Wine

The Spuntali vineyard is historically known as the best area of the south-west, sea-facing slope of Montalcino. Spuntali is a historic cru for Brunello di Montalcino: it is its unique terroir, it is also the sunniest and driest of the three slopes of Brunello, and the sea, just 40 kilometres away, already provides a Mediterranean climate here.

What begins with a seductive bouquet of delicate plums and a hint of mint gains volume and depth as grilled sage and rum-soaked blackcurrants mingle with sweet tobacco and allspice. Its texture is silky and fleshy, accompanied by a nervous acidity, while ripe black cherries and a hint of cranberry sauce create a sweet and sour tension on the palate. The concentration is astonishing, yet the energy remains incredibly high, even if the grippy tannins increase towards the end. Notes of sour citrus fruits, savoury herbs and tart wild berries linger incredibly long in the structured yet remarkably fresh final. Only around 3,000 bottles of this cru are produced and it is a real must-have for all Aglianico lovers! SUPERIORE.DE

Every year, Fratta is a groundbreaking blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that you can't help but love. Fratta proved the Veneto's potential for winemaking when it was first produced in 1977, the year Angela Maculan (a second daughter) was born. Deep, complex fruit bouquet, rounded off with fine sweet spices, tobacco and coffee. On the palate, beautiful lines and a sharp focus with dry mineral tones framing dark fruits, dried cherries and exotic spices. Fratta is a bold and big wine and there is no doubting the broodingelegance of this highly personalised expression. SUPERIORE.DE

Grotte Alte is more than just a wine, it is a very serene and precise tribute to its homeland. Arianna Occhipinti names it after the white limestone caves above Vittoria, where her oldest vineyards are situated: broodingred soils over limestone, permeated by Mediterranean herbs and the wind. It is here that the grapes from which she crafts her most personal wine are grown – a Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico that impressively expresses the identity of this landscape. The cuvée, made from Frappato di Vittoria and Nero d'Avola, is vinified separately. Following spontaneous fermentation with long maceration periods, both batches mature for around 48 months in large oak casks before being blended and bottled. No fining, no filtration – just time, patience and respect for the terroir.

From 1546 to 1800, Villa Cigliano was the family seat of the Antinori family in the province of Florence, the place where they first planted vineyards and pressed wine. The estate was then sold. Piero Antinori bought it back in 2011. What sounds like a sentimental gesture was actually a strategic decision: Villa Cigliano is located in the San Casciano UGA, the northernmost part of the Chianti Classico region, right on the outskirts of Florence. A terroir that gives the Sangiovese an accessibility and expressiveness that distinguishes it from the more structured sites to the south. In 2014, Antinori returned to the Chianti Classico consortium after almost four decades. Villa Cigliano is one of the most visible proofs of this commitment: 100% Sangiovese from a site that the family chose over five centuries ago as the first vineyard in the history of the house. Gran Selezione – the highest category of the appellation. 5,000 to 6,000 bottles.

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 Castellina in Chianti UGA is located in the western heart of the appellation, a municipality on a ridge between the Arbia and Elsa valleys, with soils of silt, clay and sandstone that give the Sangiovese fullness and warmth. The slopes are sunny and the microclimate is warm. Anyone who works in Castellina knows that Sangiovese matures differently here than elsewhere in Chianti Classico. Antinori acquired the Buiano estate in 2017 – a relatively recent decision within the long-term Gran Selezione project, which comprises four individual vineyards from four different UGAs. No other Chianti Classico estate has such a broad territorial representation. Buiano is the most powerful, full-bodied expression of these four. 100% Sangiovese, 5,000 to 6,000 bottles.

The Vigna Loreto covers one and a half hectares. Steep, stony and east-facing – , the slope faces the morning sun, not the midday sun. The soil is rich in tuff and pebbles, poor in nutrients, and unforgiving. The vines are the result of a mass selection from eight estate-grown Sangiovese clones that Mastrojanni has selected over decades: the estate’s genetic memory is embodied in every vine. It was Gabriele Mastrojanni himself who recognised Vigna Loreto as a distinct plot – the ability to display finesse where Castelnuovo dell’Abate otherwise impresses with power. Today, every vintage confirms what the founder saw: Loreto speaks more softly than the great Brunello, but with greater precision. The east-facing aspect gives the wine freshness; the tuff lends it mineral tension; the lean soils force concentration without overripeness. 36 months’ ageing in Allier barrels ranging from 16 to 33 hectolitres – the small barrels, the intimacy that the wood lends the wine without dominating it.

The essence of chance. There are wines that are only created when the stars are right – and Essenza from Fattoria Kappa is one of them. In the language of physics, kappa means constant, but at this extraordinary winery on the border between Bolgheri and Maremma, chance rules. Only in exceptional years, when the Cabernet Franc grapes reach their full ripeness and complexity, is this rare cru produced – a venture that only a few winegrowers in Tuscany dare to take.

