VINOUS

Franco and Roberto Massolino dreamed of this moment for years. A Barbaresco – was missing from their portfolio. But it had to be the right vineyard, the perfect location. Then, at the end of 2018, they struck lucky: Bernardino Gastaldi, an ambitious winemaker from Neive with plots in three of the best MGAs in Barbaresco, offered them a collaboration. Starderi, Serraboella, Albesani – three names that are making history. The first harvest in 2019 and it was clear from the outset that Albesani would be vinified separately. What this hill told was too extraordinary. Two hectares at 230 metres, south-west facing, calcareous-marly clay soils with the characteristic Marna di Sant'Agata Fossili, the fossil rock formation that also forms the foundation of Barolo. Fifty-year-old vines with deep roots. Albesani is recognised by connoisseurs as one of the most beautiful vineyards in Italy – and anyone who has tasted the wine will understand why. Even during fermentation, the brothers realised that this is an exceptional wine. The perfect combination of exposure, altitude and age of the vines produces grapes of a purity and elegance that astonishes even experienced Oenologist.

As intended by the Altare family, this great wine is always a little richer and more concentrated than its colleagues in the Langhe Nebbiolo category. Smells of black fruits, wild plums, tarry smoke and liquorice. Giarborina is not only another stunning wine from Altare, but is actually a Barolo, just released a year earlier and therefore more open and approachable. SUPERIORE.DE

The De Ferrari brothers select their Riserva from the oldest vines on the estate's best plots. Ruby red in colour with a garnet hue. The wine opens discreetly with subtle but captivating hints of sage, leather and allspice. On the palate, it is supple and agile and feels confidently extracted, with firm, straightforward tannins, but not overdone. The wood supports rather than imposes on the wine, and the vibrant acidity of the vintage comes through nicely. Long, seductive and delicately spicy on the final. SUPERIORE.DE

Monforte d'Alba – the name stands for depth, warmth and at the same time a taut, cool vein in the wines. The legendary Cru Ginestra lies in the centre of this high plateau, and at its heart is the single vineyard Vigna del Gris – a gently sloping plot with a south-easterly exposure at an altitude of 300 to 320 metres. The soils, a complex mixture of sand, silt and clay, provide the perfect stage for Nebbiolo, planted here in two stages: 1978 and 2000. Today, these vines produce a grape quality that is characterised by both concentration and finesse. The 2021 vintage is considered almost ideal in Barolo: a cool spring, followed by a warm, stable summer with no periods of extreme heat and a long, even ripening period into golden October. For Conterno Fantino, the manual harvest began in mid-October – the berries reached a flawless phenolic ripeness. After 12 to 15 days of fermentation and maceration in stainless steel, the wine is aged for two years in French oak, partly in barriques and partly in larger barrels. This combination gives the wine structure and complexity without masking the unmistakable signature of the vineyard.

The grapes for Testamatta are selected and sourced from the winery's 6 best vineyards: Vincigliata, Londa, Lamole, Montefili and Siena. Each vineyard, which is divided into plots, is harvested up to 8 times to ensure that all the grapes are harvested at the perfect point of ripeness. These five vineyards (up to 80 years old) are located in different areas of Tuscany: Lamole and Montefili in the heart of Chianti Classico at 600 and 400 metres above sea level, Vincigliata near Florence at 280 metres above sea level, Londa north of Florence towards the Rufina Valley and Siena, in the south of Tuscany, at 250 metres above sea level.

The Brunello di Montalcino "50 anni" is much more than just an anniversary bottling – it is Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini's emotional homage to half a century of Caparzo history and at the same time her legacy for the future. In 2020, the year of its 50th anniversary, she deliberately chose this exceptional vintage to embody the essence of what Caparzo has stood for since 1970: the combination of tradition and innovation in the service of one of the world's greatest terroirs.

There are just 3 barrels, or 900 bottles, of this wine. Juicy dark cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and new leather build up as this sexy Barbera shows its super-distinguished personality. As delicious and rich as Larigi already is, it needs a few more years to show its best side. Larigi does indeed have one of the most impressive success stories in Piedmont. A very special Barbera! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the exceptionally deep Vigna del Gris come from vines over 40 years old from the 1-hectare plot of the same name in Monforte d'Alba. The bouquet is beguilingly harmonious, with a convincing attack, weightless and powerful at the same time. Firm tannins and plenty of flavour on the palate, with a great texture and very juicy. Long, rich finish. Don't make the mistake of opening this wine until it has gained in maturity, personality and elegance after a few more years in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

