VINOUS

Guado al Tasso presents itself with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as convincing as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and leather. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with plenty of sweet flavour, elegant tannins and a very long finish. A finesse-rich red that offers maximum drinking pleasure and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Between Sassicaia on the left and Ornellaia on the right, on the Strada del Vino of Bolgheri, lies a vineyard that has rewritten the definition of "perfect location". When Antonio Moretti Cuseri drove through the thick Maremma fog in October 2004 and suddenly emerged into the glistening sunlight of this coastal landscape, he knew: this is where he would make the Orma – his footprint. The third generation of the Moretti Cuseri family had already proven with Oreno at Tenuta Sette Ponti that their passion for Bordeaux cuvées can become an obsession. In Bolgheri, this love of Merlot and Cabernet was to find a new interpretation. On just 5.5 hectares of vines rooted deep in gravel and clay, organically farmed grapes are used to produce the wine that has been delighting international wine critics since its debut in 2005. The 2023 vintage combines half Merlot with 30 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 per cent Cabernet Franc – an assemblage that combines the Mediterranean climate of the Tuscan coast with the finesse of great Bordeaux growths.

With this single-vineyard Sangiovese, the Mazzei family pursues no less a goal than to make the best wine in the Chianti Classico appellation. Seven different Sangiovese clones, four of them from their own 50 years of research, form the basis for a Gran Selezione that is produced at an altitude of up to 350 m in the single vineyard Il Caggio not far from Castellina (and only in the best vintages).

With this single-vineyard Sangiovese, the Mazzei family is pursuing no less a goal than making the best wine in the Chianti Classico appellation. Seven different Sangiovese clones, four of them from the family's own 50-year-old research, form the basis for a Gran Selezione, which is produced at an altitude of up to 350 metres in the single vineyard Il Caggio not far from Castellina (and only in the best vintages).

A handful of fresh cherries. A hearty bite. Juice running down your fingers. Anyone who tastes the Gallina 2020 experiences this moment – immediate, sensual, irresistible. Among the Roagna Barbareschi, it is the seducer – the wine that does not impress with austere grandeur, but captivates with its open charm. Since 2014, the family has been cultivating a plot in Neive's most famous MGA. The soil, consisting of calcareous loam with a high sand content, lends the Nebbiolo here that silky finesse which sets Gallina apart from its more austere neighbours. Antonio Galloni calls the vineyard "the source of the roundest and most accessible Barbaresco wines in the municipality". Wines that can be enjoyed young yet will continue to mature for decades.

Typical Asili: Vecchie Viti 2018 emerges from the glass with an impressive aroma. Sweet red berries, mint, blood orange, cinnamon and star anise form a wonderful network of aromas and flavours. The 2018 is graceful, light-footed and full of Asili seduction, but with that extra kick of tannin that is so typical of Roagna. With further bottle ageing, this is sure to be one of the great wines of the appellation! SUPERIORE.DE

Roagna's Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti opens with a bright garnet-red colour and a deep, shiny glow. The fruit of old vines manages to reach the impossible point between power and elegance. The wine shows a delicate and bright bouquet, but also a compact fruit and a long finish. You can feel this extra fullness on the finish. The production is around 2,500 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

1937. Europe was on the brink of disaster, yet someone planted Nebbiolo. These vines still stand today – some on their original roots, protected by calcareous soils in which the phylloxera had never been able to take hold decades earlier. Others were propagated using an ancient technique: a shoot from the mother plant is bent underground, takes root and becomes a vine in its own right. Genetically identical, yet reborn. In this way, the vineyard is rejuvenated without losing its identity. One and a half hectares within the Pira monopoly position are reserved for these "veterans". Antonio Galloni described the 2019 vintage as "one of the most moving, beautiful wines I have ever tasted here" – 99 points for something that really defies rating. For this Barolo is not about power, but about aroma and depth.

