Wine Spectator

Cherry accentuated bouquet with hints of violet blossoms, clove, cigar box and a pleasant spicy sweetness. Dense and expressive on the palate, it opens vibrantly and multilayered and then reveals a beautiful load of black cherry, exotic spices and a fine salty vein. The perfectly balanced tannin always provides the necessary balance and gives it a racy, very long finish with its exceedingly refined flavour components. SUPERIORE.DE

In the year 1474 AD. The name "Serra della Contessa" – the Countess's ridge – appears for the first time in a Latin notarial deed. Over half a millennium later, this place has come to epitomise what is possible on the volcanic soils of Mount Etna: a red wine of timeless elegance that captures the soul of this unique terroir in liquid form. Particella No. 587 is situated in the Contrada Monte Serra on the south-eastern slope of the volcano, where, in the late 19th century, the great-grandfather of the current owners, Antonio and Salvino Benanti, began making wine. At an altitude of just 500 metres, Monte Serra is the lowest of Etna's extinct secondary craters – and also the place where the family's history began. Since the first bottling in 1998, knowledge of this special vineyard has matured here, until Benanti decided in 2015 to vinify the small plot, with its pre-phylloxera, ungrafted century-old vines, separately and subject it to an exceptional 60-month ageing programme.

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

The legendary single vineyard Mosconi in Monforte d'Alba: steep, windy slopes on calcareous and ferruginous marl, predominantly south/south-west facing. The story behind it: Pio Boffa, who died far too young, acquired the Mosconi parcel a few years before his death as a strategic addition to the family estate – a late legacy that adds the powerful mineral voice of Mosconi/Monforte to the Barolo identity of the estate. Hand-picked from parcels, fermentation in stainless steel with prolonged maceration and gentle extraction. Maturation predominantly in large Slavonian barrels, finely dosed and flanked by French oak – always for texture, not opulence. The 2019 vintage: Long, balanced growing season, large day-night amplitude and late, highly selective harvest – aromatic precision, taut acidity, fine-grained tannin.

Five hectares at around 200 metres above sea level. Tortonian soils of limestone, marl and sand, rich in magnesium and manganese. A south-west to south-east exposure that gives the Bric Turot its amphitheatrical shape – and the Nebbiolo all directions at the same time. 2019 was not a favourable vintage. A mild winter caused the vegetation to awaken early – then damp, cold weather from April to the end of May slowed down flowering, reduced fruit set and limited yields from the outset. The summer brought warmth and drought, interrupted by rainfall from mid-July. August with cool nights, September rains, then clarity and slow, patient ripening until well into October. Harvest from 12 to 19 October. A year that Nebbiolo has worked hard for.

Full, enveloping and with great persistence, Montestefano is sometimes referred to as the "Barolo of Barbaresco".

A fruity and graceful Barbaresco. The loamy soils give it a firm backbone and strong tannins.

A farewell and a new beginning at the same time. Cepparello 2021 marks Paolo De Marchi's final vintage as master of his life's work before the winery was transferred to the French EPI Group. After more than four decades of tireless work, the maestro from Piedmont completed his testament with this wine – a Sangiovese of paradoxical brilliance that retains an astonishing freshness and elegance despite its powerful fifteen per cent alcohol. The name Cepparello, which originates from the small stream at the highest point of the vineyards, has carried the revolutionary vision of one hundred per cent Sangiovese since 1980. What began as a rebellion against the Chianti Classico regulations – the absurd rule of adding white grapes – developed into an icon of pure Sangiovese expression.

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.

Its multi-layered bouquet of spices, black olive, rosemary, plum and cherry opens slowly. On the palate, firm, compact and initially introverted, then mint, spices, dark red fruit, plus cassis and graphite. The taste experiences come to light in small slices; with this outstanding red wine, it is worth waiting as hardly anywhere else to be able to fully discover the depth and complexity of this Tuscan jewel. 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

After a year's break, the new edition of the long-awaited Brunello Annata comes onto the market with the outstanding 2019 vintage. Initially restrained on the nose, with a little coaxing in the glass it reveals a beautiful blend of fragrant black cherries, mentholated spices, wild herbs, white smoke and a hint of leather. On the palate, silky, enveloping textures, contrasted by cool red and black fruits, plus lively acids that emphasise the spicier and sweeter side of the wine and glide endlessly on the final with fine tannins and minerals. We can already recognise a harmony here that makes us eagerly anticipate the further development of this wonderful wine. SUPERIORE.DE

The Palafreno was not a warhorse. In the parades and processions of the Middle Ages, it carried the knight before the public – nobly and with dignity. Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni chose this name for his Merlot because it perfectly describes what he hoped to achieve with this grape variety: not power for power's sake, but character with poise. Querciabella was founded in 1974 by Sebastiano's father, Giuseppe, in Greve in Chianti. Organically farmed since 1988, long since biodynamic, and vinified using vegan methods – the estate articulated its commitment to integrity earlier than most others. The Palafreno is Sebastiano's personal project: pure Merlot, from the finest vines in Ruffoli, the Cipresso and Marrone plots, on galestro-rich soil amidst olive groves and oak forests. Produced not to cater to the market, but to demonstrate what Merlot is capable of in the heart of Chianti Classico when taken seriously.

