Wine

The sandy soils north of Monforte d'Alba give this Barolo its immense power and structure. The bouquet is very open and appealing with dark cherries and raspberries, as well as notes of mint, cedar wood, rose petals and sage. Very lively and expressive on the palate, with deep beauty, seamlessly contoured and spectacular resonance. A fabulous wine from a very good vintage, classic and exotic at the same time. SUPERIORE.DE

Franco and Roberto Massolino dreamed of this moment for years. A Barbaresco – was missing from their portfolio. But it had to be the right vineyard, the perfect location. Then, at the end of 2018, they struck lucky: Bernardino Gastaldi, an ambitious winemaker from Neive with plots in three of the best MGAs in Barbaresco, offered them a collaboration. Starderi, Serraboella, Albesani – three names that are making history. The first harvest in 2019 and it was clear from the outset that Albesani would be vinified separately. What this hill told was too extraordinary. Two hectares at 230 metres, south-west facing, calcareous-marly clay soils with the characteristic Marna di Sant'Agata Fossili, the fossil rock formation that also forms the foundation of Barolo. Fifty-year-old vines with deep roots. Albesani is recognised by connoisseurs as one of the most beautiful vineyards in Italy – and anyone who has tasted the wine will understand why. Even during fermentation, the brothers realised that this is an exceptional wine. The perfect combination of exposure, altitude and age of the vines produces grapes of a purity and elegance that astonishes even experienced Oenologist.

As intended by the Altare family, this great wine is always a little richer and more concentrated than its colleagues in the Langhe Nebbiolo category. Smells of black fruits, wild plums, tarry smoke and liquorice. Giarborina is not only another stunning wine from Altare, but is actually a Barolo, just released a year earlier and therefore more open and approachable. SUPERIORE.DE

The De Ferrari brothers select their Riserva from the oldest vines on the estate's best plots. Ruby red in colour with a garnet hue. The wine opens discreetly with subtle but captivating hints of sage, leather and allspice. On the palate, it is supple and agile and feels confidently extracted, with firm, straightforward tannins, but not overdone. The wood supports rather than imposes on the wine, and the vibrant acidity of the vintage comes through nicely. Long, seductive and delicately spicy on the final. SUPERIORE.DE

Monforte d'Alba – the name stands for depth, warmth and at the same time a taut, cool vein in the wines. The legendary Cru Ginestra lies in the centre of this high plateau, and at its heart is the single vineyard Vigna del Gris – a gently sloping plot with a south-easterly exposure at an altitude of 300 to 320 metres. The soils, a complex mixture of sand, silt and clay, provide the perfect stage for Nebbiolo, planted here in two stages: 1978 and 2000. Today, these vines produce a grape quality that is characterised by both concentration and finesse. The 2021 vintage is considered almost ideal in Barolo: a cool spring, followed by a warm, stable summer with no periods of extreme heat and a long, even ripening period into golden October. For Conterno Fantino, the manual harvest began in mid-October – the berries reached a flawless phenolic ripeness. After 12 to 15 days of fermentation and maceration in stainless steel, the wine is aged for two years in French oak, partly in barriques and partly in larger barrels. This combination gives the wine structure and complexity without masking the unmistakable signature of the vineyard.

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.

The Brunello di Montalcino "50 anni" is much more than just an anniversary bottling – it is Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini's emotional homage to half a century of Caparzo history and at the same time her legacy for the future. In 2020, the year of its 50th anniversary, she deliberately chose this exceptional vintage to embody the essence of what Caparzo has stood for since 1970: the combination of tradition and innovation in the service of one of the world's greatest terroirs.

The grapes for the exceptionally deep Vigna del Gris come from vines over 40 years old from the 1-hectare plot of the same name in Monforte d'Alba. The bouquet is beguilingly harmonious, with a convincing attack, weightless and powerful at the same time. Firm tannins and plenty of flavour on the palate, with a great texture and very juicy. Long, rich finish. Don't make the mistake of opening this wine until it has gained in maturity, personality and elegance after a few more years in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

There are just 3 barrels, or 900 bottles, of this wine. Juicy dark cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and new leather build up as this sexy Barbera shows its super-distinguished personality. As delicious and rich as Larigi already is, it needs a few more years to show its best side. Larigi does indeed have one of the most impressive success stories in Piedmont. A very special Barbera! SUPERIORE.DE

On warm days, a resinous, musky scent rises from the hedge edges. Helichrysum – the immortelle, the Italians also call it "Immortelle", the immortal. It grows wild among the rocks and bushes that line San Polino's highest vineyards. When Katia and Gigi were looking for a name for their best wine, they didn't have to look far. The five hectares surrounding the farmhouse lie at an altitude of 450 metres, facing south, surrounded by Mediterranean scrub and forest. The view extends to Monte Amiata – the sacred mountain of the Etruscans, seat of their highest gods, the Tuscan Olympus. The soils tell of two powerful forces: the volcanic eruption of Mount Amiata 180,000 years ago, which left behind quartz and metamorphic clay, and the retreat of the Pliocene sea, which left behind sandy loams and shell fossils. Thin, complex soil – poor in nutrients, rich in character. Up here, the scirocco blows from the Sahara. The temperature differences between day and night are enormous. The grapes ripen slowly, develop thick skins and concentrated flavours. "Ah ... 2018," Katia once said about a cooler vintage, "finally you can smell Sangiovese grapes instead of just blackcurrant and undergrowth." Helichrysum is all about precisely this clarity – terroir instead of heat, soil instead of opulence.

