Wine Enthusiast

A Barolo from a great vintage: the 2021 wine year brought a long growing season with clear day-night amplitudes and precise harvest: fully ripe phenolics, bright acidity, impeccable health. The grapes come from family-owned plots in Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Monforte and Mosconi. Each vineyard is fermented separately in stainless steel; prolonged maceration with gentle extraction, followed by unhurried malolactic fermentation. For the ageing process, the winery primarily uses large Slavonian oak barrels (botti), discreetly supplemented by French oak.

Novello, situated on the plateau above the valley, produces the most austere and mineral-driven expression of the entire G.D. Vajra range. Unlike the local vineyards in Vergne, Ravera lies at an altitude of 320 to 340 metres, with highly calcareous, clay-rich marl from the same Sant'Agata Formation, which lends the Nebbiolo here more structure than aroma. The south-west-facing aspect ensures a long, even ripening process on this exposed plateau. Giuseppe Vaira himself likes to describe the wine as powerful yet weightless, almost electric in its directness. This single-varietal Nebbiolo is aged for around 42 months after fermentation in large Slavonian oak botti, deliberately matured with restraint so as not to mask the powerful, multi-layered character of the vineyard.

Cerretta is one of the most prestigious crus of Serralunga d'Alba – a site that Giovanni Rosso has always cultivated with particular dedication. Here, at an altitude of around 350 metres, barren, chalky marl soils meet south and south-east exposure. The result is Barolo with impressive depth, carried by a striking minerality that is recognisable even at a young age. The 2020 vintage brought harmonious ripeness and perfect phenolic development. After being harvested by hand, the grapes were gently pressed and fermented in concrete tanks for around 25 days. The wine was then matured for a good two years in large oak barrels, which emphasise the character of the vineyard without over-moulding it.

The world-famous Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer has been a true benchmark for years and is also a wine that impresses with its ageing potential. A bright yellow colour with greenish highlights. Perfectly typical of the variety – complex and deep, yet also lively and fresh with lovely nuances. The bouquet offers a wide range of aromas, from rose blossom to smoke and oriental spices. On the palate, it flows with silky smoothness, velvety and spicy, with a long finish – magnificent! SUPERIORE.DE

Standing on one's own two feet is regarded as a sign of maturity. The bush vines at the Caselle vineyard have been doing just that for a long human lifetime – quite literally: they are ungrafted, never having been grafted, as was common practice everywhere before the phylloxera plague and is now a rarity. Here, 100% Carricante is grown at 950 metres near Milo on the eastern slope of Mount Etna. The soil is fertile, with layers of minerals and salts, pumice, lapilli and fine, light ash. The estate attributes the wine's high acidity to these soils, and its salinity to the proximity of the Ionian Sea. It covers just half a hectare, yielding around 650 bottles a year.

When Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti bought a farmstead in the village of Notri, south of the medieval town of Suvereto in the Colline Metallifere, in 1984, they had no wine plan. They wanted nature, peace and quiet, a piece of land. The passion for wine changed that – slowly, inevitably, as it always does. The first vintage of Giusto di Notri was produced in 1992, named after San Giusto, the patron saint of Suvereto, and after the location of the estate itself. Eight years later, her Redigaffi was the first Italian wine ever to receive 100 points from Robert Parker. Tua Rita had redrawn the wine map of the Maremma.

Serralunga d'Alba is not a place for compromises. The soil here – calcareous marl soils, millions of years old, compacted and rich in minerals – forms Barolos with a structure and depth that simply cannot be found elsewhere. The MGA Cerretta is located on the south-eastern slope of the municipal area, at an altitude of 350 to 365 metres, in the zone that winegrowers and critics have appreciated for generations for its extraordinary combination of power and finesse. The Rosso family has been cultivating these vineyards since the 1890s – first Giovanni, then his son Davide, who took over responsibility in 2001 at the age of 27 and since then has made a single sentence the guiding principle of his work: Wine should be a perfect reflection of its terroir.

Michele Chiarlo's Barbaresco Faset offers a high degree of intensity and balance. Its bouquet shows wild berries and cassis with sophisticated background notes of tar, smoke and dark spices. It is a silky expression of the grape variety with a long and very convincing finish. Be patient and give it another 3-5 years to give it the time it needs to integrate and balance. SUPERIORE.DE

The world-famous Caiarossa is an extremely exciting blend of the Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Alicante varieties, with the rich, dark fruit flavours of the Cabernet grapes taking centre stage. On the nose, a beautiful first wave of dark fruits that never appear too ripe, which greatly benefits the elegance of the wine. The palate is very balanced and focussed with blackberries, cassis and slight hints of salty or rusty minerals. Caiarossa displays a good degree of elegance, not least due to its fine and taut tannins, and despite its density and complexity never comes across as opulent or even overloaded. SUPERIORE.DE

