Weinwisser

The exceptional 2019 harvest has prompted Luca Sanjust to take another step towards "quality without compromise". The yields per plant were reduced even further and the selection of grapes from the identified parcel was made even more rigorous. This led to a reduction in the number of bottles available to around 3,000. The same meticulousness was applied in the cellar, selecting the most suitable 7 hectolitre barrels for ageing "sur lie". The greatest attention was paid to their wood grain and "toasting" in order to achieve the harmony and taste that a pure Grand Cru Sangiovese should have.

The grapes for this wine come mainly from a vineyard in the north-east of Montalcino with Galestro soils at an altitude of 330 to 480 metres above sea level. In addition to five different sites there, the Neri family also owns three vineyards in the south between the villages of Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate. L'Etichetta Bianca, as this Brunello is called, is medium-bodied and noble and offers bright, fresh red cherry flavours. Hints of rust and warm stone as well as subtle sweet spices add complexity. Tactile but fine, sandy tannins give it the necessary grip, the finish is delicately salty, lively and fragrant. A classic from one of the best houses in the appellation. SUPERIORE.DE

Guidalberto bears the name of a man who shaped the Bolgheri landscape forever in the early 19th century: Guidalberto della Gherardesca, the visionary agricultural pioneer who created the famous cypress avenue – the Viale dei Cipressi – was created. What was initially intended as a practical demarcation between different areas of cultivation became the iconic silhouette of an entire region. 2023 marks a turning point for this exceptional wine. For the first time, Tenuta San Guido is positioning its Guidalberto separately from the legendary Sassicaia – a deliberate move to demonstrate that this is not a "second wine", but an independent interpretation of the Bolgheri terroir. As Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta puts it: "You can't compare them. They are completely different worlds." The 2023 vintage is a synthesis of 55 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 45 per cent Merlot. While the Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure and depth, the Merlot brings the silky texture and accessible sweetness that makes Guidalberto so distinctive. Fifteen months in French and American barriques give the wine its characteristic balance between strength and elegance.

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

When Georg Weber set foot on the hills below Capalbio in the early 2000s, he knew his search was over. The Bordeaux enthusiast had travelled the world of wine – from Pauillac to Napa Valley – only to finally find, in the southern Maremma, the terroir that would make his dream a reality: Tuscany's first Premier Grand Cru. Monteverro – named after the wild boar, the 'verro', which has roamed the scrubland of this coastal landscape since time immemorial – was born.

"The 2020 Vigna La Casaccia from the vineyard of the same name in the Cru Canalicchio is the wine that reflects the characteristics of this vineyard planted in 1990. Vigna Casaccia, thanks to its calcareous clay soils, enhances the sweetness of the tannin, its silkiness and its gradual relaxation, emphasised in the 2020 vintage by a mineral and fresh contrast." Francesco Ripaccioli

2020 is the first organic Oreno vintage. Deep dark ruby violet. On the nose, cassis, blackcurrant and a powerful herbal spice with a good dose of pipe tobacco, tar and crushed boulders. On the palate, dark berries, chocolate and a cornucopia of herbs define the full body. This juicy wine monument has precisely integrated tannins, an enormous silkiness and a seemingly endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Rose petals, spices and red-coloured fruit float in the glass, supported by fine, racy tannins. On the palate, the typical, medium-bodied characteristics of Bricco delle Viole are evident, while the contours are soft and the wine's personality demands the next sip. Vajra fans should give it a few more years to mature, despite its current accessibility. SUPERIORE.DE

"Our 2020 Vigna Montosoli is the wine that tells the story of the characteristics of this splendid and unique hillside, characterised by verticality, minerality and juiciness, length and depth, but also by a more pronounced tannic structure, thanks to its more galestro and mineral soils: The 2020 vintage also reinforces its aromatic, floral and enveloping complexity." Francesco Ripaccioli

The world-famous Caiarossa is an extremely exciting blend of the Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Grenache varieties, with the rich, dark fruit flavours of the Cabernet grapes taking centre stage. On the nose, a beautiful first wave of dark fruits that never appear too ripe, which greatly benefits the elegance of the wine. The palate is very balanced and focussed with blackberries, cassis and slight hints of salty or rusty minerals. Caiarossa displays a good degree of elegance, not least due to its fine and taut tannins, and despite its density and complexity never comes across as opulent or even overloaded. SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all – and rarely has a wine deserved its name so consistently. Quartz: a mineral that was formed in fire, has survived for millions of years and is still visible today in Terlan's soils as a fine speckle in the volcanic porphyry rock. 55 to 60 per cent quartz content, slightly acidic pH value, skeleton-rich sandy-loamy structure without carbonate – a soil that allows water to pass through, rations nutrients and puts the vine under controlled stress. This micro-stress is not a deficiency. It is intentional. It forces the plant to produce terroir-specific polyphenols, which give the wine the savoury tension for which Terlan is internationally renowned.