The wine icon, rare every year and very highly rated, presents itself in a shiny, rich ruby. On the nose, crisp berry fruit, ripe dark cherries, sweet plums and delicate notes of cinnamon. In the mouth it is full-bodied and firm, very juicy, unfolds a finely woven tannin and glides in a wide arc into a powerful, long final. A great wine full of tension and elegance. SUPERIORE.DE

The sandy soils north of Monforte d'Alba give this Barolo its immense power and structure. The bouquet is very open and appealing with dark cherries and raspberries, as well as notes of mint, cedar wood, rose petals and sage. Very lively and expressive on the palate, with deep beauty, seamlessly contoured and spectacular resonance. A fabulous wine from a very good vintage, classic and exotic at the same time. SUPERIORE.DE

High above the district of Perno in Monforte d'Alba lies the cru parcel Vigna Pressenda – part of the traditional MGA Castelletto, which is one of the easternmost top vineyards in Barolo. Early Piedmontese wine chroniclers already mentioned these steep slopes, which lean towards the morning sun and are characterised by a complex soil mosaic of calcareous marl, sandy inclusions and ferrous veins. The elevated position of around 370 metres and the constant breeze from the Tanaro Valley give the grapes a remarkable freshness and aromatic precision, even in warm years. The 2021 vintage, widely celebrated as an exceptional vintage in Barolo, brought ideal ripening conditions: A balanced vegetation cycle with warm, sunny days and cool nights allowed the Nebbiolo berries to ripen slowly and completely. The grapes were harvested by hand in mid-October, with strict selection to ensure that only perfectly ripe harvestwere brought to the cellar. Ageing in French oak for around 24 months brings depth and aromatic complexity without masking the clear fruit centre.

"Colour and aroma that tell of blue berries from deep forests, velvety and length that make you forget time. Made from the autochthonous Lagrein grape." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor

Barolo Ravera comes from a single vineyard with vines that are almost 50 years old. In the glass, it impresses with a strong, aromatic opening flavour. Bright, precise and finely chiselled, the Ravera captures everything good that the vintage has to offer. Cherry, sweet mint, candy and expressive floral notes are given an extra kick of inner sweetness by Ravera's natural energy. There is so much to look forward to as the wine develops over the next few years! SUPERIORE.DE

Between the rugged ridges of Serralunga d'Alba lies the historic Baudana cru site – a name that is not just a geographical point, but a synonym for concentration, depth and a centuries-old winemaking tradition. The vines here are rooted in compact, calcareous marl with clay veins, a soil that gives the Nebbiolo vines their characteristic tension and immense Storage potential. The 2020 vintage benefited from a long, harmonious vegetation cycle, with a mild spring, warm but not overheated summer months and clear, cool nights right through to the harvest. The grapes were carefully harvested by hand in mid-October and gently destemmed in the winery. After a classic, long maceration, the wine matured for around 32 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, allowing it to develop its depth without losing the precision of the fruit.

R.S. stands for "Recentemente Sboccato" – recently disgorged. What sounds simple is the result of a decade of patience: this Edizione rested on the lees for 10 years and 4 months before it saw the light of day. Launched in 2020, the project makes the timeless elegance of the Cuvée Prestige accessible in its most mature form. The blend combines 75% of the 2014 vintage with 19% reserve from 2013 and 6% from 2012, obtained from 149 certified organic vineyards. The grape varieties: 82% Chardonnay, 11% Pinot Nero, 7% Pinot Bianco – each grape washed and dried according to the Ca' del Bosco method. The result is a Dosage Zéro of uncompromising purity.

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

In the crypt of a 14th century church, deep beneath the altar of the small San Niccolò chapel, the flagship of Castellare is maturing. Here, where monks once prayed, another act of devotion takes place today – the transformation of grapes into a wine that has awed international critics for over four decades. I Sodi di San Niccolò is more than just a name; it is the essence of Tuscan wine mysticism. "Sodi" – is what the Tuscan farmers called those hard, stony soils that were too heavy for a team of oxen and could only be worked by hand. These barren, calcareous Galestro soils force the vines to fight for every molecule of water and every nutrient. On these inhospitable slopes, which form a natural amphitheatre around the estate, Paolo Panerai cultivated a vision in the 1970s: to create a wine with exclusively indigenous grape varieties that could compete with any international Supertuscan.

"Courageous, stubborn, rebellious" – is how Arianna Occhipinti describes the wine that is most like her. Frappato, this ursicilian grape variety of peasant origin, is rooted here in calcareous sandy soils at the foot of the Monti Iblei. Forty-year-old vines near Vittoria, at an altitude of 280 metres, are cultivated biodynamically. Vinification follows the rhythm of nature: spontaneous fermentation in concrete, thirty days of maceration, then fourteen months of ageing in large Slavonian oak barrels. Bottled unfiltered, the wine retains its lively authenticity.

Bright red colour. Sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla complement the aromas of dark red and black cherries on the fresh, sexy nose. Lively, juicy and sweet on the palate, but with a tactile mouthfeel and spicy flavours of red cherries, herbs and sassafras. The youthful, crisp finish, which emphasises notable but polished oak nuances, is pleasantly persistent. A real plus point is the balance of this wine, it is a spicy, well-structured Rosso on a clear Brunello level and a real beauty! SUPERIORE.DE

The single vineyard Guarnaschelli is a 60-year-old vineyard with a slight westerly exposure. A loamy matrix of brown skeletal soils can be found here. This generous soil, characterised by limestone, gives the wines finesse and minerality. Here, the plants produce grapes of consistently high quality every year - the result of deep roots and restrained, intelligent vineyard work. The strong exposure to the sun is tempered by constant winds blowing from all directions. This sets in motion a play of temperature fluctuations from which the old vines benefit to produce complex and aromatic grapes.

"The best of the best - you don't drink this wine every day. It needs attention, time to mature and likes to play the leading role: as the crowning glory of a festive table or even as a proud solitaire." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor