VINOUS

2017 was a year of drought in Sicily. Little rain, high temperatures, a yield of just 67 double centners per hectare – significantly below what San Lucio usually produces in more balanced years. The vines, accustomed for decades to this barren, calcareous soil, weathered the drought with the serenity of old Alberello vines. The blend for this vintage returns closely to the original proportions of 1959: 58% Nero d'Avola, 42% Perricone. Hand-harvested at 480 metres, south-southeast exposure, traditional fermentation in stainless steel, 20 days' maceration, 18 months in new French barriques made from Allier and Tronçais oak.

The great Bordeaux estates have shown the way: a so-called "second wine" is not simply a wine that didn't make the grade. It offers a different perspective. Younger vines, different plots, shorter ageing – resulting in a wine that is meant to be drunk sooner, has a fresher character and reveals a different facet of the same terroir. Tenuta San Leonardo introduced this concept to the Dolomites in 2005.

26 generations, since 1385 – no other house in the world of wine can boast such an unbroken history. And yet the Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva label is not a museum piece, but a living testament: since the 2011 vintage, made exclusively from the vineyards of Tenuta Tignanello, the estate situated between the Greve and Pesa river valleys, which has shaped 20th-century Tuscan wine history more than any other patch of land in Chianti Classico. 319 hectares, of which 165 hectares are under vine – predominantly Sangiovese, supplemented by small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Tasca got involved in Etna early on and the latest result of these years of experience are four new single vineyard wines from the Tascante estate: Contrada Rampante, Pianodario, Sciaranuova and Sciaranuova Vigna Vecchia (V.V.). The wines are delicate and profound, and despite their power, acidity and taut tannin, very elegant, finesse-rich and light-footed on the palate. Each of the four plots brings a slightly different style and personality to the wine - due to the altitude, soil composition and morphology of the historic lava flows. A high annual rainfall ensures that the soil has all the water it needs, and the temperature fluctuations between day and night support the aromatic diversity of the grapes and ultimately the ripening potential.

The single vineyard Bufaleffi is considered one of the most historic cru zones around Pachino, the historic heart of Nero d'Avola. The deep red soils with a high iron and lime content, the hot climate tempered by the sea air at night and the organic cultivation form the foundation of this single vineyard wine. The ungrafted vines are over fifty years old, the yield is low and the harvest is selective and manual. After the classic mash fermentation, the wine matures for over two years in used barriques and then for a long time in the bottle – this gives it density, structure and expression.

On the nose, ripe plum, baking spice, menthol and new leather. On the elegantly structured, delicious palate, notes of ground pepper and liquorice accentuate a core of juicy black cherry and crushed raspberry, supported by a backbone of taut, refined tannins. The fresh acidity keeps it beautifully balanced. Racy and seductive. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigneto Gallina is a parcel with iconic status and is located in the core area of the famous Barbaresco Gallina vineyard, north of Neive. Vines with an average age of around 55 years are rooted on south-facing slopes with calcareous marl and sandy inclusions – an expression of terroir, history and origin, carried in every drop.

The road to Sant'Angelo in Colle leads to the south-west side of the Montalcino hill. Here lies the Tenuta Il Poggione – one of the oldest and most reliable houses in the appellation. Lavinio Franceschi, a Florentine landowner, bought the estate at the end of the 19th century after, it is said, hearing about the beauty of these hills from a shepherd. He was one of the first to market Brunello under this name and one of the founders of the consortium. Today, the fourth generation – leopoldo and Livia Franceschi – run the estate with 140 hectares of vines, the oldest vines up to 60 years old and a philosophy that has not fundamentally changed in a century.

Fine Franciacorta brut in light yellow gold with a delicate mousse. Very complex and intense on the nose, characterised by fine ripe yeast notes, brioche, delicately spicy, juicy yellow fruit, some peach and citrus. Complex and powerful on the palate, juicy fruit, with a fresh structure, a seductive, minimal extract sweetness on the finish and fine red berry nuances on the taut final. SUPERIORE.DE

Since the 2018 vintage, a small amount of Merlot has been vinified separately at Rampolla, named after the mother Donna Liù. The unfiltered wine was matured for 12 months in terracotta amphorae and fermented to almost 0 g/l residual sugar. Very elegant, fresh nose of sour cherry, laurel and cassis. Fresh on the palate and without the sometimes exuberant opulence of some other Tuscan Merlots, with a precise cherry fruit and salty-minty component. A finely chiselled Merlot that is hard to beat in terms of freshness, clarity and personality. It bridges the gap wonderfully between the Chianti Classico and the two flagships of the house, Sammarco and d'Alceo. Needs a few more years in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Sparkling, medium-dense ruby-garnet colour. The Rancia Riserva from the single vineyard of the same name is powerful and energetic, expressive and dense and has been elevated to "Gran Selezione" status for the first time. The aroma is characterised by ripe, full-bodied fruit and mineral notes. The flavour is earthy, tannic and terroir-influenced, beautifully articulated, fine and with an enjoyable length. A wine that requires sensitivity and/or a few years of rest. SUPERIORE.DE

Petit Verdot is a grape variety that the world is wary of. In Bordeaux, it is used to add flavour – a few per cent, hardly more. As a stand-alone, pure variety, taking centre stage: hardly anyone dares to do that. Tua Rita took the plunge for the first time in 2017. 60% Petit Verdot from young vineyards on heavily clay-rich soils of the Colline Metallifere, 40% Merlot from 35-year-old vines. "Esuberante e maturo", as the winery itself puts it. A duet of exuberance and maturity. The Petit Verdot comes from vineyards planted in 2011 – young, but in a location that needs no introduction: iron-rich clay, mineral depth, sea breezes from the Piombino Channel. The Merlot comes from the old plots that have defined the estate's reputation for decades. Hand-harvested, fermented in wooden tanks, then aged for 18 months in French and American oak barriques – the wood acting as a dialogue, not a monologue.

In the 12th century, a man named Ugolforte led the rebellion of the citizens of Montalcino against the superior power of Siena. A bandit for some, a freedom fighter for others – his name has survived the centuries in the stories told in the hills. Today it is on the label of a Brunello that carries this indomitable spirit. Tenuta San Giorgio is located in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, in the south-east of Montalcino, just a few kilometres from the thousand-year-old Abbey of Sant'Antimo. Founded in 1982 – in the same year that Grattamacco bottled its first vintage – the winery joined the ColleMassari group of the Tipa-Bertarelli family in 2016. Since then, it has shared the terroir with the legendary Poggio di Sotto: the same slopes, the same winds, the same philosophy. 28 hectares of Sangiovese on south-eastern slopes between 300 and 450 metres, embedded in 110 hectares of forest, which protects biodiversity and shapes the microclimate. The soils read like a geological poem: clay, galestro, tuff, red earth, white biancane, the proud Calanchi – and Monte Amiata, the extinct volcano, watches over everything.

Fanti's Brunello di Montalcino 2020 is delicately flavoured, haunting floral and seductive from the first swirl of the glass. A hint of icing sugar gives way to bright cherries, candied oranges, mint leaves and lavender, creating an extrovert yet delicious picture. In the mouth, it is seamless and silky, with a subtle hint of citrus and vibrant acids introducing ripe red notes of black berries with herbs. Rounded tannins emerge on the finish with hints of liquorice and violets. As always, very well made. SUPERIORE.DE

A rich, deep ruby colour with a subtle violet sheen. A compact and appealing nose, revealing crisp fruit – particularly blackcurrants and mulberries – underpinned by subtle chocolate notes. Extremely precise on the palate too: ripe, fresh fruit opens up with firm, tightly woven tannins, developing rich depth, before becoming juicy and long-lasting in final vibrant final.   SUPERIORE.DE