Beguiling aroma of sweet, dark berries with a hint of cassis, cedar wood and antique leather. Very balanced on the palate, beautifully viscous with an elegant melt. Fine-meshed tannins, restrained mineral tones and wonderfully polished fruit accompany a remarkable finish. For all its elegance, it shows pressure and power and, with the right dose of acidity, promises a long life and almost reaches the level of its famous big brother. SUPERIORE.DE

Whenever one hears the name Albesani, one inevitably thinks of Bruno Giacosa and his legendary Santo Stefano. The fact that Luca Roagna has been cultivating a plot in the immediate vicinity since 2014 is one of Barbaresco's best-kept secrets – and one of its most exciting developments. The plot lies at 240 metres, at the highest point of the hill, where the area borders Santo Stefano. Calcareous soils with a good proportion of sand characterise the terroir, and fifty-year-old Nebbiolo vines are deeply rooted in this privileged soil. Albesani has held MGA certification since 2007 – belated recognition for a vineyard that connoisseurs have long regarded as one of the finest in the region. The winemaking process follows the Roagna method: maceration with a submerged cap of pomace for two months, followed by five years' ageing in large barrels and concrete tanks.

Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti comes from the estate's oldest vines, which were planted in 1937. As always, Pira Vecchie Viti is more about haunting, ethereal flavours than power. Sweet rose petals, mint, dried flowers, sweet red cherries and cedar give this beguiling, high-toned Barolo a captivating aromatic presence. A great wine. SUPERIORE.DE

This breathtaking Barbaresco (total production approx. 1,300 bottles) shows more power and intensity than you would normally find in a Barbaresco. It opens with heady aromas of wild berries, new leather, undergrowth and menthol. On the palate, it shows ripe black raspberries, juicy cherries and liquorice before finishing on a tobacco note. It is still youthfully nervous and somewhat austere, it still needs some time to develop fully. SUPERIORE.DE

What does a name mean? In the Piedmontese dialect, "Pajè" once simply referred to the various vineyard plots – a commonplace word for an everyday thing. The fact that this very name now stands for one of Barbaresco’s most legendary crus is one of the fine ironies of wine history. Since 1953, the Roagna family has been cultivating 1.83 hectares here in the heart of the municipality, and anyone who asks Luca Roagna about the essence of his work inevitably ends up here. The vineyard is a natural amphitheatre: gently sloping towards the south and south-west, sheltered from the wind by hills, and opening out towards the Tanaro valley. The soil tells a story spanning 70 million years – marine sediments from the Tertiary period, interspersed with active limestone in a concentration that is exceptional even for the Langhe. The vines, averaging over 50 years in age, are deeply rooted in this history. After the harvest, the must ferments with its own yeasts; maceration with the cap of pomace submerged lasts up to two months. Five years in large wooden barrels and concrete tanks complete the ageing process.

Some vineyards are bought. Some are inherited. This one was won at cards. In 1961, a 0.22-hectare plot in the heart of Asili changed hands – the previous owner, so the story goes, had had extraordinary bad luck at cards. Giovanni Roagna had the better hand. Or perhaps he simply had better luck. The Piedmontese called this plot "Asei" in their dialect – one of the historic vineyards south of the village of Barbaresco. The plot lies exactly in the centre of the hill, where Luca Roagna identifies the "most classic" part of the cru. The soil is characterised by calcareous marl interspersed with reddish-yellow veins of sand. The vines, now at least 80 years old, are not tended – they are left to their own devices. Wild grasses cover the ground; Luca does not plough, and the permaculture remains untouched.

Geologists call it erosion. Winegrowers call it fate. Over millions of years, the rocks above Castiglione Falletto weathered, forming the soils on which Pira thrives today. When Luca Roagna acquired half a hectare on these very 'rocche' in 2016, he came full circle: the mother rock returned to its child. The plot lies at the historic heart of the vineyard, at the summit of the hill at three hundred metres, facing due south. Calcareous clay soils, interspersed with white rock and sand, nourish Nebbiolo vines dating from the 1960s and 70s – planted with cuttings from ancient vines. Situated right next to the new winery, this vineyard is Roagna's most intimate possession: a mere 0.48 hectares, yielding a Barolo that Antonio Galloni simply describes as "pure sensuality".