The wine icon, rare every year and very highly rated, presents itself in a shiny, rich ruby. On the nose, crisp berry fruit, ripe dark cherries, sweet plums and delicate notes of cinnamon. In the mouth it is full-bodied and firm, very juicy, unfolds a finely woven tannin and glides in a wide arc into a powerful, long final. A great wine full of tension and elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

The sandy soils north of Monforte d'Alba give this Barolo its immense power and structure. The bouquet is very open and appealing with dark cherries and raspberries, as well as notes of mint, cedar wood, rose petals and sage. Very lively and expressive on the palate, with deep beauty, seamlessly contoured and spectacular resonance. A fabulous wine from a very good vintage, classic and exotic at the same time. SUPERIORE.DE

High above the district of Perno in Monforte d'Alba lies the cru parcel Vigna Pressenda – part of the traditional MGA Castelletto, which is one of the easternmost top vineyards in Barolo. Early Piedmontese wine chroniclers already mentioned these steep slopes, which lean towards the morning sun and are characterised by a complex soil mosaic of calcareous marl, sandy inclusions and ferrous veins. The elevated position of around 370 metres and the constant breeze from the Tanaro Valley give the grapes a remarkable freshness and aromatic precision, even in warm years. The 2021 vintage, widely celebrated as an exceptional vintage in Barolo, brought ideal ripening conditions: A balanced vegetation cycle with warm, sunny days and cool nights allowed the Nebbiolo berries to ripen slowly and completely. The grapes were harvested by hand in mid-October, with strict selection to ensure that only perfectly ripe harvestwere brought to the cellar. Ageing in French oak for around 24 months brings depth and aromatic complexity without masking the clear fruit centre.

Between the rugged ridges of Serralunga d'Alba lies the historic Baudana cru site – a name that is not just a geographical point, but a synonym for concentration, depth and a centuries-old winemaking tradition. The vines here are rooted in compact, calcareous marl with clay veins, a soil that gives the Nebbiolo vines their characteristic tension and immense Storage potential. The 2020 vintage benefited from a long, harmonious vegetation cycle, with a mild spring, warm but not overheated summer months and clear, cool nights right through to the harvest. The grapes were carefully harvested by hand in mid-October and gently destemmed in the winery. After a classic, long maceration, the wine matured for around 32 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, allowing it to develop its depth without losing the precision of the fruit.

In the crypt of a 14th century church, deep beneath the altar of the small San Niccolò chapel, the flagship of Castellare is maturing. Here, where monks once prayed, another act of devotion takes place today – the transformation of grapes into a wine that has awed international critics for over four decades. I Sodi di San Niccolò is more than just a name; it is the essence of Tuscan wine mysticism. "Sodi" – is what the Tuscan farmers called those hard, stony soils that were too heavy for a team of oxen and could only be worked by hand. These barren, calcareous Galestro soils force the vines to fight for every molecule of water and every nutrient. On these inhospitable slopes, which form a natural amphitheatre around the estate, Paolo Panerai cultivated a vision in the 1970s: to create a wine with exclusively indigenous grape varieties that could compete with any international Supertuscan.

The single vineyard Guarnaschelli is a 60-year-old vineyard with a slight westerly exposure. A loamy matrix of brown skeletal soils can be found here. This generous soil, characterised by limestone, gives the wines finesse and minerality. Here, the plants produce grapes of consistently high quality every year - the result of deep roots and restrained, intelligent vineyard work. The strong exposure to the sun is tempered by constant winds blowing from all directions. This sets in motion a play of temperature fluctuations from which the old vines benefit to produce complex and aromatic grapes.

"The best of the best - you don't drink this wine every day. It needs attention, time to mature and likes to play the leading role: as the crowning glory of a festive table or even as a proud solitaire." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor

Bright red colour. Sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla complement the aromas of dark red and black cherries on the fresh, sexy nose. Lively, juicy and sweet on the palate, but with a tactile mouthfeel and spicy flavours of red cherries, herbs and sassafras. The youthful, crisp finish, which emphasises notable but polished oak nuances, is pleasantly persistent. A real plus point is the balance of this wine, it is a spicy, well-structured Rosso on a clear Brunello level and a real beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

When Paolo Panerai realised his vision of a great Tuscan red wine made exclusively from indigenous grape varieties at the end of the 1970s, hardly anyone suspected that this wine would make history. As early as 1988, the Wine Spectator catapulted it into the international wine elite with sixth place in its first Top 100 – a triumph for a Supertuscan that deliberately eschewed Cabernet and Merlot in favour of the genetic purity of Tuscan vines. The name itself tells of the terroir: "Sodi" is what Tuscan winegrowers call those hard, stony soils that were too heavy for teams of oxen and had to be laboriously worked by hand. Here, on calcareous Galestro soils between 350 and 400 metres above sea level, around the medieval church of San Niccolò, the vines fight for every drop of water – 85 per cent Sangioveto, the original, small-berried form of Sangiovese, and 15 per cent Malvasia Nera, an almost forgotten grape variety – an almost forgotten grape variety that was abandoned in many places due to its low yields – result in a cuvée of unnerving power and unmistakable race. The 2021 vintage perfectly embodies this philosophy: After 18 to 25 days of maceration in steel tanks, the wine matures for up to 30 months in barriques, two thirds of which in new wood, before resting for a further twelve months in the bottle.

