wine classics

Poggio Landis Brunello Riserva from the dream vintage 2016 is rich in fascinating floral notes. This wine is a statement of elegance and sensory freshness. Elderflower, geranium, noble magnolia and camphor on the nose. Full-bodied, powerful and lively on the palate, it is bursting with vigour and healthy tension with fine-grained, velvety tannins and a long, ethereal finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep ruby red colour, as expected from a good traditionally and organically produced wine. A wonderful, elegant and open-hearted aroma spectrum between sour cherry and nutmeg. Clear and savoury on the palate, beautifully balanced and with plenty of youthful freshness and minerality on the long finish. This medium-bodied Riserva is already drinking well today, but also has enough energy to develop positively in the bottle for at least a handful of years. SUPERIORE.DE

Grinzane Cavour, 240 metres above sea level. One of the few parcels in the entire denomination with a full southern exposure. The single vineyard Garretti epitomises the extraordinary harmony that once attracted Giorgio Rivetti when he decided to expand into the Barolo region in 2001. Here, where seventy-year-old Nebbiolo vines are rooted in alluvial soils with a calcareous clay layer, wines of remarkable balance are produced. The site benefits from exceptional ventilation due to its distance from the hill opposite – a microclimatic advantage that ensures exceptional temperature fluctuations and preserves freshness even in the hottest years.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

Just 3,500 bottles from the oldest vines of the Salco vineyard are only sold in the best vintages. In the glass, we are delighted by an extremely elegant Sangiovese with a very harmonious texture and very classic, earthy and spicy notes. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1991, Luigi Fabbro and Katia Nussbaum discovered an abandoned hilltop south-east of Montalcino: no water, no electricity – but 600-year-old olive trees and soil that had not seen any chemicals for decades. That was exactly what they were looking for. Gigi, a Friulian with experience in mapping biodiversity in the Amazon, and Katia, a London-based anthropologist, became pioneers of the biodynamic movement in Montalcino. All vintages have been certified organic since 2001. Of the 35 hectares, only four and a half are planted with vines. The rest: woodland, wilderness, corridors for animals and insects. "I see every bottle as a work of performance art," says Katia. "Our entire philosophy of life is embodied in the wine." The entry-level Brunello comes from the northern slopes, on loamy-marly soils. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, followed by three-and-a-half years' ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels.

A Barbaresco of exceptional complexity. Rich in tannins and structured thanks to the chalky composition of the soil, it nevertheless retains a characteristic freshness and minerality that makes it a favourite with connoisseurs. Freshly cut flowers, minerals, crushed rock, rose petals and lavender. As always, Montefico is taut and angular in style. Its sense of transparency is simply beguiling. Sage, mint and sweet pipe tobacco are some of the nuances that linger. Montefico is a Barbaresco for lovers of tauter red wines, which it will delight. It combines the fruity richness of Montestefano with the vigour of Ovello. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes come from the family's own plots throughout the Barbaresco zone – mainly in Treiso (including Il Bricco, San Stefanetto, Bongiovanni) and in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio (Rocche di Massalupo). Each vineyard is harvested and fermented separately in order to preserve its own characteristics; the lots are only combined after ripening. The wine is matured in the classic way over a long period in large Slavonian oak barrels, supplemented by a smaller proportion in French oak, enough to refine the texture without masking the origin. The 2019 vintage benefited from long, balanced vegetation with cool nights in autumn: fully ripe, aromatically dense grapes with an ideal acid structure.

Cellole Gran Selezione impresses with its usual elegance and sophistication. Its masterfully balanced flavour profile of wild berry and blackberry with cassis, blueberry and candied rose is fantastic. On closer inspection, the wine reveals orange peel, rosemary and iron ore. It is a silky and elegant wine with some firm tannin, lots of bright fruit and a hint of crisp acidity. Undoubtedly a great wine with great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

"Pianrosso" – the red plain. When Giuseppe Bianchini began planting this vineyard in 1985, he knew that the heart of his heritage would beat here, on the iron-rich Galestro soils above the Orcia Valley. Eleven hectares between 240 and 360 metres, supported by the slate and marl subsoil that was once seabed before the nearby Monte Amiata left behind its volcanic minerality. Today, his son Paolo and his son Alex continue this legacy – three generations of Bianchini, who face Montalcino's hottest zone with organic cultivation and prudent restraint. The 2020 vintage demanded everything: July heat, which led to 15.5 per cent alcohol, but underneath lies the elegance for which Castelnuovo dell'Abate is famous.

