Wine

In 1935, Fascist Italy proclaimed the Empire – and Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of Aosta and Viceroy of Ethiopia, had a vineyard planted on the estate belonging to his family near Arezzo. Three hectares, terraced by hand, in the heart of the estate, at 278 metres, facing south-east, on galestro-rich rock. He named the wine Vigna dell’Impero. The vineyard still exists. Ninety years of vines on the same stones. The historic mixed planting – of Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Canaiolo and Colorino, as has been the custom in the Chianti region for centuries – survived the wars, structural change and the drive towards monoculture. Today, the Trebbiano from this plot forms the basis of a wine that Antonio Moretti Cuseri bottles only in the finest vintages. Three thousand kilograms per hectare – for ninety-year-old vines on galestro – almost a bountiful yield – resulting in a concentration that few Tuscan white wines achieve.

In the annals of Tuscan wine history, there are vineyards that bear witness to dynasties and eras, and the Vigna dell'Impero is one of these living monuments. In 1935, in that fateful year when Europe was on the eve of great upheavals, the Savoia royal family had a vineyard planted on their hunting reserve in Valdarno di Sopra, which is now one of the most venerable terroirs in Tuscany. Three hectares of terraced vineyards, planted by hand at an altitude of 300 metres, where the Sangiovese vines dig their roots deep into the stony, galestro-rich soil. Antonio Moretti Cuseri recognised the exceptional quality of this ancient site and decided in 2012 to create a limited edition from this historic cru. Only in the best vintages, in numbered bottles, as a tribute to 85 years of winegrowing history. The Sangiovese in Purezza undergoes a particularly gentle, one-month maceration to extract all the noble components of the grapes harvested at optimum phenolic ripeness. 24 months of ageing in large 15 and 25 hectolitre barrels, followed by months of bottle ageing without filtration – to preserve the purest terroir notes.

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

The Ravera vineyard in Novello is considered one of the coolest and structurally most demanding crus in the Barolo zone – a terroir of calcareous marl with fine layers of sand, which gives the wines precision, firm tannins and exceptional longevity. Bricco Pernice originates from a parcel on the upper slope, perfectly exposed to the south-west, where the vines ripen evenly under a gentle breeze. 2018 was a moderate year with a balanced growing season and a long ripening phase, which gave the Nebbiolo elegance and aromatic depth.

San Leonardo is the flagship of the winery of the same name and one of the best red wines in Trentino every year. Opulent bouquet with nuances of dark fruit such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate spice, leather and tobacco notes give it a terrific complexity, which is then extended on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, all flanked by clearly contoured tannins. A masterful red with a strong personality that will reach its true greatness after a few more years of bottle ageing and live up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

Firmly anchored in La Morra, Elio Altare has been vinifying a Barolo in Serralunga d'Alba on a rented plot for a few years, vinified and bottled separately. A fascinating and powerful Nebbiolo with elegant fruit, truffle, leather and floral aromas. Full-bodied, juicy and long on the palate, with a remarkably elegant tannin structure. SUPERIORE.DE

2020 posed a simple question for Montalcino's winegrowers: who has the better terroir? In a hot, dry year – august temperatures close to 40 degrees – it was not just the manual labour in the vineyard that decided, but the geology. Le Lucére responded with Galestro and slate: soils that hold water deeper, moderate temperatures and preserve freshness when patience and acidity have long since given way elsewhere. Organic farming since 2013 has paid off many times over in years like these. Living soils, deep-rooted vines, no drought stress that forces chemical interventions. Paolo Caciorgna didn't have to save anything. He just had to listen.