In 1956, Giuseppe Massolino fell in love with a vineyard and staked everything on it. To acquire a small part of Vigna Rionda, he swapped a plot that was twice as large. "It's madness," people said. A stroke of luck, as it turned out. For Giuseppe knew that Vigna Rionda was no ordinary vineyard. The name has featured in Giovanni Gagna's book on viticulture in the Langhe since 1879 – as one of the few places that produces exceptional wines. Before 1340, the land belonged to the Margrave of Saluzzo; for centuries afterwards, it belonged to the Falletti family. History records many names for this hill: Vignarionda, Arionda, Rotonda – because of its round shape. But they all mean the same thing: the very essence of Serralunga.

Deep dark ruby-purple colour. On the nose, cassis, blackcurrants and a strong herbal spice with a good dose of pipe tobacco, tar and crushed gravel. On the palate, dark berries, chocolate and a cornucopia of herbs define the full-bodied palate. This juicy wine monument has precisely integrated tannins, an enormous silkiness and an almost endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

With the exception of 2016 and 2019, the last eight years in the region around Montalcino have been characterised by warm and dry conditions. For this reason, Il Poggione has started to prioritise irrigation for emergencies (which is becoming more and more of a necessity in the south-west of Montalcino) and is looking for a better balance in the higher vineyards. This is not the only reason why Il Poggione is one of the top producers every year, with an extremely fair value.

At the centre of the Via Bolgherese, that legendary wine route where the Tuscan dream and the Bordeaux vision merge into an indelible myth, lies a small kingdom of just 5.5 hectares. Here, nestled between the giants Ornellaia to the right and Sassicaia to the left, Antonio Moretti Cuseri and his sons Alberto and Amedeo tell a story of unbridled passion, a story called Orma. Orma means footprint. And this 2021 truly leaves one in the soul of the taster. The purest expression of an exceptional vintage, this organically certified Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc unfolds like a symphony in purple and garnet. The Mediterranean sun of Bolgheri, tempered by the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, gave the grapes that unique ripeness that only a few terroirs in the world are capable of producing.

Brunello di Montalcino by Poggio di Sotto is an explosive wine, full and dark. Black cherries, menthol, spices and freshly tanned leather are just some of the diverse aromas. The palate is dense, enveloping and fantastically flowing. Accentuated acidity, perfectly integrating the tannins, finishes on notes of ripe stone fruit, leather and mushrooms. An absolutely fascinating, sublime wine (for the advanced) at the highest level. SUPERIORE.DE

"This vintage has confirmed once again that a great harvest is produced when perfect conditions are created before the harvest, and this was the case in 2017. The result is a wine with great personality, generous on the nose, enveloping and sensual, which surprises on the palate with its freshness and the surprising balance that makes it so pleasant. Fire and ice, sweetness and juiciness, balsamic and fruit, a mix of ingredients that make this vintage very pleasant, but also give it the seriousness of a great Brunello di Montalcino." Francesco Ripaccioli

Le Serre Nuove is much more than a "second wine" – it is Ornellaia's proud ambassador and often the best indicator of what to expect from the legendary flagship. Made from the same grape varieties, under the same skies and with the same philosophy, it has the remarkable ability to predict the personality of the great Ornellaia. The 2022 vintage presents itself as a masterful composition of 54% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. This classic Bordeaux blend comes predominantly from the estate's younger vineyards and is treated with the same meticulous care as its big brother. Each parcel is vinified separately before the final assemblage takes place after twelve months.

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

Scrio - a great Tuscan Syrah from Le Macchiole - is a real beauty. The persistent bouquet offers aromas of dark berries and cured meat, warm and balsamic on the palate with great intensity and dynamism, rich in extract and long. SUPERIORE.DE

Sweet red berries, flowers, mint, spices and aniseed are uniquely interwoven in this generous wine. The wine gains volume and depth in the glass as the flavours build to an unexpected crescendo. This is an exceptionally well-balanced and finesse-rich Brunello full of character, freshness and originality. The tannins remain firm, but there is enough density and complexity to the fruit that opening a bottle, even at a young age, gives no cause for regret. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this remarkably Burgundian Gran Selezione come from the single vineyard of the same name in a 2.25-hectare Chianti Classico vineyard, which was planted in 1971 with a density of 3,400 vines per hectare and is south-facing on old terraces. Riecine has leased these plots since the 1980s, and in the 2019 debut vintage, the winery succeeded in acquiring this site, which is one of the best terroirs in the Chianti Classico region. The bottles are numbered and around 4,000 bottles and 50 magnums are bottled each year.

Barolo Ravera is a wine of great impact and power, and it is also a wine of the future. This is because Ravera (in the municipality of Novello) is one of the best vineyards that never ceases to surprise and impress, despite the changing climate. Thanks to the high altitude and the open view of the snow-capped mountains, the microclimate is well ventilated but protected at the same time. On the nose, freshly cut flowers, white pepper and mint, shy at first but very energetic and straightforward as the wine progresses. On the palate, preserved dark cherries, lavender, mint, crushed stones and hints of sage. All in all, a powerful, breathtaking and deep Barolo, endowed with great purity and beautiful transparency. A stunning wine! SUPERIORE.DE