On the northern edge of the Barolo zone, where Verduno towers over the Langhe hills like an outpost of elegance, lies one of the most mysterious MGAs in the entire denomination. Pisapola – a name familiar only to the initiated, but for those who know it, it holds the promise of exceptional finesse. Here, on calcareous clay and sandstone soils between 250 and 300 metres above sea level, Matteo Ascheri creates a Barolo that expresses the unique personality of Verduno in its purest form. Verduno is different from the other Barolo communes. While Serralunga stands for power and Castiglione Falletto for structure, Verduno is a refuge of elegance and flavour. The complex soil composition of limestone-clay, silt and sandstone, criss-crossed by chalky veins, gives the wines that savoury note that makes Verduno-Baroli so unmistakable. It is no coincidence that the rare Pelaverga grape variety, famous for its white pepper flavours, also thrives here – a clear sign of the aromatic intensity that these soils produce.

Since summer 2023, Chianti Classico producers have been allowed to include the eleven additional geographical indications (UGA = unità geografiche aggiuntive) introduced in 2021 on the labels of the top Gran Selezione category. For Chianti Classico winegrowers, it is a logical step to produce wines that reflect the area in which they were produced as authentically as possible. And customers can thus deepen their knowledge of the relationship between the wines and their region of origin - a real added value.

When Virginie Saverys and Max De Zarobe realised that Montepulciano could only regain its historic reputation by working together, they founded Alleanza Vinum. Six prestigious estates – Salcheto, Poliziano, La Braccesca, Dei, Boscarelli and Avignonesi – joined forces in 2017 with a shared mission: Each would create its own 100% Sangiovese cru every year, embodying the rediscovery of Vino Nobile. Avignonesi's contribution comes from the legendary Caprile vineyard, planted in 1978 at an altitude of 300 metres. The soil tells a story spanning millions of years: marine sediments from the Pliocene, interlaced with deep veins of blue sodium clay, rich in silt and limestone – a terroir that lends the Sangiovese exceptional depth. After 28 days of controlled maceration with natural yeasts selected from the 'pied-de-cuve', the wine matures for 24 months in large oak casks.

Domizio Cavazza had vineyards in Ovello. When he founded the first Cantine Sociale in Barbaresco in 1894, Ovello was already part of his plan – one of the oldest and most original vineyards in this appellation. Today, with over twenty hectares, Ovello is by far the largest of the nine Produttori del Barbaresco sites and is located at the northernmost point of the municipal area, where the hill has various exposures – west-south-west and east-south-east – on a soil that is both calcareous and rich in clay. The clay is more present here than elsewhere in Barbaresco, and it gives the wine its typical opulence: plump fruit, full body, firm tannins. The Produttori del Barbaresco also vinify Ovello according to the same principle that has been maintained for decades: 28 days of maceration, at least thirty months in large Slavonian barrels, a further year in the bottle. The Riserve are bottled exclusively in exceptional vintages – and 2021 leaves no doubt about that.

Between the hills of Gaiole and Radda in Chianti, at an altitude of 460 to 525 metres, lies one of the most extraordinary wine estates in Tuscany. Since 1982, Marco Pallanti and Lorenza Sebasti have shaped the fortunes of Castello di Ama – a winemaking couple who have helped Chianti Classico achieve worldwide recognition. "Ama" was created in 2010 with the introduction of the Gran Selezione as an independent line and represents the essence of the estate's younger Sangiovese clones. Made from 96% Sangiovese and 4% Merlot, the wine comes from densely planted vineyards on chalky, clayey soils. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, fermented spontaneously with natural yeasts and matured for twelve months in second-use barriques.