The Piero selection was created as a tribute to the work of Pierluigi Talenti, who has selected and worked the Sangiovese with passion over the years. A 1.95 hectare vineyard near the centre of the winery, with unique pedoclimatic characteristics, stands out from all other vineyards for its consistent quality. The gently sloping terrain is surrounded by woods rich in marl, with a south-easterly exposure at an altitude of 410 metres above sea level, where Pierluigi pursued and cultivated his personal clonal selection in the 1970s. It is a wine with an intense and persistent character, ruby red colour, fine and elegant tannins. After maturing in tonneaux for at least 24 months, it is bottled until it is released onto the market. SUPERIORE.DE

Coltassala Gran Selezione is an impeccable representative of the royal class in Chianti Classico. The immensely fragrant bouquet shows black fruits, spices and ploughed earth. All the aromas are on the dark and spicy side, but the wine always remains fresh, dense, buoyant and very linear. Shows rich volume and a strong personality and precision. SUPERIORE.DE

If you stumble across a vineyard by fate, then you might as well keep going. Luca Roagna, however, did what he had to do. He inherited this old vineyard, which was planted entirely with Timorasso, and as he immediately realised that he wanted to do something useful with it and was unfamiliar with this historic grape variety, he quickly asked Walter Massa, who had been dedicated to this rare variety for decades. And so, after just a few years, he succeeded in making a wine from it that more than rivalled those of his teacher!

Particella No. 341. A plot number that has long since become the stuff of legend amongst Etna connoisseurs. Here, in the Contrada Dafara Galluzzo in the upper reaches of Rovittello, stand vines that have never left Europe – ungrafted Alberello vines that have been rooted in the volcanic sands of the northern slope for over a century. When Giuseppe Benanti began to realise his vision of modern Etna wine in 1988, the classic Rovittello was one of his first red wines. The experience matured over almost three decades – until, in 2015, the winery decided to vinify this unique plot separately and elevate it to Riserva status through an exceptional ageing programme totalling 60 months.

Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, the 37th generation of a family that has lived in Gaiole in Chianti since the Lombard era, dedicates this wine to an ancestor of the 10th century: Ridolfo, son of Geremia, founder of the Firidolfi branch. A wine as a family memory – and an experiment. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello. Pugnitello, an indigenous Tuscan variety that almost disappeared from the vineyards, grows on the chalky-clay hills of Gaiole, certified organic, between 340 and 510 metres. In the blend, it gives wild cherry fruit, pepper and rusticity – characteristics, which the Cabernet frames with linearity and fine herbal depth. Hand-picked, wild yeasts, 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneau, 36 months bottle ageing. Exclusively in magnum, hand-numbered.

The name harks back to the depths of the family's history: Ridolfo, son of Geremia and progenitor of the Firidolfi branch, lived in the 10th century. Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi, the 37th generation, still cultivates the same hills in Gaiole in Chianti today – and distils the very essence of what his terroir has to offer into this wine. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Pugnitello: international flair and tradition in equal measure. The Pugnitello, an indigenous variety that had almost died out, is grown here under organic certification on calcareous-clay soils at altitudes of between 340 and 510 metres. It contributes wild fruit, pepper and mineral depth. The Cabernet brings linearity and silky tannins. Hand-harvested in three stages, fermented in upright wooden tanks with wild yeasts, aged for 24 months in Allier barriques and tonneaux, followed by 36 months' bottle ageing. Magnum, hand-numbered, produced only in outstanding vintages.

A Barbera with a closed gaze – as if you were looking into a dark, purple-red depth from which concentrated essences rise. Scarrone Vigna Vecchia comes from vines that are decades old – partly planted around 1918 – in the Scarrone vineyard near Castiglione Falletto. In the cellar, spontaneous fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by around 16 months of ageing in predominantly French barriques (proportion new), where intelligent use of wood subtly helps the terroir. The 2021 vintage brought full maturity, dense fruit and clear acidity – the best prerequisites for an expressive but elegant Barbera with Storage potential.

Ten years. Appius celebrates its first decade with the 2020 – and what a decade it has been. When Hans Terzer first bottled his dream wine in 2010, he had already been harbouring the idea for a long time. During his vineyard inspections, he had noticed that certain low-yielding old vines in the historic vineyards of Eppan produced a quality that demanded its own framework. Something beyond the celebrated Sanct Valentin line. Originally, the wine was to be called "Oans" – piedmontese for "one" –but the name was taken. So it became Appius: the Roman name for Eppan, derived from Appianum, the "estate of Appius".

There are wines that define a family across generations, and there are those moments when a winemaker gives his life's work a name that connects the past and the future. When Luciano Sandrone decided to rename his legendary Barolo Cannubi Boschis in 2013, he did not choose just any name, but created an acronym from the first names of his grandchildren: ALEssia and STEfano. ALESTE – a word that embodies experience, continuity and the hope that what he started in 1985 with the first bottle of Cannubi Boschis will continue in the hands of the next generation. Cannubi Boschis, the sub-vineyard at the heart of the mythical Cannubi vineyard in Barolo, is the vineyard in which Luciano invested all his savings in 1977 – directly opposite the winery, on a hill whose potential he recognised from the very first moment. Here, on optimal soils in a sheltered, sun-drenched location, Nebbiolo grows into the combination of power and finesse that has made Cannubi famous worldwide.

Campo del Drago is a single vineyard of just 1.5 hectares and is located on a high plateau in the Montalcino appellation with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The grapes from here are only vinified separately in the best years for the Brunello of the same name and the result is then eagerly awaited around 5 years later. Dark, concentrated colour with beautiful saturation and density. The bouquet reveals a unique minerality and complexity. The palate is intense, complex and deep. The tannins are present, but remain very elegant thanks to the Sangiovese acidity. Can still mature, but is already irresistible today. SUPERIORE.DE