wine classics

Sandro Chia's vineyards have now reached their full potential and the Riserva from the top 2016 vintage is the crowning glory. This year, the winery's consistently clear style and the cool vineyard sites have found a truly perfect unity, which you have to search long and hard to find, even in Montalcino. The richness and generosity of the bouquet is impressive: delicious layers of dark berries, spices, dried herbs and dark chocolate combine to create an intense composition that is rounded off on the palate. Slender and fine on the palate, yet with a subtle opulence that reveals new depths with every sip. The expression and length emphasise the qualities of this truly super Brunello, which completely captivated us. If you have time, wait for the further revelations that bottle ageing will undoubtedly bring! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the "Suolo" Brunello selection come from the vineyard of the same name and from the estate's oldest vines. They lie at an altitude of 320 metres on soils of clay-limestone marl rich in skeletons and fossils. It is the ideal terroir to fully express the character of the old Sangiovese Grosso clones and gives the wine an acidic, spicy profile. Only part of the vineyard parcels are used for this label. Long ageing in 15-hectolitre Allier oak barrels and a resting period in the bottle complete it and prepare it for the market and the challenge of time. Around 5,000 bottles are bottled only in the best vintages.

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso Superiore with a dark bouquet of black fruit, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. The palate is extremely full-bodied, with outstanding depth, dense structure and a firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already shows a wide range of personality. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Gli Angeli Riserva 2018 is stunningly beautiful. Its seductive presentation beguiles with rich dark fruits, sweet mint, spice and a grounding hint of floral undergrowth. Its textures are seamless, gliding over a core of fresh, bright acids that flank its black cherry and redcurrant flavours. Notes of liquorice, tobacco and sweet herbs linger long over a gentle layer of fine tannin. It has a juiciness, finesse and structure that will give it a long life. SUPERIORE.DE

A radiant ruby-coloured eye-catcher – underneath is the Barolo Arborina 2020, one of the most important wines from the house of Elio Altare. The grapes come from the single vineyard Arborina, a south to south-east facing amphitheatre in the hills of La Morra, whose calcareous and clayey soil is marked by elemental minerality. The 2020 vintage certainly presented a challenge: Periods of heat and rapid ripening demanded the utmost attention when working in the vineyard. Nevertheless, a concentrated, elegant result was achieved. The grape harvest followed with ideal timing, guided by finesse and a feel for the critical moment. The wine was aged for around 24 months in 30% new and 70% used French barriques before being left to mature in the bottle.

Le Lucére is not a wine for coincidences. The plot – almost 2.5 hectares, east-facing, Galestro and slate, vines that have been rooted in this soil for more than a quarter of a century – only becomes a single-vineyard bottling under certain conditions. 2018 was such a year, although the world of Brunello experts initially reacted cautiously. Wrongly so. The eastern exposure of San Filippo is a quiet privilege for cooler years: no blazing afternoon sunshine that burns the fruit and hardens the tannins. Instead – morning light, slow ripening, precision. The vines did not suffer. They concentrated. Caciorgna vinified in steel, fermented in concrete, put the wine first in barrique and tonneau, then in large 20 to 30 hectolitre barrels. More than three years of ageing, one year in the bottle. The wine needed the time.

"Our Riserva is only produced in exceptional vintages and comes exclusively from the Vigna Vecchia Mercatale vineyard, currently the oldest on the estate, which was planted in 1988. The vineyard is located in the Cru Canalicchio and, thanks to its terroir and age, guarantees the wines a great structure and good flavour. The northern exposure and the easterly winds, which favour the development of the balsamic aromas typical of the cru, allow the wines from this vineyard to achieve an optimal balance between fruit and acidity, an essential prerequisite for good ageing. It is a wine that honours the greatness of the vintage and the exceptional nature of the harvest with a refined elegance that develops into longevity and great tannic structure. With the Riserva 2019, we are launching our nineteenth since 1966, which emphasises the rarity and importance we attach to these wines." Francesco Ripaccioli

This is more than a wine – it is the essence of a project born in 1999 with the vision of showing the world the finest that Bolgheri is capable of producing. From five selected vineyard sites between 80 and 220 metres above sea level – argentiera, Ginestre, Ventaglio, Porcarecce and Ceccosodo – a cuvée has emerged that has been a contemporary symbol of Italian winemaking since its debut vintage in 2003. The 2021 vintage is the culmination of an extraordinary era: 48% Merlot is combined with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc to create a Bordeaux-inspired masterpiece that nevertheless breathes an unmistakable Tuscan soul. Sourced from the Tenuta's best plots, where sandy, calcareous and stony soils thrive between Mediterranean scrub and the salty tang of the Tyrrhenian Sea, each grape embodies the unique terroir identity of this privileged location.

