Vinous | 95–100 Points

Schiena d'Asino is a small vineyard from which this fabulous Brunello is produced exclusively in excellent years. Schiena captivates with its richness and overall intensity and is endowed with a lot of energy and varietal purity. Sage, rosemary and a host of Mediterranean herbs open up first, followed by graphite, smoke, incense, dark spices and black stone fruits. Wild, intensely mineral notes underpin the fruit and capture the essence of the great site. For an exceptional wine, this Brunello remains remarkably light on its feet, yet it is an introspective, brooding wine that will need at least a few years to show all it has to offer. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

Montosoli is a plateau to the north of Montalcino – one of the few sites in the appellation to which producers from different houses refer when they want to name the best of their terroir. A name like a silent agreement among those who know: This is where the soil speaks most clearly. The high proportion of silt in this special subsoil gives the Sangiovese Grosso a minerality, transparency and freshness that can hardly be found in this form in any other part of Montalcino. And at the heart of this plateau lies the Vigna Montosoli of Valdicava. Vincenzo Abbruzzese has treated this parcel differently from the very beginning – harvested separately, vinified separately, vinified separately. Vigna Montosoli is Valdicava's youngest single vineyard and also its flagship: the 2019 first vintage immediately received 100 points from James Suckling, one of only two perfect Brunellos from this exceptional vintage. The message was clear.

Cepparello is one of the great varietal Sangiovese classics from central Tuscany. Brilliant ruby red colour. Clean, flawless aroma of red fruits, enlivened by fine pepper accents and delicate mineral nuances. Elegance radiates from the relaxed, enveloping flavour, which provides a perfectly measured acidity framework to a well-integrated tannin to finish long and full of finesse. SUPERIORE.DE

Andrea Franchetti began positioning Palazzi as an equal red alongside his flagship Tenuta di Trinoro in the 1990s, with the aim of producing two exceptional wines that evoke the left and right banks of Bordeaux.

Warm, very seductive aromas of black cherries, flowers, tobacco, minerals and undergrowth emerge from the bright ruby red. The interplay between the rich fruit and the classic structure is ingenious. The taste captivates with its intensity, luxurious and mysteriously dark. Love at first sight! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the single vineyard MGA Rabajà in the municipality of Barbaresco. 2019 is a retro vintage, so to speak, as it marks a return for Vietti, who vinified Rabajà back in the 1980s. The soils are calcareous and clayey, with a south/south-west exposure and an altitude of around 235-315 metres above sea level. The average age of the vines is 51 years and they are cultivated according to the Guyot system. Intense garnet red colour. Opulent and delicate on the nose with floral scents of rosehips and violets and ripe black cherry. Amazingly fresh and enveloping for a mature Riserva from the very first sip. The tannins are ripe, soft, silky and wonderfully integrated, giving the wine a great structure and elegance. What completely won us over during the tasting was the almost immeasurable length of the wine, which is still resonating as we write this. Complimenti! SUPERIORE.DE

Messorio has been undisputedly one of the best and rarest Merlots in Italy since the mid-1990s. It was named after the Tuscan wheat harvest, the most fundamental moment in the agricultural year – was created in 1994 from Eugenio Campolmi's (†2002) personal challenge to Merlot. It was not to be a tame, predictable wine, but a spirited thoroughbred, ready to make a grand entrance. The 2019 vintage epitomises the elegance of slow ripening without extreme heat. A mild winter with little rainfall, followed by cool March days and gradually rising temperatures in April, led to cautious development. The rainy, cool May slowed down the vegetation, while the hot start to June required intensive foliage work.

Energy and elegance are the hallmarks of the 2013 Brunello vintage. The top wines are stunning, with a vibrancy that is missing in many of the muscular, approachable and higher alcohol Brunellos from recent vintages. However, the 2013s will also require some patience to reach their maximum potential. In contrast to the extremely warm, dry years that have become the norm in Montalcino since the mid-1990s (the exceptions being 1998, 2002 and 2005), the 2013 vintage was a reminiscence of the past. It was a cool year with lots of rain in spring and the first half of summer.

In 2020, the single vineyard Asili was chosen for the Barbaresco Riserva in its characteristic red colour, which will come as no surprise to Giacosa connoisseurs. Just 10,000 bottles of what is probably the best Giacosa vineyard are only released as Riserva in outstanding years. Asili 2020 shows a seamless integration of wild fruits, blue flowers, spices, balsamic herbs and liquorice. Its true class is revealed on the palate: structure, dimension, intensity and depth leave nothing to be desired; this vintage is probably one of the best wines we have ever tasted from Bruno Giacosa. There is only one flaw with this highly dramatic growth: anyone who wants to enjoy this wine with all its facets and components should be patient for at least another 10 years. SUPERIORE.DE

Only 5,000 bottles leave the estate – a silent witness to Paolo De Marchi's uncompromising obsession with quality. From the best Galestro and Alberese soils at high altitudes, one of Italy's most convincing Cabernets has been produced here since the 1980s. The 2018 embodies the soul of an exceptional vintage: 24 months in French barriques, forty per cent of which were new, followed by three silent years in the bottle. This patience shapes a wine of rare depth – dark blue fruit, lavender, mocha and espresso weave themselves into a complex tapestry of flavours. Burgundian elegance and Tuscan soul come together here: velvety tannins envelop concentrated cassis and blackberry flavours, while notes of sweet tobacco, graphite and chocolate characterise the long finish. A wine that rewards patience and only shows its true colours after years of ageing – paolo De Marchi's vision of Cabernet as an expression of Tuscan terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

In the hot, challenging summers of the climate change era, Messorio proves its exceptional class. The 2020 vintage masterfully navigated through a difficult growing season and shows why Cinzia Merli's flagship is now one of the world's best Merlot interpretations. Only around 11,000 bottles of this rarity are produced from the Vignone (1999) and the younger Ulivino (2016) vineyards with the most rigorous yield reductions. The 18-month maturation in 100% French oak, 5% of which is in amphorae, creates an exceptional balance between power and refinement.

