wine classics

When we discovered this winery by chance at the beginning of the 2000s, we were immediately impressed by the modesty and purism of the Biliorsi winemaking family. This is still the case today, they remain true to themselves and their philosophy and in good years, they produce just 10,000 bottles of a "slightly different" Brunello in the cellar.

Pecchenino, traditionally known in Dogliani for Dolcetto, ventured into Monforte d'Alba, one of the eleven Barolo villages and home to some of the appellation's most prestigious single vineyards, in the early 2000s. Today, the family cultivates plots in the three prestigious Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive Ravera di Monforte, Le Coste di Monforte and Bussia – sites whose names carry weight in connoisseur circles. San Giuseppe is not a single vineyard, but a composed vision: 50% Ravera di Monforte, 35% Le Coste and 15% Bussia merge to create a Barolo that combines the strengths of these different terroirs. Ravera, at an altitude of 440 metres, with its whitish marl, brings minerality and structure. Le Coste, exposed to the south-east, delivers elegance and aromatic finesse. Bussia, the largest and best known of the three, contributes strength and ageing potential. The chalky, clayey soils, the south to south-westerly exposure and the precise manual labour in the vineyard – everything follows the principle of low yields for maximum concentration.

Our team drinks this after work, our very special insider recommendation for purists: finely balanced and very elegant Prosecco Millesimato Spumante Superiore with a shiny golden colour and green reflections. Floral bouquet, fine perlage and elegant flavours of pear and white fruit, which lend the aristocratic, dry structure a great deal of elegance and length. This is not an everyday occurrence, even in the noble DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene! SUPERIORE.DE

In the Valley of the Gods (Valpantena), Bertani has been writing perhaps the purest Amarone story in Italy since 1857. This northernmost subzone of Valpolicella is considered their secret cru, where marl-limestone on the eastern slope and clay-limestone on the western slope of the hills create a unique terroir. Here, far from the tourist trails, Corvina Veronese and Rondinella thrive on 15 to 20-year-old vines. After being harvested by hand in September, the grapes are left to rest for four months in the historic drying rooms of the Grezzana winery until the winter pressing begins. 30 months of ageing in Slavonian oak barrels and barriques give this Amarone its characteristic finesse – less opulent than the classics from Negrar, but more mineral and flavoursome.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Caterina Zardini lost her husband. What remained were ten children, a hundred hectares of land in the heart of Valpolicella Classica and a winery that her husband Carlo Campagnola had built up with passion – he had won the prize for the best Recioto in the region in 1907. Caterina could have handed over the estate. But she didn't. She took over the work and continued to run the winery with all her children, laying the foundations for five generations of a wine family that is still rooted in Marano di Valpolicella today. This Amarone bears her name, a tribute.

The grapes for Clerico's entry-level Barolo come from younger vines in the top vineyards of Pajana, Ciabot Mentin and Percristina (Mosconi). The 2021 vintage is considered one of the best of the last decade: a balanced vegetation cycle with warm, sunny days and cool nights promoted even ripening and preserved the concise acidity structure. In the glass, it shines a rich garnet red with ruby-coloured reflections. The nose reveals a clear, complex aroma of ripe cherry, dark plum and dried rose, complemented by hints of violet, tobacco, liquorice and a fine, balsamic note. Powerful and precise on the palate, with juicy fruit, present, well-integrated acidity and taut, fine-grained tannins that promise a long development. The 2021 still needs to develop a little, but the essential components are already very convincing today. SUPERIORE.DE

The Bordini parcel lies between gentle hills in the municipality of Neive, with a southern exposure and calcareous soil – one of the structure-forming Barbaresco vineyards that has always been famous for its power, elegance and depth. The 2021 vintage is considered particularly refined: A long, balanced growing season nourished the grapes with balanced ripeness, while cooler nights preserved the fine acidity. The manual harvest in mid-October was perfectly timed and ensured the high quality of the harvest. Ageing in large oak barrels for 12-14 months brought complementary depth without masking the clear fruit expression.

The Bordini vineyard in Neive, sun-kissed and situated on calcareous, slightly sandy soils, has been known for generations for Nebbiolo with natural vigour and fine contours. The 2022 vintage brought a warm, dry growing climate, which, thanks to cool nights and precise harvest, produced grapes with intense aromas and optimal phenolic ripeness. The colour in the glass is a rich ruby with a slight garnet hue. The nose is inviting and multi-layered: juicy plum, ripe strawberry and the warm aroma of crushed nutmeg interweave with rose petals, orange peel, a hint of dried herbs and fine spice. On the palate, the wine reveals its dual nature – generous red-fleshed fruit paired with the classic Nebbiolo structure that characterises Bordini. Velvety but noticeable tannins provide backbone, while the lively acidity keeps the rich fruit in balance and lends freshness and energy to the powerful body. The finish is long, savoury and infused with a fine mineral vein – a Barbaresco full of expressiveness that harmoniously combines the essence of the vineyard and vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

Albe! ... the poetic name of this Barolo refers to the sky at sunrise, as experienced by the various terroirs of the estate: Coste di Vergne, Fossati and La Volta. These high-altitude sites each produce slightly different dawns, which is symbolically reflected in the harmony of the cuvée. The grapes come from young but ripe Nebbiolo vines and combine the nuances of each parcel to create a flowing, elegant expression. The grapes were carefully harvested by hand, each parcel was vinified separately and only combined into a cuvée in the spring before bottling. The wine is matured for around 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (40–75 hl) with annual racking – a maturation that allows for depth and harmony.