The Vigna Sorì Ginestra cru parcel stands proudly overlooking the rolling hills of Monforte d'Alba – one of the vineyards on which Conterno Fantino bases his entire winemaking art, true to the motto: "Il Barolo è il vino che ha fatto la nostra storia." (Barolo is the wine that made our history). The 2021 vintage, widely celebrated as one of the best of the decade, brought ideal conditions: a balanced ripening climate, cool nights paired with sun-drenched days. Hand-picking was carried out in mid-October – carefully selected, absolutely ripe. The ageing – around 24 months in French oak – was carefully chosen to anchor depth and elegance without masking the typical freshness of this unique Ginestra site.

Gaiole lies in the east of Chianti Classico on the border with Arezzo, where the hills are higher, the soil stonier and the climate cooler. San Sano is the highest of Antinori's three new single vineyards: 420 to 450 metres above sea level, on Galestro and Alberese – the characteristic soils that give the Sangiovese grape a precision and tension at this altitude that is not found anywhere else. Antinori acquired San Sano in 2014, the first of the three new vineyards – the gesture of a house that was serious about its return to Chianti Classico. 100% Sangiovese, 5,000 to 6,000 bottles.

At the beginning of the 20th century, La Fabriseria referred to the parish council of Sant'Ambrogio, the Fabbriceria, commissioned to build a new church. Grandfather Riccardo Tedeschi was one of the Fabbriceri – and it was customary for each councillor to bring his best wine to the meeting. At the end, a toast was made to God and good work. This rite sealed contracts and friendships; today it seals one of the most precious wines of the house. In 2000, the family acquired the seven-hectare vineyard in Le Pontare, between Fumane and Sant'Ambrogio, and planted it with exceptional density: 7,200 vines per hectare in Guyot training, at an altitude of 450 metres with a view of the entire valley, Verona and Lake Garda. The soil tells of the Cretaceous period: pink-white limestone marl, rich in calcium carbonate and iron oxide, interspersed with grey-yellow clay slate – a terrain that provides structure and balance, aromatic complexity and longevity.

Querciabella's Riserva, with an annual production of 10,000 bottles, is a selection of the best lots. It blends fruit from Greve, where the vineyards lie between 350 and 550 metres above sea level, with grapes from the stony high altitudes of Radda and the chalky soils of Gaiole. Tantalising aromas of spring flowers, cranberries and potting soil are accompanied by vanilla and smoke. On the palate, it is polished and pure, with a delicious, tangy acidity and sinewy tannins. As every year, one of the most refined wines of the appellation. SUPERIORE.DE

Mazzei's top wine Siepi is not only an outstanding Tuscan wine every year, but also a 6-hectare vineyard in the middle of dense oak forests with an ideal altitude and a unique climate. The sunshine is optimal throughout the day and a constant breeze from the west prevents excessive heat and creates a mild, Mediterranean climate. The oak forests also provide an ideal protective barrier against extreme weather conditions. Rocky soils of marl, limestone and clay from the Pliocene period ensure a special balance of elements in this geological complex.

Vietti's Brunate parcels are located on the La Morra side of the cru site. It was fermented in stainless steel and then transferred directly to large oak barrels to mature. Vietti's Brunate 2021 shows blue flowers, wild berries, wild cherry and truffle-infused earth. It reveals a slender but open-knit quality that can be felt in the mouth. This softness or textural silkiness continues for many long minutes with hints of mint, liquorice and camphor ash carefully distributed along the way. The tannins are polished and long. Very elegant. SUPERIORE.DE

In the summer of 1983, Elio Altare picked up a chainsaw and sawed up his father's old Slavonian barrels. An act of rebellion, a break with tradition – and the beginning of a revolution in Barolo. His father disinherited him as a result, but Elio remained true to his path: Burgundian vinification, French barriques, shorter maceration and ageing times. The Langhe traditionalists were horrified. But the wines? They sold immediately. Today, Elio Altare is considered one of the "Barolo Boys", a pioneer of the modern Barolo style – and the Arborina is his flagship.

Barolo Cerequio comes from vines that are over 35 years old. The vineyards were acquired by Michele Chiarlo in the 2010s through fortunate circumstances. The 2021 vintage confirms once again that the purchase of this vineyard was one of the smartest decisions Vietti has ever made. Cerequio is a wine of nuance and class that reflects the entire pedigree of this great site. Crushed red berry fruit, cherry, blood orange, spice and mint rise from the glass, framed by nervy tannins that convey classicism. An exotic, racy Barolo. SUPERIORE.DE

You can lose yourself in the bouquet of the Brunello di Montalcino 2020 from Poggio di Sotto. One moment crushed cherries with autumnal spice, the next exotic flowers and candied orange peel, another floral undergrowth, white smoke and wild berries. It is incredibly soft and pure, lifted by salty minerals, while sweet notes of cherry and raspberry slowly begin to saturate. What they then leave behind are youthful, grippy tannins and a wonderful structure. Thanks to vibrant acids and notes of citrus fruit, it always retains its impressive freshness. It will develop superbly with further years of bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio di Sotto's Brunello 2019 is a true masterpiece. Bright, sparkling garnet red in colour. The multi-layered, seductive bouquet alternates cherry, autumnal spice, exotic flowers, candied orange peel with undergrowth, white smoke and wild small berries. Masterfully interwoven on the palate, with a softness and purity that, together with notes of sweet cherries and raspberries, delivers a firework of impressions. Add to this grippy tannins and an agile acidity and you have a prime example of Montalcino. It is already classic and modern at the same time, and we can only eagerly await its further development! SUPERIORE.DE

The year 1991 was the first. With the 2021 vintage, Poggio di Sotto is celebrating its thirtieth Brunello – an anniversary that the estate is marking with a special label in gold print, discreetly and without pomp, entirely in the style of the house. Thirty vintages that have proven that elegance is not a weakness. 2021 was not an easy year. Late frosts in spring decimated the harvest, summer brought heat, August finally brought rain – a sequence that could have been disastrous in other hands. Cellar master Leonardo Berti sees this as the special character of this vintage: fewer grapes, more concentration and an intensity gained through stress, which was kept in balance by the freshness of the long growing season. The soils – a mosaic of white and red clay, galestro and grey marl – did the rest. Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vats, maceration for at least 30 days, 42 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, unfiltered. The recipe is the same. The wine is not.

Firmly anchored in La Morra, Elio Altare has been vinifying a Barolo in Serralunga d'Alba on a rented plot for a few years, vinified and bottled separately. A fascinating and powerful Nebbiolo with elegant fruit, truffle, leather and floral aromas. Full-bodied, juicy and long on the palate, with a remarkably elegant tannin structure. SUPERIORE.DE

The Ravera vineyard in Novello is considered one of the coolest and structurally most demanding crus in the Barolo zone – a terroir of calcareous marl with fine layers of sand, which gives the wines precision, firm tannins and exceptional longevity. Bricco Pernice originates from a parcel on the upper slope, perfectly exposed to the south-west, where the vines ripen evenly under a gentle breeze. 2018 was a moderate year with a balanced growing season and a long ripening phase, which gave the Nebbiolo elegance and aromatic depth.

2020 posed a simple question for Montalcino's winegrowers: who has the better terroir? In a hot, dry year – august temperatures close to 40 degrees – it was not just the manual labour in the vineyard that decided, but the geology. Le Lucére responded with Galestro and slate: soils that hold water deeper, moderate temperatures and preserve freshness when patience and acidity have long since given way elsewhere. Organic farming since 2013 has paid off many times over in years like these. Living soils, deep-rooted vines, no drought stress that forces chemical interventions. Paolo Caciorgna didn't have to save anything. He just had to listen.

"When we taste the Riserva Franco Ziliani, we hear the voice of our father: direct, brooding and rigorous." – paolo Ziliani. Born as a tribute to the 90th birthday of the visionary who, together with Guido Berlucchi, bottled the first 3,000 bottles of Franciacorta Metodo Classico in 1961, changing the fate of an entire region. The 2011 vintage – only the second bottling after its debut in 2008 – this Riserva is now part of the permanent collection. A limited special edition becomes a living legacy. The philosophy behind it: Time perfected. Art is Timeless is the manifesto, and each bottle is indeed a work of art. The hand-crafted brass label transforms it into a collector's item, of which only 4,732 exist.