Rich, concentrated Bordeaux-style red with the unmistakable signature of top oenological consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. Multi-layered black fruit on the nose, plus rock, liquorice, camphor and graphite. Impressively supple on the palate, the fruit is always juicy and centred, wonderful and almost perfect in structure, polish, elegance and length. SUPERIORE.DE

2021 – a Tuscan vintage for the ages. In the annals of Bolgheri, this year will be remembered as the one that revealed the perfection of the Mediterranean terroir in its purest form. A rainy winter, which replenished the water reserves for the coming summer, was followed by a growing season of classic elegance: a cool spring initially delayed budding, but when temperatures rose at the end of May, the development of the vines accelerated in an ideal way. The summer of 2021 was characterised by the Mediterranean drought that makes Bolgheri so unique – three months without any significant rainfall, but the vines did not suffer. The deep, sandy soils, enriched with limestone and stones, had stored the winter moisture and continuously nourished the roots. The exceptional day-night temperature difference, which was amplified by the nearby coast, was decisive and gave the grapes the freshness that makes the 2021 so distinctive.

"When we taste the Riserva Franco Ziliani, we hear the voice of our father: direct, brooding and rigorous." – paolo Ziliani. Born as a tribute to the 90th birthday of the visionary who, together with Guido Berlucchi, bottled the first 3,000 bottles of Franciacorta Metodo Classico in 1961, changing the fate of an entire region. The 2011 vintage – only the second bottling after its debut in 2008 – this Riserva is now part of the permanent collection. A limited special edition becomes a living legacy. The philosophy behind it: Time perfected. Art is Timeless is the manifesto, and each bottle is indeed a work of art. The hand-crafted brass label transforms it into a collector's item, of which only 4,732 exist.

A wine of remarkable aromatic complexity. Amarone aficionados know how many allusions these wines are capable of evoking, and it is not difficult to discern mushrooms, forest undergrowth, truffles, Havana leaves and even wild violets in this wine's aromatic profile, as well as the usual confit cherries and plums. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably concentrated yet elegant, carrying this bundle of allusions effortlessly and seamlessly through the palate. The fine pearly tannins give it support and the concentration of fruit is so great that the acidity almost fades into the background. A dense, polished and stately wine of the highest calibre. SUPERIORE.DE

There are moments in wine history when terroir, vintage and human mastery come together to create something extraordinary. The Barolo Bricco Boschis 2021 is one such moment – born from one of the most celebrated vintages in recent history and from a vineyard that has belonged exclusively to the Cavallotto family for almost a century. 2021 was the year that reminded Barolo lovers of the classic virtues of the great vintages: elegance instead of power, finesse instead of opulence, freshness instead of overripe sweetness.

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

The small vineyard of Pietrabona on the island of Giglio, which is over 80 years old, yields an Ansonica of outstanding quality, and so Bibi Graetz decided to vinify the grapes separately in small batches. The vines stand on a bed of rocks and granite sand not 50 metres from the sea, and so a wine is produced that convinces with a subtle scent of ripe oranges, fine spiciness and minerality. SUPERIORE.DE

Three generations bear this name: The grandfather, who always encouraged Giampaolo Motta in his wine dreams. The son who carries on the torch. And in between, this wine, the highest expression of a man who left the leather goods business of his Neapolitan family to create his Bordeaux in the Conca d'Oro of Panzano. The "Golden Basin" – cultivated since 1490, planted with Merlot and Cabernet for almost 400 years – became Motta's stage in 1992. He experimented with Chianti Classico for ten years, then the break: he left the Consorzio because the rules stood in the way of his vision. "I wasn't really happy with the result after ten years of work," he explained laconically. What followed was pure consistency – and, since 2008, a partnership with Stéphane Derenoncourt, perhaps the most influential consultant on the right bank of Bordeaux.

2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. No overripeness, no heat scars, no compromises. And for an east-facing vineyard like Le Lucére – fully exposed to the first light of the morning – this meant that the Sangiovese Grosso was harvested with a ripeness that has rarely been so precisely predictable. Harvested early, fresh and concentrated at the same time. Caciorgna allowed the wine to pass through all of its stages: 13 to 14 months in barrique and tonneau, then almost 28 months in large containers – an ageing process that demands and receives depth. The result is a Le Lucére of princely stature.

The small, 80-year-old vineyard of Pietrabona on the island of Giglio produces an Ansonica of outstanding quality, and so Bibi Graetz decided to vinify the grapes separately in small batches. The vines stand on a bed of rocks and granite sand less than 50 metres from the sea, resulting in a wine with a subtle aroma of ripe oranges, fine spice, flint and minerality.