At 618 metres above sea level, where the air already carries the coolness of the mountains and the view sweeps over the entire Chianti Valley, lies one of the most venerable vineyards in Tuscany: Coltassala – once born as a rebellious Supertuscan, today ennobled as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from the UGA Radda, embodies the revolution and evolution of Tuscan viticulture like no other wine. In 1980, Federica Mascheroni Stianti's family took the plunge: when the DOC system was still forcing Trebbiano and Malvasia into Chianti, they pressed a pure Sangiovese wine up here in small barriques based on the French model instead of the traditional large Slavonia barrels. What was then still misjudged as Vino da Tavola heralded a new era. Today, with the new UGA rules of Chianti Classico (Unita Geografiche Aggiunte, in Germany one would say Lage, in France Cru), Coltassala is finally finding its well-deserved home – as a Gran Selezione from the Radda geographical unit, which stands for the most extreme and elegant expressions of Chianti Classico. The altitude gives the 2021 vintage that characteristic freshness that makes Radda so unique – despite the warm weather, the wine retains its crystalline acidity and vibrancy.

Mulino comes from a lower-lying vineyard with a high proportion of marine fossils in the soil. It is dark and rich in the glass, with notes of plum jam, balsamic herbs, pine shavings and cloves, but also with a mentholated freshness that centres the whole experience. On the palate, it glides like pure silk, elegant and supple, with ripe, balsamic fruit and a hint of sweet mint. Finishes with a powerful structure and persistence, leaving behind nuances of cedar wood and red plums. SUPERIORE.DE

In the early 14th century, a place name appears in a document from Castelnuovo dell'Abate: "Vallocchio Brunello" – situated between the fields known as "Podio Rubeo" and "Piage di Monte Caprile". This is the oldest documented reference to viticulture in this municipality. Seven centuries later, the five oldest vineyards of Tenuta Fanti stand on precisely this land. The story has never ceased here. Filippo Fanti has spent decades studying, tending and observing this terroir. In 2010, the time had come – the first Vallocchio. Since then, it has been released only in exceptional vintages: no pressure, no annual commitment, but a selective expression of what the site truly has to offer in a particular season. Five hectares, vines aged between 20 and 35 years, well-drained, medium-textured Galestro soils at an altitude of 230 to 250 metres above sea level. Hand-harvested from the second half of September to mid-October, depending on the aspect and plot.

Ceretto's 2019 Barolo combines the power of the vintage with the subtle signature of the house. The grapes come from various organically farmed cru sites in La Morra, Castiglione Falletto and Serralunga d'Alba – a composition that emphasises diversity and balance. On the nose, a precise, deep bouquet of dark cherry, ripe raspberry, dried rose and subtle hints of tobacco, liquorice and spicy undergrowth.

Pieve refers to the old ecclesiastical administrative units of medieval Tuscany, the hubs around which rural life was organised long before modern appellations existed. The Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has taken these historical toponyms as the basis for twelve Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive – the UGA system, which officially came into force in February 2025. The 2021 vintage is the first to be allowed to bear this designation. Boscarelli has been based in Cervognano since 1962 – one of the twelve Pievi, named after the Romanesque Pieve di Sant'Albino, which has defined the area for centuries.

Medium, radiant ruby red. Complex nose of sweet and cedar wood, paired with Mediterranean maquis and delicate sweet cherry. In the mouth, balsamic notes, very finely woven tannins and a wonderful complexity that envelops the juicy fruit core and gives the wine an impressive depth and length. The elegance is also very impressive and will certainly increase with further maturity. SUPERIORE.DE

A prime example of perfect balance: elegance and structure harmonise perfectly.

Gentle balsamic notes with rosemary and lavender scents on the nose. When it opens in the glass, you can get a clear picture of the dark fruit at its centre and the delicate particles of chalk dust that frame the bouquet. The fruit for this wine comes from a five-hectare plot with alkaline soils that are rich in numerous mineral components. The complexity of the soils is reflected in the attractive bouquet, and this outstanding Riserva vintage offers a rich structure, velvety tannins and persistent intensity. SUPERIORE.DE

Laura Brunelli's Brunello is an outstanding reflection of the appellation every year. A floral bouquet, the purest expression of cherry and strawberry imaginable, hints of mint, sage and cedar dust - all are found in its stunning bouquet. The youthful density of the ripe primary fruit contrasts with salty minerality and lively acidity, leaving a cascading and crisp impression on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE