants and nobody tends – that is simply there, part of the landscape, part of the scent of this coastal region in hot weather and with the sea breeze. The Ilatraia takes its name because it comes from this place. Not from a vineyard that could have been anywhere. But from here. 40% Petit Verdot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc on sandy loam soils, without irrigation, beneath the Tuscan coastal sky.

Concerto was born in 1981, a time of dynamic change in Italian viticulture. The hitherto untapped potential was recognised and experiments were carried out with new grape varieties and, for the first time, successfully with international grape varieties. It was Marchesa Carla Mazzei who spontaneously chose the name Concerto in 1981 after the first tasting of just fifteen barriques – a symphony had taken place in her glass. As one of the first ten Super Tuscans, this wine made history and revolutionised the Tuscan understanding of wine. From the Scassi vineyard in the western part of Fonterutoli, surrounded by oak forests at an altitude of 350 metres, the Sangiovese comes from mass selections from an experimental vineyard in the 1930s. And the small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon has developed a completely independent character here over four decades, far removed from the international character it develops elsewhere. The 18-month maturation in French barriques then gives the wine its noble structure without overshadowing its original elegance.

The star from Tenuta Sant'Antonio: A rich dark ruby red, its bouquet of wild fruits, black pepper, tobacco and spices is a delight for the nose. Fruity and full-bodied, yet velvety and very sophisticated in its character - an austere, characterful and elegant Amarone, whose terrificfinish is accompanied by noble tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

In the gentle hills of Mezzane di Sotto, where the Monti Garbi rise majestically over the eastern Valpolicella, lies the centrepiece of the Tenuta Sant'Antonio: Campo dei Gigli – the field of lilies. The oldest vines of the brothers Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi are rooted here, on calcareous white soils with sandy-loamy inclusions at an altitude of 300 metres. A single vineyard that produces a unique wine. Since 1989, the Castagnedi family has embodied the revolution that changed Valpolicella forever: quality instead of quantity, while everyone else was still focussing on quantity. Forty-year-old vines, trained on the traditional Pergola Veronese with only 3,300 vines per hectare, bear the cuvée of 70% Corvina and Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 5% each of Croatina and the rare Oseleta. The appassimento – the mystical drying period of at least three months – transforms the hand-picked grapes into concentrated essence.

Lodovico Lisini died in 1950 and left the estate to his daughter Elina. At a time when the Mezzadria was coming to an end and agriculture was being abandoned, Elina decided differently: she invested, planted new vineyards and transformed a family estate into a serious winery. In 1967, she was one of the 24 founders of the Brunello Consortium. She was its president for many years. Until her death in 2009, it was the quiet, tenacious Elina Lisini who gave the name of this house its reputation – and a wine that Giulio Gambelli, Italy's most legendary taster, helped to shape. The estate is located in southern Montalcino between Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate, on tuff-rich soil of Eocene origin, 300 to 350 metres above sea level and characterised by the warm Maremma breezes. 2021 was a year of extraordinary harmony: warm, balanced summer, cool nights until September, even ripeness, precise tannins.

Rio Sordo stands alone. It is the southernmost vineyard of the Produttori del Barbaresco, a narrow strip stretching from north to south and bordering the municipality of Treiso to the west. The soils are light in colour, low in limestone and airy – quite unlike the clay-rich slopes to the north or the limestone-rich sites in the centre. And it is precisely this 'less' that leads to a 'more': silkiness. Tannins that never overwhelm, but rather accompany the wine. A surface that seduces before revealing its depth. The winemaking process is the same as for all Produttori del Barbaresco vineyards: 28 days' maceration, more than thirty months in Slavonian oak barrels, and a year in the bottle. First vinified as a single vineyard in 1978 – at a time when the world was just beginning to take Barbaresco seriously.

To the north, Pora borders a vertical rocky ridge that drops steeply down to the Tanaro – covered by a dense oak forest, renowned for its white truffles. This is no coincidence. The river is close by, and its influence is palpable: summer mornings are milder than elsewhere, the humidity is higher, and the soil is more fertile than in most other vineyards belonging to the Produttori del Barbaresco. What the vines produce is a Nebbiolo with a particular approachability – a gentle touch that does not deny the traditional craftsmanship. For the craftsmanship is uncompromising: 28 days' maceration, at least thirty months in large Slavonian oak barrels, and a year in the bottle. Domizio Cavazza was one of the first to include Pora 1894 on his vineyard map; the Produttori have been bottling it separately since 1967.

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.

