VINOUS

From the Contrada Arcuria in Passopisciaro on the north side of Mount Etna at an altitude of 600-700 metres, this 100% Carricante is vinified partly in cement tanks and partly in large oak barrels. The result is a fresh white wine from old vines with an invigorating citrus scent and notes of mint, rich in tropical fruit, taut and firm, with an elegant mineral note on the palate, with a fine finish and high complexity. 4,000 bottles are bottled per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

With further bottle ageing, this Barbaresco tends to be softer and more open, with soft tannins and a broad palate, thanks to the microclimate created by the cru's proximity to the Tanaro river.

Production at the Pertimali estate was down 20% due to the spring frost, and the decision was made to pour all the juice normally destined for the Riserva into the pure Brunello, resulting in one of the top wines of the vintage.

A Barbaresco with a lot of personality, in which body and tannin structure are well balanced by floral scents of undergrowth, mint and eucalyptus.

The youngest of the Produttori cru wines, which saw the light of day in 1978. The palate reveals ripe, silky fruit and an important structure.

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.

With "Capo Martino", Silvio Jermann not only pays tribute to the vineyard of the same name in the municipality of Dolegna del Collio, but also to his father Angelo – and thus to the origins of the family winery. It is a white wine of great cultural depth, a cuvée of indigenous varieties such as Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and Friulano, complemented by smaller proportions of other traditional varieties. The 2022 vintage was characterised by stable weather conditions with plenty of sunshine, which gave the grapes ripeness and expression – but without losing the typical freshness of the hills around Capo Martino. After the harvest, the grapes are destemmed, gently pressed and fermented spontaneously. Maturation takes place for around a year in large wooden barrels on the fine lees, with each component maturing separately before finally being blended into a cuvée. The result is a wine of quiet complexity and timeless elegance.

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

As always, Vietti's outrageously priced "entry-level" Barolo (formerly Castiglione) is based mainly on grapes from Ravera, with smaller portions from Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. Ruby red colour of medium intensity. The nose is explosive, opulent, persuasive and immediate. Notes of plum, red and ripe black cherry, black cherry, rose petals and tobacco are perceptible. The palate is classic, rich, powerful, with notes of alpine herbs and a leathery finish. The tannin is already well integrated. Especially in the peak year 2021, this wine is an absolute insider tip in the winery's incredibly terrificBarolo line-up every year, and not just because of its price. SUPERIORE.DE

Produced in small quantities, Vallocchio clearly stands out from pure Brunello di Montalcino. Darker, deeper and more mystical, it shows notes of ripe blackberries and plums, complemented by exotic brown spices and a hint of lemon confit. Its texture is like velvet stretching across the palate, black-fruited and ripe, underpinned by minerals and cooling herbal notes. It is youthfully monolithic and dense, revealing its austere tannin core only towards the end, where notes of black tea, liquorice and a hint of cocoa emerge. SUPERIORE.DE

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

When Eugenio Palumbo, cellar master at Vietti, described the summer of 2022, he found a phrase that has echoed through the Langhe ever since: "Barolo grapes are usually harvested in wellies, not Crocs." A hot, dry year – the grapes were harvested 15 days earlier than usual, and the decisions made in the vineyard made all the difference. As in every year, grapes from around twenty different parcels flow into the Barolo – those portions that remain after selection for the single-vineyard wines. In 2022, a rare twist was added: this time, the Brunate, Cerequio and Villero vineyards were not released as independent MGA wines. Not the second selection, but their entire harvest was therefore channelled into this wine. Palumbo himself calls the result "a kind of super single vineyard" – and he is right.

Anyone who knows the south-east of Montalcino knows: no sea breezes, no proximity to the lake, no soft light. Monte Amiata reigns supreme here – the extinct volcano in the background, which breaks the winds, intensifies the temperature fluctuations between day and night and gives the soil its unmistakable character: Galestro slate, gritty, barren, rich in minerals. Oaks and holm oaks stand between the vines, where elsewhere cypresses or olive trees characterise the landscape. Poggio al Granchio – the "crab hill" – lies at 380 to 450 metres, south-east exposure, the historical heart of the appellation. Val di Suga acquired this vineyard in 1999, thus completing a triangle that no other producer in Montalcino possesses. The grapes are harvested by hand in crates, in micro-zones, and the optical selection is uncompromising. In the cellar: fermentation for ten to fourteen days, followed by intensive post-fermentation maceration at 30 degrees for twenty to twenty-five days – this is where extract, density and colour are created. 2021 was particularly favourable for the Poggio al Granchio. The influence of Monte Amiata mitigated the dryness of the summer, while the long autumn ensured even ripeness.

Brilliant, rich ruby-garnet colour. Inviting nose with multi-layered notes of ripe plums, blackberries and a hint of fine leather. Juicy, ripe fruit in the attack, opens up with powerful, well-integrated tannins, savoury and long, firm pressure. A real long-liver from the top year 2019. SUPERIORE.DE

The southern quadrant of the Montalcino hill follows its own logic: more warmth, more sunshine, and a ripening process that is more consistent and complete than in cooler exposures. Tenuta Campogiovanni is situated precisely here – on medium-heavy silt-sand soils over sandstone and limestone, on a site that gives Sangiovese Grosso reliability in poor years and depth in great years. 2021 was a great year – but it began with a shock. A mild, dry winter had brought forward budbreak; by the end of March, the best-exposed vineyards were already sprouting. Then came the April nights. Temperatures dropped below zero, and the early buds froze. Yields were significantly reduced. What followed was a rainy spring, which helped the vines survive a long and very hot summer. The grapes that survived concentrated what they had. Harvest took place from the third week of September into October.

Quintessence is the flagship of Antica Fratta: a Riserva that is only available in the best years. Monumental depth meets expressive precision. The blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero matures for an incredible 60 months on the fine lees before being bottled as an Extra Brut – characterising style, artistic and terroir-connecting. Dense gold in the glass with a fine chalky perlage. The nose reveals notes of candied lemon, grapefruit, brioche, roasted hazelnut and a hint of aromatic herbs. Flavours of apples in caramel, ripe peach and sea salt combine with a subtle minerality in the background. Quintessence is majestic on the palate: powerful, yet with a delicate structure. The fruit appears mature, but always remains vital. The perlage is creamy, the acidity finely and elegantly integrated. The tannin structure and precision form a linear body, supported by great length and cool dynamism. The finish is long-lasting, with delicate notes of bitter almond and salt - a quiet, never loud wine with an impressive effect. SUPERIORE.DE

In the early 1970s, San Felice undertook a project at the Poggio Rosso vineyard that few at the time recognised as groundbreaking: carefully selecting Sangiovese clones – carefully selected, designated for a single plot, with the aim of eventually producing the purest expression of this patch of earth’s terroir. That is now a reality. Fifty years on from those plantings, Poggio Rosso stands as the pinnacle of San Felice’s terroir. The estate, which in 1968 created the Vigorello – the first Super Tuscan made without white grapes – and saved almost extinct grape varieties through the Vitiarium, takes a different, more rigorous approach with Poggio Rosso: no blending, no assemblage, no Pugnitello. Only Sangiovese. Only these plots. Only in the best vintages. A wine that is produced only when everything is just right. 2020 was hot, dry and intense. In south-eastern Chianti, near Siena, the Sangiovese ripened to a concentration reflected in 15% alcohol and an extract that carries the fruit without overwhelming it. The best vintages are no exception here – they are the prerequisite. 20 days’ maceration, aged for at least 20 months in wood.

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

The heart of the Lageder revolution beats on the spectacular steep slope of the Römigberg, where Lake Kaltern stretches like a mirror at the foot of the vines. Here, on the plot of land that has always borne the name Herz – latin "Cor" – alois Lageder dared to do the impossible in 1986: In an unprecedented act of courage, he planted the first large vineyard in South Tyrol in dense planting on a wire frame, radically breaking with the centuries-old pergola tradition. What began as a scandal became a legend. Working with winegrowers from all over the world – the legendary Robert Mondavi from California and several chateau owners from Bordeaux – inspired Lageder to make this visionary decision. He recognised that the steep south-southeast-facing slopes between 250 and 330 metres, characterised by stony, gravelly dolomite limestone over ancient moraine deposits from the third ice age, had the potential for world-class wines. Here, where warm Mediterranean influences meet Alpine coolness and intense sunshine meets millions of years of geological history, conditions of unique complexity are created.