Wine Spectator

"Nemo propheta in patria" – no one is a prophet in their own land. This Latin proverb perfectly captured the spirit of Castello di Monsanto in the 1970s, when a bitter dispute was raging in Tuscany: could international grape varieties really find a legitimate home in this historic terroir? Fabrizio Bianchi provided the answer by planting Cabernet Sauvignon in the Il Mulino plot – the very vineyard that had often caused difficulties for the early-budding Sangiovese due to its susceptibility to frost. The first vintage was harvested in 1982: a wine with a unique sense of place. Il Mulino lies at the heart of the estate's 72 hectares, at altitudes between 280 and 320 metres, in that Mediterranean sub-zone interspersed with wild cypress groves, juniper, broom, oak, laurel, heather and strawberry tree – a green lung of biodiversity that lends the vines their purest expressiveness. One hundred% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 48th edition of a wine that began in 1976 as a Franciacorta Pinot and has been continuously refined ever since. Since 2017, each bottling has borne its edition number – a commitment to transparency and to the uniqueness of each blend. The current blend combines 88% from the 2023 vintage with 10% reserve wines from 2022 and 2% from 2021, lending the wine both freshness and depth. The cuvée is sourced from 240 certified organic vineyards in Franciacorta: 80.5% Chardonnay for elegance and structure, 18% Pinot Nero for body and hints of red fruit, and 1.5% Pinot Bianco for aromatic finesse. Each grape passes through the estate's own washing and drying system before being gently processed. The base wines mature for seven months in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks; secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, followed by 25 months' ageing on the lees.

Monica Raspi remembers: "I took my first steps as a winemaker in the Omino vineyard. The grapes grown here produce the wine that is the absolute benchmark for my very personal interpretation of the Sangiovese grape."

Two vineyards, each covering 2.5 hectares, the same grape variety, the same cellar ageing: the estate presents Morei and Sgarzon side by side to demonstrate the breadth of expression that Teroldego can offer. In the Trentino dialect, the name "Morei" means "dark", and the grapes from this vineyard live up to that promise. The alluvial soil of the Noce river here is full of pebbles, amongst which the roots rest in the sand, imparting density and minerality to the wine. Years of biodynamic cultivation had brought out the character of each plot, until it became clear that both sites needed to be vinified separately. The wine remains on the skins for eight months, fermented with wild yeasts in Spanish clay amphorae from Villarrobledo, and is bottled without filtration. 2024 was the wettest vintage in Trentino since 1921 – cool and wet – lending the Teroldego freshness and crisp acidity.

The name refers to a vineyard in Campo Rotaliano, and the vineyard lives up to its name: the vines thrive in a cooler climate, and the Teroldego acquires an unusual freshness here. 2.5 hectares of alluvial soil, predominantly sandy, demonstrate just how different the same variety tastes when the soil becomes lighter. Anyone wishing to understand why such an ancient variety has so many facets should look to the estate's research: In collaboration with the University of Milan, the estate has traced Teroldego back to the Neolithic period, to cross-breeds between wild and Oriental vines, and has discovered a close kinship with Syrah that is still not fully understood today. The wine is left to age for eight months with the skins in Spanish clay amphorae from Villarrobledo; it is fermented with wild yeasts and bottled without filtration. This ageing process preserves and enhances the differences between the vineyards – and they are significant. The 2024 harvest took place from 29 August to 30 September, following a cold, rainy June and July.

The area around the small town of Milo is the only vineyard site on Mount Etna where an "Etna Bianco Superiore" is permitted to be bottled – and for good reason: on this steep vineyard, which consists of dozens of small terraces, only Carricante may be planted. The vines are trained like little saplings on chestnut wood stakes. The east-facing aspect and the proximity of the sea allow the grapes to ripen late, resulting in very consistent acidity levels and, ultimately, a white wine of aromatic finesse and freshness that is unrivalled even on Mount Etna. More floral and citrusy on the nose than the standard Carricante, the Superiore also exhibits slightly more body, acidity, depth and finesse. Its elegant acidity makes it vibrantly fresh and long on the palate, ensuring an exciting drinking experience and excellent ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

This classic Barolo, based on an exciting blend of plots from Serralunga d'Alba, Castiglione Falletto and Barolo, shows the stylistic signature of the region at its best. The soils are structurally diverse: rich in calcareous marl, loam and mineral intersperses, each parcel contributes its part to the tension of the wine. The 2020 vintage reveals a model year of balance: a cool, precise ripening process with milder temperatures early on, followed by warm but balanced days and cool nights until the harvest. After traditional vinification – including daily pumping over during the 25-day maceration period – the wine matured for around 24–30 months in tonneaux.