First bottled in 1967, Roncaglie (formerly Barbaresco Masseria) comes from a vineyard in Bricco di Neive and is essentially vinified and aged like a Barolo. Since the 2018 vintage, it now comes from a small parcel that used to belong to the Socré Barbaresco winery, and it is now deliberately brought to market a year later to ensure greater harmony and balance.

The label is black. At Castello Romitorio, this is not an aesthetic detail – it is a signal. The Riserva of Filo di Seta only appears when the vineyard gives more than it is actually capable of. There was no Riserva between 2016 and 2019. Not because the vintages were bad – but because Filippo Chia's benchmark for this bottling is uncompromising.

Grattamacco is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, the latter grape variety certainly contributing to the fresh style of this wine. However, the overall picture is only complete when you realise that the vineyards used for this blend are among the best in the appellation. The Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso Superiore is characterised by its typical aromas of leaves and Mediterranean forest, with subtle flavours of kiwi peel, cassis, paprika and chocolate. Velvety, youthful and firm on the attack, less light than the Alberello, but more tightly woven and of great elegance. Its length is astonishing, great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Those with less patience can open now. Those with foresight should wait. The PS Riserva 2019 is at one of those points where a great Brunello shows what it has in store for the first time – and at the same time makes it clear that not everything has worked out yet. 2019 is considered one of the most substantial vintages in recent Montalcino history: complex, structured, with a concentration resulting from excellent seasonal conditions and perfect tannin maturity. For the one and a half hectares of the oldest parcels in Pelagrilli – whose vines are now over fifty years old – this meant a harvest of rare intensity. Giancarlo's uncompromising selection, optical sorter, double hand-picking, fermentation in steel, 24 months in small French oak barrels: everything serves a single purpose.

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri estate with the support of the famous oenologist Michel Rolland, the Antinori family discovered in the early 2000s that in the midst of this microclimate and terroir there was an even more special small vineyard whose results once again surpassed those of the larger area. It was immediately clear to all involved that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico.

"The dynamic vintage produced rich and structured wines, with each of the grape varieties expressing their particular qualities. We got a classic Ornellaia, combining sunny ripeness with elegance in a wine defined by harmony and proportion." Axel Heinz, Gutsdirektor

For Biondi Santis Riserva, the fruits of the oldest vines of Il Greppo (30 years and older) are used, the wine matures for three years in traditional oak barrels. On the nose, initially fine aromas of wild berries, blue flowers, eucalyptus and lightly grilled smoke. The intensity increases in small steps. With time, the wine is magnificent and focused, with a very direct and impressive presentation of its aromas. The wine leaves a lasting impression in the mouth, thanks to the textural tautness of its tannins and the refreshing crispness of the acidity, finally showing more power, volume and persistence than expected on the long final. Subtle and big! SUPERIORE.DE

In 1977, Sergio Manetti produced his first pure Sangiovese from Radda in Chianti – without Canaiolo, without Colorino, without the white grapes that the Chianti regulations prescribed at the time. Not because he wanted to break the rules, but because he believed that this soil, these vines, this single grape variety needed no additions. From the very beginning, the wine was called Toscana IGT, not out of defiance, but out of consistency. And it bore a name rooted in the landscape itself: Le Pergole Torte – the twisted, winding pergolas of old Chianti, those wooden trellis systems up which the vines of our grandfathers’ generation climbed. A reminder of what was, before modernity straightened out the vineyards.

Classic Sangiovese interpretation with a wonderful balance of elegance and power. Very firm, dark fruit, fine-grained tannins and a well-dosed acid wire. As it progresses, it opens up with a wealth of aromas of forest fruits, violets and freshly ploughed earth. A magical wine from a great vintage with an already recognisable longevity and great potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Giovanni Neri died in 1986, fifteen years after buying Podere Casanova. He had lived the dream – but not long enough to see what became of it. His son Giacomo and his grandsons Giovanni and Gianlorenzo continue to live his dream. And on the fiftieth anniversary of the first vineyard, they dedicated a wine to the founder that bears his name – and his attitude: the belief that Montalcino can do more than the world thought at the time. The vineyard is old and untamed, as the estate itself puts it – vines over fifty years old that have never stopped taking deep roots.

Brunello Giovanni Neri exudes all the outstanding qualities of the raw material and the winemaker's craft. Man and nature unite here in perfect precision and harmony. Its balance is exquisite. Strong cherry and blackberry notes are followed by crushed minerals, liquorice, smoke and slightly fragrant cedar wood notes. The wine spreads evenly and powerfully on the palate, and its flavour intensity can be counted on for many minutes. Giovanni Neri Brunello is wonderfully concentrated and rich, but never too heavy or even too dense. SUPERIORE.DE

The fruit for Tenuta Nuova is harvested from a south and south-east facing slope at 250 to 300 metres above sea level. The soils are loose and mixed with gravel, which allows access to air and moisture.