Some vineyards carry their history within them like annual rings in an old tree. Vigna 10 on the Brancaia hill near Castellina is such a place. When Brigitte and Bruno Widmer bought the abandoned estate in 1981, they immediately recognised the potential of this plot of land – a gentle south-facing slope at 230 metres, clay soils that retain water and an exposure that allows the Sangiovese to reach full maturity without overtaxing it. Eighteen years later, in 1999, the vineyard was replanted – not with just any clones, but with five of the most promising Sangiovese selections from the ambitious "Chianti Classico 2000" research project, which has been researching and preserving the genetic diversity of this grape variety since the 1980s.

The grapes come from the historic MGA Bussia in Monforte d'Alba – steep, well-ventilated slopes between 300 and 450 metres, characterised by calcareous marl with clay veins and sandy inclusions. The year 2020 brought a stable summer without extreme peaks, clear nights during the ripening phase and a calm, dry autumn allowed for a late, precise harvest. The result is healthy, fully ripe phenolic grapes with bright fruit and balanced acidity – the ideal basis for a transparent yet powerful Barolo.

Piante a Lapio is a rich and complex white wine produced in small quantities (about 3,000 bottles per vintage) from the grapes of a single vineyard parcel of just under one hectare in the municipality of Boschi in Lapio (AV). It consists of 35-40 year old vines planted on stratified and complex calcareous soils with basaltic subsoil at an altitude of about 550 metres. The vineyard is protected at the back by a namesake forest, which contributes to the vineyard's special microclimatic conditions. Here, in the heart of Irpinia, white wines are produced with great freshness and good acidity levels, which, vinified with the necessary care, can age for over 20 years.

Pian dell'Orino's Rosso di Montalcino 2021 impresses with bright and crisp fruit that is impossible to resist. If a Rosso can taste this good, we can look forward to great things when the 2021 Brunello wines come onto the market. The fruit is bright, firm and pure. Wonderfully tactile mouthfeel with spicy flavours of red cherries, herbs and sassafras. The youthful, crisp finish, which highlights notable but polished oak nuances, is pleasantly persistent. A real plus point is the balance of this wine, it is an absolute beauty. SUPERIORE.DE

A clockwork that ticks once a year and strikes once a millennium – designed for 10,000 years. Brian Eno and a group of thinkers founded the Long Now Foundation in 1996 to broaden the view: away from the immediate and towards the long now. Giorgio Pelissero recognised this as the essence of his profession – because there is time in wine. In 1999, he acquired Cascina Tolino between Treiso and Neviglie, steep terrain divided by a municipal border: Only the Nebbiolo on the Treiso side is allowed to become Barbaresco. He combined the rest with Barbera to create perhaps the oldest assemblaggio in Piedmont – only rethought. Vinified separately, ten days of maceration for the Nebbiolo, up to twenty-five for the Barbera, then fifteen months in small oak barrels.

In the house, they simply call him "A". As if he didn't need a name. As if the letter was beginning enough – the beginning of everything Schiopetto has to say. Amrità is a Sanskrit word: the immortality potion of the gods, the mythical nectar that gives eternal life to those who drink it. The fact that a Friulian winery calls its flagship wine this is not coquetry – it is a commitment. Wine is not simply made here. This is where it becomes essential what Capriva del Friuli has to say. The basis: Chardonnay from old vines, complemented by a small portion of Friulano – the variety with which Mario Schiopetto started everything in 1965. Both together, as if they had always been destined for each other. Fermentation in steel, nine months of ageing in steel and large barrels, followed by at least six months of bottle ageing. The 2022 was produced in a warm, dry year – and yet it shows no heat, but subtle maturity. Friuli has its own laws.

After "A" comes "M". This is not a weak alphabet exercise – this is strong hierarchy. If Amrità is the immortality potion, then "M" is the monument. The man himself, in bottle form. The legacy of MARIO Schiopetto, born in 1930, died in 2002, lies in every vintage of this wine – in the Ponca soils of Capriva, in the philosophy of the cellar work, in the conviction that a great white wine needs no compromises, only the courage to achieve total perfection.