wine classics

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.

A Barbaresco that visualises freshness, clarity and origin in a masterful balance: The 2020 vintage shines in a bright ruby colour with a lively shimmer – an instant promise of elegance. It combines the styles of 14 selected cru sites from the Barbaresco region, each with its own character and ageing potential. The nose is delicate and complex: red cherry, raspberry, subtle floral notes and herbal spice, accompanied by the scent of roses and a slightly menthol-like freshness. Behind this, a mineral tension emerges, finely balanced and playful. On the palate, this Barbaresco presents itself with vital freshness and polished fruit. Fine-grained tannins lend structure without harshness; the acidity is present but always elegantly integrated – it gives the wine its vigour. The finish is dry, mineral and with a delicate, balsamic note that lingers for a long time. With its balanced transparency, this Barbaresco symbolises a modern interpretation of the region – clear, fine and expressive. SUPERIORE.DE

Rabajà is one of the legendary parcels of Barbaresco – a sun-drenched, perfectly orientated site with limestone and marl-rich soils that has been synonymous with powerful yet incredibly refined Nebbioli for generations. The 2020 vintage draws its depth and precision from this terroir. The year brought a balanced combination of warmth and moderate rainfall, resulting in perfectly ripe harvestwith a fine tannin structure. The colour in the glass is a dense garnet red with orange highlights. The bouquet unfolds in layers: dark cherry, ripe raspberry, violets and dried roses, plus tobacco, liquorice and a mineral nuance. On the palate, the wine is structured and focussed, with clear fruit, a concise but fine-meshed tannin structure and a lively acidity that gives it length and energy. The finish is deep, savoury and of rare persistence – a Barbaresco that brings the essence of Rabajà to the glass in pure, unadulterated form. SUPERIORE.DE

First bottled in 1967, Roncaglie (formerly Barbaresco Masseria) comes from a vineyard in Bricco di Neive and is essentially vinified and aged like a Barolo. Since the 2018 vintage, it now comes from a small parcel that used to belong to the Socré Barbaresco winery, and it is now deliberately brought to market a year later to ensure greater harmony and balance.

Giacomo Neri's rather new top Brunello was born with the purchase of a very special vineyard. True to the winery's philosophy of producing wines only from the best terroirs around Montalcino, a small 7-hectare parcel with over 45-year-old vines was acquired a few years ago. This was preceded by over 40 years of friendship with the previous owners, with whom Giacomo's father Giovanni Neri planted the vines and nurtured them over the past decades.

As a result of extensive soil research, Francesco Ricasoli was able to identify three micro-vineyards, which will be vinified separately from the 2015 vintage onwards. The range of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione now includes, in addition to the famous Castello di Brolio, three cru sites (Colledilà, Roncicone and Ceniprimo), all of which are 100% planted with Sangiovese. They differ in structure and taste in close correspondence with their terroir and impressively demonstrate the complexity of the Chanti Classico region.

The grapes for Roberto's "entry-level Barolo" come from four of his best vineyards, which are harvested a few weeks earlier than those reserved for his Grand Crus. It is also the most balanced of his Barolo wines, even if the fruit and acidity are anything but restrained, but the proportions are just right here. The structure is great, its length and elegance inspiring - the refined layered components such as raspberry, cherry and its subtle salty vein make it without doubt one of the most serious wines of the entire appellation - a real Voerzio for comparatively little money. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello Giovanni Neri exudes all the outstanding qualities of the raw material and the winemaker's craft. Man and nature unite here in perfect precision and harmony. Its balance is exquisite. Strong cherry and blackberry notes are followed by crushed minerals, liquorice, smoke and slightly fragrant cedar wood notes. The wine spreads evenly and powerfully on the palate, and its flavour intensity can be counted on for many minutes. Giovanni Neri Brunello is wonderfully concentrated and rich, but never too heavy or even too dense. SUPERIORE.DE

Chiara Boschi's Cannubi 2020 beguiles on the nose with layers of fragrant fruit. A sensual Barolo and yet quite typical in its vineyard character. Soft, silky tannins frame the long finish. A wonderful wine, characterised by its balance and above all by the sweetness of its tannins. Very full-bodied, focussed and with great length. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Cannubi 2021 is a great wine that emphasises the classic beauty of Nebbiolo and the top vintage. This wine is like a statue of a Greek goddess with perfect proportions and feminine aesthetics. The bouquet is multi-layered, with bright fruits, white pepper, mint, orange peel and spicy liquorice. The tannins are polished and fine, with a hint of the characteristic limestone chalk that you sometimes taste in Cannubi. The lively acidity rounds off this extremely elegant, fresh and graceful wine. Very full-bodied and focussed, with great length and great potential. SUPERIORE.DE

"Santa Caterina d'Oro" – the golden chalice of Siena, named after the award that Giuseppe Bianchini received three times as Winemaker of the Year before he died in 2004, shortly before the completion of the new wine cellar that he was never to see. But his legacy lives on: this Riserva is only produced in exceptional years – only ten times since 1995. The 2019 vintage is one of Montalcino's "modern-day greats": A warm summer followed by a cool autumn, which delayed the harvest from 11 September to 4 October and produced that magical balance between ripeness and freshness that characterises great vintages. From the oldest plots of the Pianrosso vineyard – those eleven hectares between 240 and 360 metres, where the iron-rich Galestro soils preserve volcanic heritage – the grapes for this monumental wine. After rigorous selection in the vineyard and in the cellar, it matures for 48 months in large Slovenian barrels, followed by a further twelve months in the bottle.

