wine classics

On warm days, a resinous, musky scent rises from the hedge edges. Helichrysum – the immortelle, the Italians also call it "Immortelle", the immortal. It grows wild among the rocks and bushes that line San Polino's highest vineyards. When Katia and Gigi were looking for a name for their best wine, they didn't have to look far. The five hectares surrounding the farmhouse lie at an altitude of 450 metres, facing south, surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and forest. The view extends to Monte Amiata – the sacred mountain of the Etruscans, seat of their highest gods, the Tuscan Olympus. The soils tell of two powerful forces: the volcanic eruption of Mount Amiata 180,000 years ago, which left behind quartz and metamorphic clay, and the retreat of the Pliocene sea, which left behind sandy loams and shell fossils. Thin, complex soil – poor in nutrients, rich in character. Up here, the scirocco blows from the Sahara. The temperature differences between day and night are enormous. The grapes ripen slowly, develop thick skins and concentrated flavours. "Ah ... 2018," Katia once said about a cooler vintage, "finally you can smell Sangiovese grapes instead of just blackcurrant and undergrowth." Helichrysum is all about precisely this clarity – terroir instead of heat, soil instead of opulence.

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.

Barolo Ravera comes from a single vineyard with vines that are almost 50 years old. In the glass, it impresses with a strong, aromatic opening flavour. Bright, precise and finely chiselled, the Ravera captures everything good that the vintage has to offer. Cherry, sweet mint, candy and expressive floral notes are given an extra kick of inner sweetness by Ravera's natural energy. There is so much to look forward to as the wine develops over the next few years! SUPERIORE.DE

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.

R.S. stands for "Recentemente Sboccato" – recently disgorged. What sounds simple is the result of a decade of patience: this Edizione rested on the lees for 10 years and 4 months before it saw the light of day. Launched in 2020, the project makes the timeless elegance of the Cuvée Prestige accessible in its most mature form. The blend combines 75% of the 2014 vintage with 19% reserve from 2013 and 6% from 2012, obtained from 149 certified organic vineyards. The grape varieties: 82% Chardonnay, 11% Pinot Nero, 7% Pinot Bianco – each grape washed and dried according to the Ca' del Bosco method. The result is a Dosage Zéro of uncompromising purity.

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

Pacenti's flagship Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2017 is a blend of equal parts fruit from the north and south of Montalcino with great texture and resonance. The aromas are dark and textured through and through. Dark red fruits and stone fruits, new leather and cedar gradually open up in the glass, but it needs time to fully develop, partly because the Vecchie Vigne has slightly more new oak than the Pelagrilli. A powerful, spicy representative of the appellation that will only reach its true top form with a few years of bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

If only it were true. Angelo Gaja's Tuscan masterpiece Magari bears this Italian expression full of longing and hope in its name, and it tells the story of a dream that became reality. When the Piedmontese patriarch first explored the Maremma coast in the 1990s, he saw the potential for something extraordinary in the gentle hills of Bolgheri. Eighteen rounds of negotiations were necessary to acquire the Ca' Marcanda estate – "the house of endless negotiations", as it has been known ever since.

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.

"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

"The Barolo DOCG Margheria comes from the calcareous soil with a slightly higher proportion of sand than in our other sub-areas, which has a strong influence on its character. It was produced for the first time in 1985 and has great ageing potential. The grapes come from our vineyard in the MGA Margheria in Serralunga d'Alba." Franco Massolino

Cerretto is a fruit-driven wine of virile, explosive power that shows, among other things, how different the wines of Serralunga can be. Black cherry, plum, sage, menthol and liquorice hit the palate in a firm, tannic Barolo that will require some patience, but already presents itself with remarkable freshness, purity and nuance. Cerretta is the embodiment of the richness and structure of Serralunga. SUPERIORE.DE

"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

The winery's first Riserva is produced from a selection of two plots at the highest altitudes on the estate (450 metres). The steep, south-facing plots lie on stony, ferrous soils. SUPERIORE.DE

In the seventies, Giovanni Massolino bought Parafada – a coup that he dared to pull off at a time when the economic situation was anything but rosy. But Giovanni was the kind of person who favours vision over caution. The site, whose name comes from the hamlet of the same name, lies 320 metres above sea level in that famous amphitheatre between Lazzarito and Gabutti, perfectly exposed to the south. A ridge location that offers natural protection from wind and storms – as if nature itself had understood that something special should grow here.

When Giovanni Massolino founded his winery in Serralunga d'Alba in 1896, he was the first to bring electric light to the village. A pioneer. His grandson Giuseppe, co-founder of the legendary Barolo consortium, continued this tradition – and then came the third generation, Giovanni, Camilla and Renato: they wrote a new chapter in 1985 by bottling Margheria separately for the first time. Today, the brothers Franco and Roberto continue the legacy. Both Oenologistwho understand that great wines are not made, but born. Margheria is located on the western edge of Serralunga's famous ridge, just a stone's throw away from the mythical Vigna Rionda – and yet it is its exact opposite. Where Vigna Rionda promises strength and eternity with its calcareous marl, the Margheria site at 280 metres above sea level plays with a higher admixture of sand in the limestone soil. The result: elegance meets structure, floral notes meet mineral depth. Serralunga shows its accessible side here without sacrificing its typical longevity.

Basically, Calcarole is not a vineyard. It is a limestone rock. A terraced massif above the Villa di Rovereti in Negrar, exposed to the south-west, rising to 230 metres – the warmest single vineyard in Valpolicella Classica and at the same time the origin of the most elegant Amarone produced by Guerrieri Rizzardi. The secret lies in this contradiction. Six parcels, planted between 1986 and 2000, are predominantly planted with Corvina, supplemented by Barbera and Sangiovese – varieties that hardly thrive in Valpolicella, but on the hot limestone of Calcarole contribute precisely the freshness that counterbalances the solar concentration. It was this vineyard that produced the first Amarone ever to be honoured as Gambero Rosso's "Vino Rosso dell'Anno" in 2009. Since then, Calcarole has received the Tre Bicchieri in nine out of eleven vintages.

Serradenari is the highest Barolo vineyard, majestically situated above La Morra at around 520 metres. The limestone-rich marl sea, interspersed with tuff and clay subsoil, provides an expressiveness that is both peculiarly clear and exciting at the same time. Giulia Negri works this parcel with an almost Burgundian focus: close to nature, spontaneous fermentation and careful ageing – 30 months in generous tonneaux, leaving the structure intact with minimal intervention. The 2021 vintage, sophisticated and elegant, fascinates with its cool, precise fruit – fresh and vibrant, matured over cool nights, this Nebbiolo is clear yet deep.

Livio's vines. Roberto Voerzio named this Barolo after his father, the man who worked on this land in La Morra before him, who planted and tended the vines that have now become one of the most important wineries in the entire Barolo zone. It is the least spectacular gesture of the house – and at the same time one of the strongest. The wine brings together several parcels in La Morra – not a single MGA, not a single vineyard, but a distillation of the local terroir from the hand of a man who knows this region better than almost anyone else. In La Morra – the commune that stands for the softest, most floral, silkiest Nebbioli of the entire appellation – this approach results in a logic reminiscent of Burgundy: the place as character, not the parcel as trademark. The vineyard philosophy is the same as for every Voerzio wine: natural manure from Alpine cows, no herbicides, no chemical intervention, harvest quantities that remain below one kilogramme per vine. Natural yeasts, no filtration, no additives. Less than one bottle per vine.

Love is madness. And madness, says Francesco Illy, always creates something magical. This sentence is not only behind the name of this wine – it explains the entire Podere Le Ripi project: a nature photographer buys a wild piece of Tuscany near Castelnuovo dell'Abate in 1997, plants it according to biodynamic principles, surrounds himself with a young, hungry team – and created one of the most unconventional Brunello producers in the denomination. "Amore e Magia" comes from the eastern side of Montalcino, where Monte Amiata protects the vineyards like a silent guardian from harsh weather and sends cool downdraughts through the vines at night. The soil here is ancient and salty – oceanic clay and limestone from a time when these hills were still the bottom of the sea. You can taste it. A vibrant, iodised minerality that carries the wine from the inside out. Fermentation with wild yeasts in open vats, 50 days of mash contact – no intervention, just consistency. Then three years in large oak barrels, followed by cement. No new wood to cover up. No compromise that smoothes.

The legendary Baudana cru vineyard rises like a silent sentinel above Serralunga d'Alba. Its steep slopes, characterised by compact, calcareous marl with veins of clay, have been Nebbiolo territory for centuries – a terroir that produces density, structure and exceptional longevity. 2021 was characterised by an extremely harmonious ripening process, marked by clear temperature differences between day and night. The grapes were carefully harvest by hand to select only perfectly ripe grapes. After gentle destemming and a long, traditional maceration, the wine matured for around 32 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, which emphasise its natural depth without masking the precision of the fruit.

Chiara's Barolo from the Mosconi single vineyard of the same name is powerful, muscular and full of opulence. Rich, bright ruby red colour. Rich aromas of eucalyptus, wild rosemary, plum and black cherry. Deep and powerful on the palate with beautiful spicy accents, dense tannins and a very juicy structure. For us, this Barolo belongs in the top class of the appellation, it always carries its great weight with maximum elegance and is highly authentic, completely in the style of Chiara Boschis, who has once again delivered something really great here. Please leave it in the cellar for a few more years! SUPERIORE.DE

Serradenari means "holds the money" – a medieval nickname for those who fled to the cool heights after the plague and carried their savings under their arm. The history of the village is inscribed in its name. Giulia Negri built the family vineyard on this cru, at 480 metres, exposed to the south-west, in a natural amphitheatre that envelops the grapes on all sides. The soil is Messiniano – sandy-loamy clay with a strong limestone marl layer and sub-acidic pH. An acidic soil makes minerals more readily available, the vines more vigorous, the grapes smaller and thicker-skinned. More extract, finer tannin, more structure. Spontaneous fermentation, 45 days of maceration – the longest maceration of the three parcels. Then around 30 months in 25-hectolitre Austrian oak barrels.