Monumental and very concentrated single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of sour cherries and a fine cedar wood and liquorice note. The exciting thing is that Pietradonice is clearly recognisable as a Montalcino growth and yet, with its herbal and spicy character, it is as typical of Neri as it is of the grape variety and therefore seems to come from another larger world. SUPERIORE.DE

Sugarille has always been the most aristocratic of the estate's three Brunellos. On the palate, it has a dense core of primary fruit, excitingly surrounded by a salty, mineral vein that we otherwise only find in Giacomo Neri's Tenuta Nuova. This wine awakens the imagination, because it never reveals too much of itself, but first opens up slowly, then in a well-proportioned manner with a mysterious depth and race, flanked by direct and linear tannins that round off the polyphonic palate concert excellently. Simply marvellous! SUPERIORE.DE

Ca' Marcanda is a Piedmontese expression meaning "the house of endless negotiations". For eleven months in the late 1990s, Angelo Gaja travelled back and forth between Barbaresco and Bolgheri, holding one discussion after another, until the owners of the plot at the foot of the Colline Metallifere finally signed on the dotted line. By 1996, the land was his. Six years later, the cellar was complete: two-thirds underground, seamlessly integrated into the landscape, just as Gaja had envisaged. A place where wine can be produced with minimal intervention. From the very beginning, Camarcanda was a Bordeaux blend. But which one? For decades, Merlot dominated – accounting for up to 50% – and gave the wine body and approachability. With the 2013 vintage, the last to include Merlot, a new direction began. Since then, Cabernet Sauvignon has taken the lead, accompanied by Cabernet Franc. In the 2023 vintage, this evolution is complete: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc. For the first time, this blend is considered the established standard for the estate. A turning point in the history of the wine.

From some of the oldest Sangiovese vineyards comes Colore every year, the maximum expression of Bibi Graetz' dream. The barren, sandy soils at high altitudes create the perfect terroir for a wine that can tell the true story of Tuscany and its inhabitants. The grapes for Colore were selected from vineyards in Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena. Each vineyard was harvested up to eight times in order to achieve the optimum ripening time for as many grapes as possible. Each parcel is matured separately in barriques for almost two years before the final blend is decided. Only the best Sangiovese barriques from each vintage become Colore. SUPERIORE.DE

From some of the oldest Sangiovese vineyards comes Colore every year, the maximum expression of Bibi Graetz' dream. The barren, sandy soils at high altitudes create the perfect terroir for a wine that can tell the true story of Tuscany and its inhabitants. The grapes for Colore were selected from vineyards in Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena. Each vineyard was harvested up to eight times in order to achieve the optimum ripening time for as many grapes as possible. Each parcel is matured separately in barriques for almost two years before the final blend is decided. Only the best Sangiovese barriques from each vintage become Colore.

A wonderfully mature Salice Salentino with character and depth: "Per Lui" Salice Salentino Riserva comes from selected Negroamaro plots that are deeply rooted in the iron-rich soils around Salice. The long maturation in wood - partly barrique, partly tonneau - gives the wine density and expression without jeopardising its balance. Dark ruby red in the glass with a light garnet-red rim. The aroma is warm and complex: black cherry, plum, dried herbs, some tobacco and a hint of cedar. Structured and powerful on the palate, with well-integrated tannins, juicy fruit and a spicy finish. An elegant, mature Salice Salentino that shows its finer, more serious side - very much in the style of the great wines of southern Puglia. SUPERIORE.DE

From the historic Mosconi cru hillside in Monforte d'Alba: Fides is Pio Cesare's clear commitment to the Barbera grape – for years from a singular parcel, with the strictest yield limits and tiny production. Hand-picked, followed by fermentation in stainless steel with around 30 days of maceration; malolactic fermentation takes place gently in tanks. Ageing: around 20 months in large oak barrels (botti), a small proportion in French barriques – enough to anchor depth and texture without masking the origin.