The Ca' Guicciardi vineyard takes its name from the farmhouse situated at its centre. This single-vineyard plot is characterised by small, very steep valleys. Impressive rock faces alternate with terraces supported by some of the highest dry stone walls in the Valtellina. The distinctive colour of the rock, which tends towards a quartz-like white, significantly intensifies the sun's heat, resulting in higher temperatures and more light here than in other parts of the valley.

"Il Sigillo" - "The Seal". Gerardo Giuratrabocchetti's wines recall his father's notarial world with their names.

Serralunga d'Alba stands for powerful Barolo with depth, structure and astonishing ageing potential. Giovanni Rosso draws the best from this origin: south-east to south-west facing vines on calcareous, clayey-maceous soils at high altitudes (300-350 metres), combined with rigorous natural cultivation. The 2020 vintage recorded optimal ripeness, favoured by warm days, cool nights and a flawless autumn. After careful manual harvesting, each parcel underwent separate 25-day maceration, after which the wine matured for between 24 and 60 months in large oak barrels.

The "Sassorosso" vineyard is located on a rocky promontory that is separated from the rest of the mountain and has been almost completely eroded by the glacier over the centuries. It is visually characterised by the unmistakable red colour of the ferrous inclusions in the rock. The overlying shallow soil layer consists of clay and sand and lies on friable, metamorphic rock into which the roots can penetrate. The unmistakably elegant and mineral character of the terroir is therefore particularly evident in this Nebbiolo.

Poggio Landi comprises 75 hectares of vineyards, stretching from the historic vineyards in the north of Montalcino to the distinctive southern terraces. This expanse encompasses variations in soil, aspect and altitude – from 300 to 500 metres – providing the winemaker with a wealth of biodiversity that he utilises as if it were an instrument. The soils consist of Pliocene clays with marl, a geological composition that lends the Sangiovese structure and depth. 2019 played its part. A regular climate with no adverse conditions, a bountiful harvest of healthy, ripe grapes: what sounds so simple here is rare in Montalcino. Two weeks of spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, followed by 38 months in large French oak barrels of 30 and 54 hectolitres, and at least 6 months' bottle ageing.

Dark ruby red in colour. The bouquet is a furious indication of what this opulent long-distance runner is capable of: full-flavoured heart cherry fruit, blue flowers, damp forest soil, elegant spice and a well-dosed use of wood alternate impressively. The attack is just as complex and multi-layered, followed by beguiling wild berries, precisely polished tannins and an extraordinarily elegant long final. Wow, this is pure fruit! SUPERIORE.DE

Feudo di Mezzo is one of the most prestigious contrade on the northern slope of Mount Etna, a place where viticulture and volcanic rock have had a symbiotic relationship for centuries. At an altitude of around 600 metres, old Nerello Mascalese vines take root here in porous, ferrous ash, interspersed with lava boulders and basalt veins – a soil that gives the wine finesse, tension and depth. Alta Mora is Cusumano's ambitious project on Etna, and Feudo di Mezzo epitomises this vision: single-varietal, rigorously selected, with maximum focus on origin and character. The 2019 vintage on Mount Etna was characterised by elegance: a cool spring followed by a long, dry summer with cool nights. The grapes ripened slowly and harmoniously, with fine phenolic ripeness and a balanced acidity structure. After manual harvesting, fermentation took place with gentle maceration, followed by 12 months of maturation in French tonneaux and a long period of rest in the bottle.

Castello di Ama thinks in concentric circles. The Chianti Classico Ama is the outermost – approachable, direct, meant to be enjoyed straight away. The San Lorenzo Gran Selezione is the innermost – dense, expressive, meant to be laid down for decades. In between, with the release of the 2018 vintage, came the Montebuoni: a Chianti Classico Riserva that aspires to the depth of the San Lorenzo whilst retaining the drinking pleasure of the Ama. Castello di Ama itself calls it the most honest expression of the Sangiovese grape's elegance in this terroir – and that is saying a lot, coming from a winery that has helped set the benchmark for this elegance. Montebuoni comes from the valley of the same name – the south-westernmost and, at the same time, climatically most diverse of the four Ama vineyard sites, situated between 420 and 508 metres above sea level. The soils vary: heavy clay at the bottom, limestone and scree at the top. Both give the Sangiovese something different – structure and body from below, freshness and minerality from the higher elevations. This interplay is the secret of the wine.

The "Fracia" vineyard has belonged to Nino Negri since it was founded in 1897. It lies at the confluence of several alpine valleys and the vegetation in this area is almost Mediterranean with lavender and rosemary. The result is a wine that is flavoursome and flowery with a characteristic, spicy aroma.

