wine classics

The Ricasoli family has been shaping the history of Chianti Classico since 1141 – longer than any other winery in Italy. Baron Bettino Ricasoli defined the legendary Chianti formula in 1872, which is still valid today. Rocca Guicciarda was once one of the Barone ' most important feudal estates and today embodies the classic interpretation of this traditional appellation. The grapes for this Riserva come from vineyards on the five most representative soil types in Brolio between 280 and 480 metres above sea level: Macigno del Chianti (sandstone), Scaglia Toscana (Galestro), Monte Morello (Alberese) as well as marine and fluvial deposits create a complex terroir mosaic. 90% Sangiovese forms the backbone, supplemented by 5% each of Merlot and Canaiolo. After controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks with 14 to 16 days of maceration, the wine matures for 21 months in tonneaux and large barrels. The result is a Chianti Classico of an intense ruby red colour with light garnet reflections, whose bouquet combines ripe red fruit, raspberry, pomegranate and fine spicy notes. The palate reveals the traditional character: juicy, red berry flavours with fresh acidity and silky tannins – a versatile food companion with balanced drinkability. SUPERIORE.DE

A wine that made history. When the first vintage of La Selvanella Riserva was presented in 1969, it was a revolution in Chianti Classico – the very first cru from a single vineyard in the entire region. Today, over 50 years later, this Sangiovese classic is still regarded as a benchmark for the elegance and purity of the Radda terroirs. The 50 hectares of the La Selvanella vineyard sit at an altitude of 350 to 550 metres above Radda in Chianti in one of the most privileged positions in the entire region. Wines of exceptional structure and lively acidity are produced here. The perfect south-west exposure and the temperate continental climate create ideal conditions for the capricious Sangiovese to develop its full aromatic complexity.

In 1991, Luca and Valeria Orsini gave up their work in Milan to produce wine in Tuscany. Their winery comprises 10 hectares of south-east facing vineyards in Panzano and the wines have been certified organic since 2000. This outstanding Annata opens discreetly on the nose with subtle scents of cherry blossom, heather and roses. On the palate, it is decidedly red-fruited with redcurrants and raspberries, embraced by finely structured, powdery and persistent tannins. It has a lovely energy and above all lets the true charm of Sangiovese shine through. A real high-flyer in terms of authenticity every year! SUPERIORE.DE

Prosecco del Fondatore Graziano Merotto is the winery's flagship wine – certainly one of the best of its denomination – and a very dry and complex brut from the special slopes of the Rive di Col San Martino. Bright silver-grey with a persistent perlage. Light fruit and flowers on the nose, a fine citrus note on the palate introduces the finesse-rich, exciting mineral flavour with an impressive finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Riserva does not simply mean more time in Gracciano. It means different soil. The Maramai and Podere Rovisci crus provide the grape material for this wine – and Rovisci is the core of the whole: heavy clay content, brooding, water-retaining, with a ripening dynamic that elicits the densest, most concentrated side of the Prugnolo Gentile. Vines, some of which have been planted since 1970. 300 to 350 metres, south to south-east exposure, 30 hectolitres per hectare – consistently limited yields. Only in the best vintages does the della Seta Ferrari Corbelli Greco family decide to bottle a Riserva. 2021 was such a year. Prugnolo Gentile 90%, Merlot 10%. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, 20 to 25 days of maceration in steel. Then aged for 24 months: the first twelve in French tonneaux of 3.5 and 5 hectolitres, the second twelve in large Slavonian oak barrels. Subsequent maturation in the bottle for at least six months.

This red classic from Montepulciano already bears its claim in its name: nobile. No other wine in Italy has this adjective written into its specifications – and hardly any other producer has honoured it as consistently in recent decades as Federico Carletti and his Poliziano winery. Founded in 1961 by father Dino, today under Federico's leadership and long since anchored in the next generation – with Francesco and Maria Stella, who have been helping to shape the future since 2019 and 2021. Poliziano has been certified organic since the 2021 harvest – not a marketing decision, but the logical conclusion of decades of work without chemical weedkillers and insecticides. Prugnolo Gentile, the local variety of Sangiovese, grows on clay and limestone soils between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Hand-picked, careful selection in the vineyard and in the cellar, fermentation with indigenous yeasts in conical concrete vats – minimum intervention, maximum expression. Maturation in large barrels and tonneaux: the wood frames, it does not dominate.

Tasting the Riserva from Fattoria del Cerro takes you stylistically to those higher vineyard sites where fossil-rich soils full of pebbles and ancient shell remains lend the Prugnolo Gentile a special mineral depth. The crowning glory of the Montepulciano hierarchy is created from these favoured plots – a wine that requires time and patience to reveal its multi-layered nature. After careful selection, the wine undergoes 18 months of refinement, combining tradition and innovation: Eight months in French barriques and tonneaux, followed by a further twelve to sixteen months in large wooden barrels. This combination creates a character of remarkable elegance and the wood integrates seamlessly without overshadowing the varietal fruit. A final twelve months of maturation in the bottle completes the harmonious development.

Le Redini Rosso consists mainly of Merlot and a small proportion of Alicante. The wine opens with dark intensity and a velvety texture with lots of fresh blackberry, plum, earth and wild rose. Pure red fruit on the palate, very supple, the delicate wood note well integrated. The refined notes of a Merlot from the Conca d'Oro come across wonderfully. SUPERIORE.DE

Dievole's new Chianti Classico Casanova, just released with the debut 2020 vintage, is the result of a quest to highlight the identity characteristics of particularly suitable vineyards, leading to ever more precise expressions of Sangiovese. The Casanova grapes come from a vineyard at an altitude of about 400 metres, with an ideal south-west to south-east exposure and composed mainly of sandstone rocks Macigno del Chianti. The result is a Chianti Classico that is very immediate and direct, with a beautiful acidity to boot. It has the elegance and freshness and the bright, radiant fruit of Chianti Classico "as it used to be".

Dievoles Chianti Classico Petrignano is the result of the endeavour to highlight the identity characteristics of particularly suitable vineyards, leading to ever more precise expressions of Sangiovese. Petrignano is the name of a characteristic area with a soil rich in minerals and stones. At an altitude of around 330 metres, rocks protrude from the ground that are typical of the geological formation of Monte Morello. The abundance of stones, the depth of the roots and the low growth of the vines result in an expressive and lush wine from this characteristic and authentic cru site.

Dievoles Chianti Classico Catignano is the result of the endeavour to highlight the identity characteristics of particularly suitable vineyards, leading to ever more precise expressions of Sangiovese. Catignano is a plateau at 370 metres above sea level, with vineyards of different ages and a large proportion of Alberese. The exposure is westerly and south-easterly, which means plenty of sun during the day, but also cold temperatures at night, with a good temperature range that favours the aromatic development of the grapes.

Strong, bright straw yellow colour. Characterful, youthful and rich bouquet of dried nectarines, peach, yellow apple, mint and a fresh hint of almonds. The depth of its texture is in perfect contrast to the savoury acids, minerals and notes of sour apples, but a feeling of balanced ripeness always remains. The finish is long and structured and seems to melt slowly on the palate, leaving savoury spices and a fine tannin behind. It already has a lot to offer today, but should mature a little more in the bottle for more structure and elegance. A wonderfully exciting interpretation of Garganega from a small single vineyard in the Carbonare region. SUPERIORE.DE

Before there was Soave, there was this wine. In the fifth century, the Roman senator Cassiodorus praised a sweet wine made from dried grapes at the court of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric – acinaticum, the original form of what is now called Recioto di Soave. Fifteen hundred years later, in 1998, it became the first Venetian wine with DOCG status. And yet very few people know it. The story has been reversed: Amarone, which originated in the 1930s as a "runaway" Recioto – a barrel that accidentally fermented through –became a world star. Recioto, its ancestor, remained in the shadows. Guerrieri Rizzardi's version comes from old pergola vines in Costeggiola, planted between 1960 and 1998 on volcanic gravel. Only a third of the harvest is deemed worthy of drying in fruttaio for three to five months – a selection within the selection.

Brilliant ruby red colour. Lively nose of small, primary fruity red berries, subtle use of wood and impressive race and complexity for the price. Precise and taut on the palate, showing its origins boldly and decisively. Then a harmoniously balanced mix of tobacco, leather, cedar and, of course, cherry and plum. The finely balanced tannins carry this powerful and impressive Riserva into a long final. Impressive! SUPERIORE.DE

"This wine comes from my family's historic vineyard. It is a wine that is the result of long reflection, study and experimentation, where nothing has been left to chance: Monte Grande is to be my great Soave wine." Graziano Prà

This visionary wine comes from the legendary Conca d'Oro in Panzano and epitomises Giampaolo Motta's radical break with the traditions of Chianti Classico. The Neapolitan, who lost his heart to the Tuscan soil, took the courageous step of declassifying in 2002 – out of a burning desire for absolute oenological freedom. The cuvée combines Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to create a Burgundian-Bordelaise dialogue that captures the mineral power of the Galestro and Alberese soils on a south-westerly slope. The wine is carefully vinified in French barriques for ten months "sur lie" with regular bâtonnage, giving the wine a wonderfully silky structure.

Avignonesi's aromatic classic has a lean to medium body, seamless tannins and a delicious flavour profile. Intense ruby red with garnet-coloured reflections. On the nose, aromas of red berries, cherry, eucalyptus and pomegranate and the unmistakable scent of violets so typical of the Sangiovese grape, with a hint of vanilla and Mediterranean herbal spice in the background. Well-balanced on the palate, with beautiful primary notes of ripe cherry and plum. The warm, ethereal body is embedded in a dense tannin structure and leads into a long, persistent finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Riecine's Chianti Classico can be described without exaggeration as an archetype of the Gaiole terroir: Bright in the glass with wild fruits, blackberries and white pepper. These slightly wilder flavours are very specific to Gaiole in Chianti, particularly this corner of the sub-zone near the village after which it was named. This cool location produces a sharp and elegant Sangiovese with tension and crispness, savoury tannins, the return of small black fruits and a respectable finish. Riecine has been producing one of the most subtle Chianti Classico wines for years - a marvellous wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Brolio Riserva is the flagship of Italy's most traditional winery – a wine that bears the signature of the Ricasoli family year after year and at the same time captures the extraordinary diversity of the Brolio terroir. The 100% Sangiovese grapes come from the five characteristic soil types of the estate between 280 and 480 metres above sea level – a terroir mosaic of sandstone, Galestro, Alberese, marine and fluvial deposits that lend the wine exceptional complexity. After controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks with 12 to 16 days of maceration, the wine matures for 18 months in first and second passage tonneaux before resting for a further three months in the bottle. Intense ruby red in colour with garnet reflections, the bouquet combines ripe black cherry, spicy notes and an elegant hint of vanilla. A generous fullness unfolds on the palate, supported by silky tannins and lively freshness – a harmonious, multi-layered Chianti Classico that perfectly balances tradition and international elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

What distinguishes a Riserva from an Annata? Time. Time to select the best Sangiovese grapes from the estate's twelve plots. Time for a 25-day vinification process that is conducted with the utmost respect for tradition. And time for at least 21 months in French oak barrels, followed by further bottle ageing before the wine leaves the estate.

Brilliant ruby red colour with a slightly brightening rim. Impressive aroma of red berries, smoke, roasted almonds and dark spices. Taut, straightforward and expressive on the palate, with a beautiful and slightly savoury length. With its classic understatement, Boscarelli's Nobile di Montepulciano is a wonderfully precise example of its growing region every year. SUPERIORE.DE