"For the Barolo DOCG Parussi, we left the confines of Serralunga and opted for a vineyard in Castiglione Falletto. Thanks to the characteristics of Nebbiolo, which is perfectly capable of capturing the differences in microclimate and soil composition and translating them into sensations, the result amazed us. Structured, important, austere. Made with Nebbiolo grapes from our vineyard in the MGA Parussi in Castiglione Falletto." Franco Massolino

Deep dark, almost impenetrable red colour. A whole range of ripe wild berries on the nose, delicately accompanied by nuances of tobacco, leather, cedar and lavender. The palate is also full of fruit, powerful, yet silky and elegant. Traces of dark chocolate on the endlessly long final. SUPERIORE.DE

Centuries ago, a private road led down from the Castello of the noble Falletti family to this vineyard. Today, it is no longer a road that ends here, but a path through jungle-like thicket – biodiversity, as Luca Roagna understands it. When the family acquired these seven hectares in Castiglione Falletto in 1989, a long-cherished dream came true: a Barolo vineyard on a par with the legendary Pajè estates in Barbaresco. More than that: a monopoly. The vineyard lies on the south-eastern slope below the Rocche di Castiglione, sheltered by the rock face above and four hectares of woodland with a stream from the Bussia di Monforte below. The soils tell the oldest story of Barolo – marine sediments from the Helvetic Period, the geological formation shared only by Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga and Monforte. Six micro-parcels are distinguished by alternating layers of white limestone, grey and blue marl, interspersed with iron. The oldest Nebbiolo vines date back to 1937.

When Luca Roagna guides guests through his wines, he serves this one last. Not by chance, not for dramatic effect – but because nothing can come after the Pajè Vecchie Viti. The most complex tannin structure, he says, deserves the final word. The vines from which this Barbaresco is made are 80–90 years old. This is not a marketing term – "Vecchie Viti" is not recognised by law – but simply the truth. Over these decades, the roots have learnt to dig through countless layers of calcareous marl, drawing water and minerals from depths that remain inaccessible to younger vines. What they send upwards is more concentrated, more complex and utterly unique. Between 2,000 and 3,000 bottles are produced annually from this selection in the Pajè amphitheatre. The upper part of the vineyard, where the mineral character is most pronounced, goes into the Crichet Pajè – down here, the Vecchie Viti is made. It matures for five years in large wooden casks and concrete tanks before leaving the estate.

Back then, a dowry changed everything. In 1929, a triangular plot of land changed hands – not through purchase, but through marriage. Since then, Montefico has belonged to the Roagna family, longer than any other vineyard in their portfolio. Almost a century later, this quarter of a hectare remains the most intimate chapter in their history. In the Piedmontese dialect, this plot is known as "Mont der fi" – the hill over there, towards Neive. The small triangle lies exactly in the centre of the amphitheatre, at 230 metres, overlooking the neighbouring village. The soils, consisting of calcareous marl with a high proportion of active limestone, are among the oldest in Barbaresco – the result of seventy million years of marine sedimentation. The vines, all over 50 years old, are deeply rooted in this history. Of the family's four "Vecchie Viti", Montefico is the one with the most intense aroma.

Produced only in the best vintages and in small quantities, this Riserva follows the classic promise of a traditional and powerful Brunello that becomes softer and better with age. Brilliant deep red colour. Fragrant aromas of raspberries and blueberries, emphasised by violets, incense and cinnamon. Wonderfully sweet and penetrating on the palate, but light on its feet, with real class and energy, not to mention the powerful minerality of the densely packed flavours of red berries, pomegranate, tobacco and wild herbs. The finish is very long, supple and subtle with very fine tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

"The Barolo DOCG Parafada is perfect for long ageing and surprising development. Elegant, refined, austere. Vinified in vats, matured in large barrels. Made with Nebbiolo grapes from our vineyard in the MGA Parafada in Serralunga d'Alba." Franco Massolino