wine classics

In 1961, Guido Berlucchi and the young Oenologist Franco Ziliani made history: the very first Franciacorta was produced in Borgonato di Corte Franca. This pioneering spirit grew into an institution, and in 2022 Gambero Rosso named the house ‘Winery of the Year’. The Cuvée Imperiale blends Chardonnay (90%) and Pinot Nero (10%) from the finest vineyards across all 19 Franciacorta municipalities. Gentle pressing, fermentation in stainless steel, followed by blending in the spring with 10% reserve wines from the finest vintages. The wine matures on the lees for at least 18 months, followed by a further two months after disgorgement.

The Foscarino label features two faces – studies by the English architect Inigo Jones (1573–1652), the first proponent of Palladian-inspired classicism in England. "The sacred and the profane," says Inama. A hint that this wine offers more than just a very special flavour. Monte Foscarino is the heart of Soave Classico – visible from the plain in every direction – the very reference point for the entire appellation. The volcanic rock here was formed around 30 million years ago. The so-called ‘red horizon’ of the Foscarino vineyards – a play of colours – black, green, red and orange – in the basalt – reveals the varying degrees of iron oxidation in this unique rock. On this soil, Garganega vines – between 10 and 75 years old – grow using the Pergola Veronese training system, at altitudes of 100 to 200 metres, on a semi-fan-shaped slope running from north-east to south-west.

Between the famous hills of the Langhe, the Nebbiolo grapes for this Barolo ripen in some of the most renowned cru sites: Cerequio, Bussia Bofani, Brunate, Briccolina and Boscareto. The different soils – from calcareous marl to sandy-limestone Helveticum formations – formations combine here to create a finely balanced expression of elegance and depth. The ageing in large oak barrels preserves the character of the vineyards without smoothing out their peculiarities.

This exceptional Chianti Classico comes from the golden basin of the Conca d'Oro near Panzano and bears the pioneering achievements of the di Napoli family. As early as 1975, Alceo di Napoli was one of the first in the Chianti region to venture into planting Cabernet Sauvignon – a vision that was to revolutionise the traditional Sangiovese profile and is now part of Castello dei Rampolla's DNA. The grapes thrive on 42 hectares of limestone-rich soil at an altitude of around 360 metres, where Sangiovese (90%) blends with small proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to create a harmonious cuvée. The estate has consistently followed biodynamic principles since 1994 – long before they became a trend. The vineyards are home to a living ecosystem: flowers and herbs grow unhindered between the rows of vines, naturally oxygenated water nourishes the vines, and only copper, sulphur and bee propolis are used to protect the vines.

The label features a delicate illustration of a wild boar hunt: a pack of hounds is attacking, whilst the wild boar stands its ground. Le Difese – is the precise Italian term for the boar’s tusks, those fangs with which it defends itself as a last resort. A fitting image for a wine that is Tenuta San Guido’s most approachable – yet does not compromise on character. Le Difese is the estate’s only wine to feature an indigenous Tuscan variety: Sangiovese from the Chianti-Rufina area, combined with Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyards of Tenuta San Guido. Two Tuscan souls in a single cuvée – the international variety and the indigenous one. Fermentation in stainless steel, malolactic fermentation in stainless steel, followed by four months in used French and American oak barriques. Six months in bottle. Fresh, direct, approachable.

From the legendary San Guido estate, the cradle of Sassicaia, comes Le Difese, a wine that combines the essence of two worlds: the international class of Cabernet Sauvignon with the Tuscan soul of Sangiovese. Named after the golden boar tusks on the label – a symbol of the wild Maremma –this blend, first created in 2002, embodies the accessible side of an icon. After gentle hand-picking and temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks, Le Difese matures for twelve months in French and American barriques, followed by three months in the bottle.