Giulia Negri would certainly not have the nickname "Barolo Girl" if this wine did not exist. The grapes for this archetype of a modern-traditional (sic!) Barolo come from the top vineyards of Brunate and Serradenari, the latter of which lies at an altitude of up to 520 metres and the soils are clayey-sandy. The grapes are fermented spontaneously and then matured in large oak barrels. Barriques? Not a chance.

The sibi et paucis project is Luciano's answer to the question of what time does to great Nebbiolo. While other wines are released on the market after the prescribed ageing period, Sandrone keeps some of his Barolo in his own cellar for ten years longer – not out of restraint, but out of the conviction that Nebbiolo only reveals its true nature after years of silent evolution.

Barolo Ravera Vigna Elena Riserva DOCG 2018 is a monument to precision craftsmanship and at the same time a rare one-off: it comes from a pure planting of the historic Nebbiolo variety Nebbiolo Rosé – an independent, genetically distinct variety that almost disappeared from the Barolo vineyards over the course of the 20th century. Elvio Cogno and his family have consciously preserved this rare grape variety in the Vigna Elena monopoly position. The parcel is located in the upper Ravera zone near Novello, on poor, calcareous and clayey soils with optimal south-west exposure. The result is low yields, late-ripening grapes and a distinctive style: lighter colour, beguiling floral depth, fine, almost silky tannins and enormous aromatic precision.

Allegrini's top-quality Riserva Fieramonte is deeply concentrated and almost black in the glass. The palate is firm and equally concentrated, with dense waves of dark fruit, spices, toast and cinnamon. The aromatic panorama of this wine is impressive, its dimension, depth and texture make it one of the greatest wines of the appellation. Wow! SUPERIORE.DE

Angelo Gaja's 2021 Barbaresco is a wine with poise and grace that has a lot to offer. Expressive spicy and floral notes are the first to open up, but what really stands out is the wine's nuance and delineation. The transparency is unmistakable. Sweet red cherries, mint, cinnamon and rose petals develop in the glass and add further nuances. The flavour is balanced and spicy, the tannins firm and the finish precise and long. This muscular monument of a red wine definitely needs a few more years of bottle ageing, with a little patience it will transform into pure elegance. Put simply, the 2021 is one of the best Gaja Barbarescos of recent times. SUPERIORE.DE

Fuligni's superb 2019 Riserva shows a beautiful tertiary intensity with wild berries and plums, followed by balsamic herbs, liquorice, grilled herbs and spices. We are delighted by the sheer opulence and richness of this wine, which remains pleasantly medium-bodied throughout, yet produces plenty of elegance and sufficient power on the other side. This Riserva from a top vintage never feels too heavy or too flat, but impresses with its disciplined energy and vitality. With each successive glass, the wine becomes a perfectly balanced world of modernity and tradition that is unrivalled in its wine form. SUPERIORE.DE

Just 3,000 bottles of the exceptional 2016 vintage were released. The grapes for this exceptional Chianti Classico come from vines that grow in the south-west at an altitude of between 350 and 480 metres above sea level. The soil here is characterised by galestro and limestone. Rich, deep dark ruby colour with a velvety sheen. Multi-layered, concentrated aromas of plum, black cherry, spices and menthol. Complex on the palate with a multi-faceted flavour profile that only opens up gradually and only reveals its full spectrum to the patient. A paragon wine of great depth, class and irresistibility. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Luce Brunello is dark and impenetrable, as always in its more international style. On the palate, it delivers ripe and round fruit flavours of blackberries and plums with plenty of opulence, power and breed. SUPERIORE.DE

Marassio is Giulia Negri's highest Barolo parcel and lies at an altitude of just under 540 metres on the western edge of La Morra – a cool, windy location where Nebbiolo ripens particularly slowly and evenly. The soil, rich in limestone marl and fine clay, gives the wine a distinctive minerality and firm structure. The wine is aged for 30 months in large, neutral wooden barrels to preserve the pure expression of the site. 2020 offered a balanced climate with warm, dry phases and sufficiently cool nights, which gave the Nebbiolo a rare balance of aromatic richness and precise acidity.

As a result of extensive soil research, Francesco Ricasoli was able to identify three microlocations, which will be vinified separately from the 2015 vintage onwards. The range of Chianti Classico Gran Selezione now includes, in addition to the famous Castello di Brolio, three cru sites (Colledilà, Roncicone and Ceniprimo), all of which are 100% planted with Sangiovese. They differ in structure and taste in close correspondence with their terroir and impressively demonstrate the complexity of the Chanti Classico region.

Every year, the release of the strictly limited artist's edition of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia is a special treat. Today, too, we are pleased to be able to offer you some copies of the latest and 15th edition "La Proporzione" exclusively as a 0.75l single bottle. The original wooden box with 6 bottles contains only one bottle of this sought-after collector's item.

The Brunello Riserva PS, produced only in the best vintages and thus for the first time since 2007 again in the top vintages 2010 and 2012, has a lot to offer. Rich, structured and lively bouquet of fruit and menthol. Complex, exceptionally balanced and elegant on the palate with silky tannins and a refined finish. A most impressive wine. SUPERIORE.DE