Pure Pinot Noir from the calcareous moraines around Calino – vinified using the saignée method and matured on the fine lees for at least 24 months. A delicate onion skin colour with a lively perlage unfolds in the glass. The nose seduces with floral notes and clear fruit: redcurrant, raspberry, red grapefruit and delicate notes of dried blossom and yeast. Dry, precise and fresh on the palate; the fruit typical of the grape variety remains present and is supported by fine acidity. The finish shows fine minerality, juicy berry fruit and a subtle creaminess from the yeast contact. A rosé with a clearly recognisable Pinot Noir personality and an outrageously good blend of sophistication and drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

A Riserva that only comes into being when the year allows it – and which makes a promise with its name: Essenze stands for the essence of the grape variety, the terroir and the time. The grapes come exclusively from the best cru sites in the municipalities of Barolo, Monforte, Serralunga, La Morra and Castiglione Falletto. Each parcel is vinified separately, carefully monitored, matured – and finally composed like a mosaic. The result: a Riserva Barolo that does not need to be loud to radiate authority. It is only bottled in exceptional years such as 2015 – after more than 42 months of ageing in large barrels and barriques.

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

Ornello is an open wine with beautiful, inviting aromas of ripe, dark fruit, cedar wood, dried herbs, tobacco and incense. All of this has a pleasant depth. Medium to full-bodied with supple tannins and a juicy, ripe finish. Very good value. SUPERIORE.DE

The story begins with a drunk and Shakespeare. When a staggering reveller once pestered Sting – "How beautiful is the moon?" –the musician replied with a verse from sonnet 130: "My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun." The man was satisfied and disappeared into the darkness. This nocturnal encounter gave rise to a song dedicated to all moon addicts in 1987 – "for the lunatics everywhere, for all those whose sanity is dependent on the phases of the moon." It seems only logical that this title of all things should become Il Palagio's flagship: the winery's first great Supertuscan also unfolds its magic in the twilight between day and night. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon merge in equal parts – tuscan tradition meets international elegance without one side dominating. The biodynamically cultivated vines on the hills of Figline Valdarno provide the foundation; fifteen to eighteen months in new French barriques lend depth and polish.

The top-quality Vigneto Erchi Riserva comes from the small vineyard of the same name, which has belonged to Fattoria Selvapiana since 1998. The owners spent a long time searching for a vineyard whose terroir impressively demonstrates the complexity of Sangiovese in the Rufina region, making this wine a high-calibre addition to the famous Selvapiana collection.

A tribute to Luigi, Valeria's father, without whose support the life project of Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini in Panzano would never have been realised. Aluigi embodies the highest level of the art of Sangiovese from Le Cinciole – only 4,000 bottles are produced annually from the single vineyard "Campo ai Peri". This Gran Selezione comes from organically cultivated vineyards at an altitude of 440 metres, where south-west-facing vines are rooted in the characteristic Galestro soil over sandstone. The traditionally dense planting of 9,000 vines per hectare and the cool, high-altitude climate give the wine its characteristic elegance and complexity. Vinification follows the original principles of the estate: hand-picking and careful selection of the grapes, spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in cement tanks for four weeks. After malolactic fermentation, the wine matures for 24 months in French oak barrels of 25 hectolitres, followed by a further year in concrete and twelve months of bottle ageing.

A name that breathes history: since 2011, the grapes for Marchese Antinori have come exclusively from the vineyards of Tenuta Tignanello – the legendary location that lies at the heart of the Chianti Classico between the gentle hills of the Greve and Pesa valleys. Here, where the Medici once walked and where the Antinori family has been realising its visionary wine philosophy since 1850, one of the purest interpretations of Sangiovese thrives on stony limestone soils. The 2022 vintage tells of a summer of extremes – little rain until August, hot spells in June and July. But the old vines proved resilient: even budding, regular flowering, perfectly ripe grapes for harvest. In the winery's cellars, winemaking was carried out with classic precision: gentle destemming, gentle pressing, one week of fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Ten days of maceration using gentle methods – an extraction that combines intensity with elegant, supple tannins. Natural acid degradation until the end of the year, then twelve months of ageing in French and Hungarian oak barrels, followed by a further twelve months of bottle ageing before release.

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

Petit Verdot is a grape variety that the world distrusts. In Bordeaux, it is used as a seasoning – a few per cent, hardly more. Independent, pure, as the main player: hardly anyone dares to do this. Tua Rita dared to do it for the first time in 2017. 60% Petit Verdot from young vineyards on highly clayey soils in the Colline Metallifere, 40% Merlot from 35-year-old vines. "Esuberante e maturo", as the cantina itself says. A duet of exuberance and maturity. The Petit Verdot comes from vineyards planted in 2011 – young, but in a location that needs no apology: iron-rich clays, mineral depth, sea breeze from the Piombino Canal. The Merlot comes from the old plots that have defined the estate's reputation for decades. Hand-picked, fermentation in wooden tanks, then 18 months in French and American oak barriques – the wood as a dialogue, not a monologue.

The often underrated Madre is an elegant yet juicy cuvée of Sangiovese and barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon. Dark and luscious on the palate, it captures many of the best qualities of the house's established style. Black cherries, raspberry jam, plums, graphite, smoke, lavender, liquorice and dark spices envelop the palate in an effortless, juicy red wine that is a real insider's tip after some aeration. SUPERIORE.DE