G.D. Vajra's Ravera (whose vineyard extends over the municipalities of Novello and Barolo) is always the most angular, powerful and vertical of their collection. It comes from soils with clay and sandstone at 320 to 340 metres above sea level. This is the ideal place for wines that show both power and elegance. The tannins are sweet, but every fibre of the backbone is dense and firm. Red and purple fruits with liquorice, tar and white truffle are neatly packaged here and only reveal themselves gradually, but then with beautiful precision and straightforwardness. The final has a wonderfully long aftertaste, superb! SUPERIORE.DE

The name Tresette is derived from the fact that only 2,800 bottles of this single-varietal Merlot are produced each year and it is aged in three Liters French oak barrels. The grapes come from old vines on a plot 480 metres above sea level, and it is only vinified in the best years. Tresette is a cool, archetypal Merlot that is very elegant and unique in Tuscany and is entirely in keeping with the house style. Juicy blackberry flavours, clove, herbs and spices on the nose. Enveloped by supple tannins, this fresh red leads into a delicious finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Now in its 30th vintage, it has long been an icon of modern Sicilian winemaking: Planeta's Chardonnay combines the French tradition of grape varieties with the sun-drenched terroir of the south, producing, year after year, one of Italy's most distinctive white wines. The grapes come from two different altitudes: Ulmo at 250 m and Maroccoli at 415 m above sea level. In the glass, it is a radiant golden yellow with slightly greenish highlights. The aroma is intense and refined: yellow tropical fruits, toasted almonds, citrus blossom, vanilla, wet stone and a hint of salty butter. On the palate, it is dense and full-bodied, with ripe fruit, a perfect balance between freshness and creaminess, subtle spice and a long, elegant finish. A cult wine that combines Mediterranean richness with Burgundian nobility. Ideal with lobster, pan-fried fish, poultry in a butter sauce, or even on its own as a great white wine with real character. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, bright ruby red in colour. This 100% Nero d'Avola is a captivating wine with its full-bodied, fruity and spicy aroma of blackcurrants, cherries, undergrowth, liquorice and dark chocolate. The soft but firm, multi-layered and warm flavour of ripe berries, the fine spice and the fine tannins are very appealing. SUPERIORE.DE

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

The single vineyard Serradenari is currently the highest in the Barolo area and is also the historic site of the appellation (MGA - Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva). The cool and mountainous climate with its clay and marl soils gives rise to a Nebbiolo that makes few words - it is precise, clear and unambiguous.

Sauvignon Andrius matures on the lees for six months and is a lively, well-structured white wine with great varietal typicity. Ripe peaches, dried apricots, juicy honeydew melon, candied almonds, flowers and a hint of mint and white pepper combine with the elegant style to create a remarkable overall picture. Great class! SUPERIORE.DE

Coming from one of the most historic vineyards in Neive, Albesani is a Barbaresco with a classic character and great precision. The south-western slope with calcareous and clayey soils gives the Nebbiolo here a powerful structure without masking its delicate flavour. Thanks to balanced temperatures and a long growing season, the 2021 vintage produced grapes with optimal phenolic ripeness.

The Carménère grape, which is hardly ever found in Italy and is normally found in the Médoc, is reinterpreted in a masterly way at Tenuta San Leonardo. Deep, dark ruby red, with a broad-shouldered bouquet of dark fruit and very harmonious spice. The barely noticeable acidity makes it round on the palate, silky smooth and extremely long and elegant. With this single-varietal red, too, the winery impressively demonstrates its lone class in the region. SUPERIORE.DE

Vergne, the highest hamlet in the municipality of Barolo, has been the heart of G.D. Vajra for over fifty years. Aldo Vaira decided to adopt organic farming here when no one else in the Langhe was doing so; today, his children Giuseppe, Francesca and Isidoro continue to run the estate, which holds biodynamic certification. Bricco delle Viole lies at the heart of this terrain: a south to south-south-west facing ridge at an altitude of between 400 and 470 metres, one of the highest sites in the Barolo region.

Sondraie, from which the wine takes its name, is a large plateau from Aurelia to Bellaria in the north of the appellation and one of the best sites for Cabernet in Bolgheri. The Oenologist Luca d'Attoma is considered one of the best interpreters of Cabernet Franc in Italy and his wines are always a clear buy. Bright violet colour. The nose is leafy, with dark chocolate and a characteristic aroma of coffee powder, plus blueberry, raspberry, black cherry and undergrowth. On the palate, melted cloves and cassis in perfect balance. Smooth and ripe, with a hint of chalk thanks to the oak tannins on the finish. Amazingly fresh and endlessly long, simply superb! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for Testamatta are selected and sourced from the winery's 6 best vineyards: Vincigliata, Londa, Lamole, Montefili and Siena. Each vineyard, which is divided into plots, is harvested up to 8 times to ensure that all the grapes are harvested at the perfect point of ripeness. These five vineyards (up to 80 years old) are located in different areas of Tuscany: Lamole and Montefili in the heart of Chianti Classico at 600 and 400 metres above sea level, Vincigliata near Florence at 280 metres above sea level, Londa north of Florence towards the Rufina Valley and Siena, in the south of Tuscany, at 250 metres above sea level.