Lamole. Giovanni Manetti has long regarded this zone as one of the most distinctive in Chianti Classico. At an altitude of 620 metres, far from the heart of the region, a few plots of old Sangiovese vines survived the wave of deforestation in the 1970s. Giovanni took cuttings from these Alberello vines from the 1920s to grow his own vines in Panzano: the foundation for Fontodi's quality. This wine is made from seven hectares of Macigno sandstone, whose loose, permeable structure ensures elegance and finesse. Cool nights, long growing season, south-south-west exposure. The sandy soils give the Sangiovese a lightness that is clearly different from the powerful wines from Panzano. Vinification in concrete, certified organic.

There are wines that possess that unmistakable clarity which captures the essence of the terroir without beating about the bush. Fontanabianca's classic Barbaresco is just such a wine – blended from various plots around Neive, vinified with the precision that Matteo Pola, the third generation of the family, has made the estate's philosophy. Whilst the single-vineyard wines Bordini and Serraboella express the specific characteristics of their crus, this Barbaresco paints the bigger picture: 5.5 hectares on the municipality's typical limestone-clay soils, 300 metres above sea level, where Nebbiolo has, for generations, developed the elegance for which Neive is renowned in the world of Barbaresco.

When a winery uses the same label for its Riserva for over sixty years, it is not a lack of imagination – it is a philosophy. Castello di Monsanto's Riserva is considered one of Italy's oldest labels still in continuous production. The label was around even before Chianti Classico became an appellation. It has survived decades and changing fashions – and it encapsulates what Monsanto stands for: Sangiovese as a conviction. The estate is situated in San Donato in Poggio, the westernmost sub-region of Chianti Classico, at an altitude of 280 to 320 metres. Galestro – a slate-rich soil, sparse and highly mineral – is the soil in which the Sangiovese vines from four vineyards take root.

107 hectares. That's all. Across the entire Valdobbiadene Denominazione, which stretches across 15 municipalities and thousands of hectares of steep slopes, there is exactly one hill that has been demarcated by its own regulations since 1969 – a golden pentagon, as the locals call it, whose plots measure on average barely two tenths of a hectare. Cartizze is the grand cru of Veneto. Andreola sources his grapes from the "Cartizze Alto" sub-region – the limestone-rich ridge of the hill, where marl and sandstone alternate, the soils are flat and rich in minerals, and the perfect south-facing aspect balances the "Alta Collina" climate. Temperatures remain mild and stable – cooler than in the valley floor, warmer than the exposed steep slopes surrounding it. It is precisely this balance that produces a Glera of exceptional ripeness and aromatic complexity. The grapes come from long-standing contract growers who have been supplying Andreola for generations – because Cartizze is not a vineyard you can simply buy. If you’re lucky, you might cultivate a fraction of it.

When a wine is named after the founder and mastermind of what is probably the most famous and popular winery in the Modena region, then you should take a closer look, or even better, reach for the bottle. This exceptional sparkling wine is produced using the blanc de noirs method, i.e. a white spumante from red grapes - certainly not an everyday occurrence in the Lambrusco world.

This successful blend of Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc opens with dark concentration and great density. Fornace offers impressive juiciness and rich flavours of red cherries, blackberries, spices and grilled herbs. Its full body, restrained acidity and silky tannins are perfectly balanced, with balsamic hints accompanying this attractive Supertuscan into a supple and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Wine has been produced here since 1051 – initially by monks, and since 1846 by the Stucchi Prinetti family, now in its seventh generation. Badia a Coltibuono, the "Abbey of the Good Harvest", was the first leading winery in Chianti to switch entirely to organic cultivation. The Riserva is made from massalblend of Sangiovese and historic complementary varieties such as Canaiolo and Ciliegiolo, grown on the highest hills near Gaiole. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts, three weeks' contact with the skins, followed by 24 months in French and Austrian oak barrels. The 2021 vintage benefited from a cool year with late frosts – lower yields, but concentrated quality.

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.

The family-run Andreola winery in Col San Martino was founded in 1984 by Nazzareno Pola in the heart of the Valdobbiadene wine-growing region. In his honour, a beautiful Prosecco Superiore is produced here every year in small batches, the 2024 vintage has once again received the highest accolade from Gambero Rosso. For Stefano Pola, the "Etichetta del Fondatore" represents the ultimate expression of finesse and olfactory elegance that the Glera grape can offer in the heart of the Prosecco Superiore region – combined with the verticality and juiciness imparted by the soils, without ever losing its lightness and drinkability.