Between stone and altitude. The name already reveals where this wine gets its soul from: from the highest parcels of the Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, where the ground gives way to bare rock at 300 to 350 metres. Cresasso – a word that describes precisely this encounter in the local dialect: where earth meets stone, where the Corvina must put down its deepest roots in the barren, calcareous moraine soil with its high proportion of skeleton and chalky white inclusions. Sergio Zenato's vision was to create a wine that celebrates Corvina Veronese in its purest form – without the accompaniment of Rondinella or Corvinone, without the appassimento technique of Amarone. Instead, a slight over-ripening on the vine, hand-picked in the second half of October, when the grapes have reached their maximum concentration. Vinification follows the rhythm of the fruit: 15 days of maceration at 25-26°C, then 24 months of ageing in French tonneaux, followed by at least a further year of bottle ageing. Time as an ally, not an adversary.

The grapes for Prunotto's highly appealing Barbaresco come from long-established contract vineyards in Treiso and Neive. They are selectively harvested by hand; the batches are destemmed separately and fermented in stainless steel tanks, with maceration lasting around eight days at controlled temperatures. Malolactic fermentation is completed before winter. The wine is then left to mature for around a year in large oak barrels of varying sizes – a process deliberately designed to enhance balance, texture and the expression of its terroir.

This single-vineyard Carricante comes from the small Montalto vineyard, situated on the southern slope of Mount Etna at an altitude of approximately 950 metres. In terms of its overall character and aromatics, it is the most balanced and, at the same time, the most exciting of all Terre Nere's Etna Bianco wines; here, the full Etna profile is present in just the right measure: minerality, salinity, fruitiness and a perfect hint of orange peel and flint on the nose. On the palate, it is vibrant and refined, with an almost Burgundian character, full of finesse and length. SUPERIORE.DE

Nestled in the amphitheatre of the Tuscan hills of Castellina lies a single vineyard plot known as Il Poggiale, whose history dates back to 1968, when Paolo Panerai brought together four historic poderi to create a visionary project. Here, on the limestone-rich soils at an altitude of between 350 and 400 metres, only Sangioveto – the finest local variant of Sangiovese – thrives, supplemented by just a few% of the indigenous varieties Canaiolo and Colorino.

Sometimes a great vintage needs a bit of a scare to start with. In April 2021, the temperature in parts of Montalcino dropped to minus seven degrees – a late frost that affected the more vulnerable vineyards and reduced the harvest by around 15% compared with the previous year. What was a loss for some estates proved to be a boon for quality. Fewer grapes, greater concentration. The surviving vines seemed to know what was at stake. The rest of the year unfolded like a textbook example of classic Brunello meteorology: a normal spring, a hot, dry summer – then two crucial spells of rain in the second half of August, which provided the vineyards with water and gave the grapes their final aromatic complexity. The September nights cooled the Sant'Angelo in Colle vineyard to temperatures that distinguish phenolic ripeness characterised by true elegance. Harvesting did not begin until mid- to late September – patiently awaited, and fully justified.

Before individual vineyards became a currency, Barolo was an idea. An idea that combined different soils, different slopes, different communities into one whole – and created a complexity that no single vineyard could achieve on its own. Davide Rosso sticks to this idea. His Barolo DOCG combines grapes from three municipalities in equal parts: Serralunga d'Alba with its hard limestone marls and uncompromising tannin structure, Castiglione Falletto with somewhat lighter, sandy soils and a natural aromatic suppleness, and the commune of Barolo itself, whose Tortonian soils lend the Nebbiolo a floral, accessible side.

Anyone looking for the hardest terroir in the Barolo zone will inevitably end up in Serralunga d'Alba. The whitish limestone marl soils of the Helvetian formation – compacted, rich in minerals, barren – give the Nebbiolo here a rigour that is not found elsewhere in the Langhe. No flattery, no quick opening. Instead: structure, depth, staying power. The Rosso family has been cultivating these soils for over a century. For the Barolo del Comune, Davide Rosso draws from four parcels that cover the entire breadth of the municipality: Costa Bella in the northern part, south-facing; Broglio, sandy and east-facing in the heart of Serralunga; Sorano, clay-rich, also east-facing; and Meriame, limestone-rich, a more recent acquisition. No single site dominates, the goal is a wine that represents Serralunga as a whole, not just one facet. Hand-picked in mid-October, spontaneous fermentation in concrete tanks for 25 days with daily pumping over and a délestage at half-time. Maturation in 50-hectolitre French oak barrels for 18 to 36 months, depending on the origin of the grapes. Bottled without filtration.