The name was finally established by the official MGA classification in 2007: Muncagota – the Piedmontese dialect term for what had been known as Moccagatta for decades. The wine, the winegrower and the soil remained the same. The vineyard is situated to the south-east of the village centre, thus facing the morning light, which reaches the grapes earlier than on the west-facing slopes. The soil is rich in limestone, the yield is modest – and the character it imparts to the Nebbiolo is unusual for a Barbaresco vineyard: floral, almost minty and herbaceous, with a freshness that holds its own even in warm vintages. The Produttori del Barbaresco have been vinifying Muncagota since 1967, using the same method as for all the cooperative's other vineyards: 28 days' maceration, thirty months or more in large Slavonian oak barrels, and a further year in the bottle. The same method is used for all wines; the differences stem solely from the terroir.

Mastrojanni's 2020 vintage has a juicy, fleshy feel that adds to the overall intensity of the wine. In the glass, rich fruit, baking spices and a hint of rum cake. The wine is dark and velvety in appearance, the mouthfeel is balanced, smooth and lingering. It is quickly accessible with its full-bodied appeal and you can enjoy this wine over the next few years without having to wait long. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby garnet colour, fine violet note and many spices in the bouquet. Dense and compact with taut tannin and sweet fruit melt. Given time, this already very elegant red (age of the vines: 100 years, production: 4,000 bottles) is at the beginning of a long, promising development. SUPERIORE.DE

Ruby garnet colour, fine violet and rose notes and many spices in the bouquet. Dense and compact with taut tannin and sweet fruit melt. Given time, this captivating red is at the beginning of a long, promising development. SUPERIORE.DE

Rampante lies high up on the northern slope of Mount Etna, at an altitude of around 1,000 metres – one of the coolest sites in Passopisciaro's portfolio. The vines grow on young, porous lava rock, which is rich in minerals and gives the wine a striking verticality and salinity. Nerello Mascalese shows its most delicate, tautest expression here. The vinification follows the usual house style: spontaneous fermentation, long maceration and approx. 18 months maturation in large, used wooden barrels.

Chiappemacine lies below the famous Guardiola parcel, at an altitude of around 550 metres – a comparatively warm and wind-protected section by Etna standards, with broodingsoils consisting of quarried lava and ash. These conditions give the Nerello Mascalese from here a darker fruit, softer tannins and a more open character. The vines are around 80 years old and, as with all Contrada wines, the wine is aged for around 18 months in large, used wooden barrels.

Just 3,500 bottles from the oldest vines of the Salco vineyard are only sold in the best vintages. In the glass, we are delighted by an extremely elegant Sangiovese with a very harmonious texture and very classic, earthy and spicy notes. SUPERIORE.DE

A Barbaresco of exceptional complexity. Rich in tannins and structured thanks to the chalky composition of the soil, it nevertheless retains a characteristic freshness and minerality that makes it a favourite with connoisseurs. Freshly cut flowers, minerals, crushed rock, rose petals and lavender. As always, Montefico is taut and angular in style. Its sense of transparency is simply beguiling. Sage, mint and sweet pipe tobacco are some of the nuances that linger. Montefico is a Barbaresco for lovers of tauter red wines, which it will delight. It combines the fruity richness of Montestefano with the vigour of Ovello. SUPERIORE.DE

Sammarco occupies a special place in the history of Super Tuscans – not only as one of the first of its kind, but as a testament to a visionary rebellion against tradition. When Alceo di Napoli presented the first vintage of this extraordinary Bordeaux blend in 1980, he made wine history: with the legendary Giacomo Tachis at his side – the architect behind Sassicaia, Tignanello and Solaia – he created a wine that would change Italy forever. The name honours Marco di Napoli, the brother of the current owners Maurizia and Luca, and embodies the continuity of a family whose land has been rooted in the golden Conca d'Oro near Panzano since 1739. Here, on calcareous Galestro soils at an altitude of 360 metres, the vines thrive according to biodynamic principles – a philosophy that makes Sammarco the first fully biodynamic Super Tuscan.

At 618 metres above sea level, where the air already carries the coolness of the mountains and the view sweeps over the entire Chianti Valley, lies one of the most venerable vineyards in Tuscany: Coltassala – once born as a rebellious Supertuscan, today ennobled as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from the UGA Radda, embodies the revolution and evolution of Tuscan viticulture like no other wine. In 1980, Federica Mascheroni Stianti's family took the plunge: when the DOC system was still forcing Trebbiano and Malvasia into Chianti, they pressed a pure Sangiovese wine up here in small barriques based on the French model instead of the traditional large Slavonia barrels. What was then still misjudged as Vino da Tavola heralded a new era. Today, with the new UGA rules of Chianti Classico (Unita Geografiche Aggiunte, in Germany one would say Lage, in France Cru), Coltassala is finally finding its well-deserved home – as a Gran Selezione from the Radda geographical unit, which stands for the most extreme and elegant expressions of Chianti Classico. The altitude gives the 2021 vintage that characteristic freshness that makes Radda so unique – despite the warm weather, the wine retains its crystalline acidity and vibrancy.