In 1090, while Leif Erikson was discovering America and the first universities in Europe were being established, two friends of Abbot Rolando paid "two capons, three loaves of bread and six silver denarii from Lucca" for the annual lease of a vineyard in the divine valley of Dievole. Nine hundred (Novecento) years later, in 1990, this wine was created as a reminiscence of the incredible journey through the centuries. The grapes thrive between 300 and 420 metres above sea level on stony soils of marl, limestone and galestro. The vines, which are on average 15 years old and cultivated organically as in the early days of this domain, undergo a 14-day spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in cement vats before maturing for 18 months in large, unroasted French Allier oak barrels.

Whilst most labels feature Sting's songs, this Chianti Riserva bears the name of another artist: Trudie Styler, producer of cult films such as *Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels* and the Oscar-winning *Still Alice*, and founder of Maven Pictures, which promotes female directing talent. "La Regista" – the female director – is her wine-loving signature, and just like in a great film, every detail here is spot on. Pure Sangiovese from the biodynamically farmed slopes around Figline Valdarno, twelve days on the skins, fourteen months' ageing in large wooden barrels.

It was Luigi Veronelli, the Italian wine revolutionary of the 60s and 70s, who convinced Francesco Giuntini that exceptional single vineyards deserve their own voice. Of all the old Poderi from the Mezzadria period, Bucerchiale has always been the best – a south-west facing amphitheatre in the cooler heights of Rufina, where Tuscany approaches the last foothills of the Apennines. Francesco took the plunge in 1979. While the law still stipulated Trebbiano in every Chianti and the wine world favoured quantity, he produced defiant resistance from pure Sangiovese. A 100 per cent Sangiovese from a single vineyard – a revolutionary act at the time that marked the beginning of the Tuscan Renaissance. In 2022, Vigneto Bucerchiale celebrates its 43rd year and embodies a perfect vision. Spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks at 30-32°C with 30 days of maceration allows every nuance of the terroir to unfold before the wine matures 50 per cent in French oak barrels of 25 hl and 50 per cent in barriques – only 15 per cent of which is new.

The organically certified Sangiovese grapes for this Chianti Classico are grown in the legendary Conca d'Oro south of Panzano, that amphitheatrical Golden Valley with its unique microclimate of warm days and cool nights. Giovanni Manetti, president of the Consorzio Chianti Classico, vinifies exclusively hand-picked grapes in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts on the chalky Galestro soils of his 170-hectare Tenuta. After three weeks of maceration, the wine matures for 18 months in French oak barrels of various sizes.

A Lugana Metodo Classico with superior elegance: Olivini's extra brut made from 100% Turbiana matures for around 36 months on the fine lees and combines freshness, structure and fine complexity. Pale straw yellow in colour with golden reflections and a fine, persistent perlage. On the nose, notes of lemon, white apple and bread crust, subtly accompanied by hints of almond. Clear and dry on the palate, with lively acidity, precise texture and fine mineral tension.

Nearco was unbeatable. 14 starts, 14 wins – derby Italiano, Grand Prix de Paris, and everything in between. Piedmontese breeder Federico Tesio had bred him in 1935 and knew he had something extraordinary on his hands. As war approached, Tesio sold the horse to England for a then world-record £60,000. The British were so impressed that they built Nearco a bomb-proof bunker. Today, he is the genetic ancestor of almost all modern thoroughbreds – from Northern Dancer to Secretariat, from Frankel to Sea the Stars.

Cavolo Amarone is a selection of the best grapes from all the estate's vineyards. It opens with aromas of raspberry jam, dried cherries dusted with cinnamon and cocoa, and wafting notes of cedar and tobacco. The flavours of tart plums and fresh blackberries combine with bay leaf, chia spice, liquorice root and white pepper. Elegant on the palate, with fine tannins and a lively acidity that gives the wine a good basis for ageing. SUPERIORE.DE