In the pantheon of Tuscan winemaking, there are moments of pure alchemy – and Sette from Tenuta Sette Ponti embodies just such a moment. Seven different Merlot vineyards, seven distinct characters, seven unique terroirs, which Antonio Moretti Cuseri blends into a harmonious symphony. A magnificent tribute to the art of winemaking, demonstrating how diversity gives rise to unity.

The 1.6-hectare Loreto vineyard is located on a slope right next to the winery and has an ideal south-east exposure. Vigna Loreto is only vinified in the best vintages and is an even more intense interpretation of the Sangiovese grape. On the palate, the texture is both creamy and robust, with a depth and fullness that make it very rich and exceptional. With further aeration, beautiful notes of black fruits, tobacco and spices. Aristocratic, powerful and very long. SUPERIORE.DE

Roagna's Barbaresco Pajè Vecchie Viti opens with a bright garnet-red colour and a deep, shiny glow. The fruit of old vines manages to reach the impossible point between power and elegance. The wine shows a delicate and bright bouquet, but also a compact fruit and a long finish. You can feel this extra fullness on the finish. The production is around 2,500 bottles. SUPERIORE.DE

Gallina comes from a steep, sandy vineyard, similar to the Asili site, but with less limestone, which gives it more roundness and fullness. Full bouquet of sweet tobacco, cedar wood, liquorice and dried herbs. A soft, sweet, red fruit combines with the typical Roagna austerity in an exciting way on the palate to create an impressive complexity and length. It will only reveal its true elegance in a few years' time. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Pira Vecchie Viti comes from the estate's oldest vines, which were planted in 1937. As always, Pira Vecchie Viti is more about haunting, ethereal flavours than power. Sweet rose petals, mint, dried flowers, sweet red cherries and cedar give this beguiling, high-toned Barolo a captivating aromatic presence. A great wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Guado al Tasso is not only the name of the winery, but also the historical term for a ford in the torrent on the Marchesi Antinori estate. In the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the place where one encountered the "tasso" (badger) while travelling through the water on horse and cart. This poetic place name came to symbolise a wine that combines depth and movement: A Bolgheri Superiore with provenance, history and attitude. Despite the summer heat, the 2022 vintage produced an astonishingly balanced structure. Selective harvest in the best plots between the hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea, fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 18 months of ageing in new French barriques, followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing.

At the centre of the Via Bolgherese, that legendary wine route where the Tuscan dream and the Bordeaux vision merge into an indelible myth, lies a small kingdom of just 5.5 hectares. Here, nestled between the giants Ornellaia to the right and Sassicaia to the left, Antonio Moretti Cuseri and his sons Alberto and Amedeo tell a story of unbridled passion, a story called Orma. Orma means footprint. And this 2021 truly leaves one in the soul of the taster. The purest expression of an exceptional vintage, this organically certified Bordeaux blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc unfolds like a symphony in purple and garnet. The Mediterranean sun of Bolgheri, tempered by the salty breezes of the Tyrrhenian Sea, gave the grapes that unique ripeness that only a few terroirs in the world are capable of producing.

Elegant and complex: Guado al Tasso with a warm-toned bouquet and an abundance of fruit that is just as impressive as its harmonious structure. Deep, dark, rich ruby-purple colour. Very clear and intense nose, with aromas of blackberries, cassis and dark cherries, underpinned by fine, spicy notes with hints of white pepper and cardamom. Very juicy on the attack and on the palate, with a lot of sweet melting flavour, interwoven, dense tannins, supple and elegant, very long finish. An excellent wine that offers maximum drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

This breathtaking Barbaresco (total production approx. 1,300 bottles) shows more power and intensity than you would normally find in a Barbaresco. It opens with heady aromas of wild berries, new leather, undergrowth and menthol. On the palate, it shows ripe black raspberries, juicy cherries and liquorice before finishing on a tobacco note. It is still youthfully nervous and somewhat austere, it still needs some time to develop fully. SUPERIORE.DE

Barolo Rocche di Castiglione comes from a parcel just above the Cascina Pira of Roagna. It offers a captivating blend of supple fruit, soaring flavours and structure. The 2019 is silky and sensual through and through, as wines from this vineyard tend to be. It is transparent, beguiling and mesmerising from the very first sip. SUPERIORE.DE

In 1991, Turriga was one of the first bottled wines ever to be exported from the island. Turriga has a 100% Sardinian soul - the famous blend of four red autochthonous grape varieties was once created by the famous OenologistGiacomo Tachis and is continued today by his "heir" Mariano Murru, technical director and Oenologist at Argiolas. The DNA of this exceptional wine sounds as simple as it is perfect: its refined blend of grape varieties gives it its unique structure, roundness, fullness, fruit and a perfectly balanced portion of tannins.

2017 was the very first vintage of Massetino. It was launched in 2019, exactly 30 years after the first Massetino vintage. The newly designed wine cellar by Italian architects Zito & Mori was also inaugurated in 2019. The birth of the second wine and the opening of the wine cellar represent a historic moment for Masseto and clearly contribute to its recognition as a winery.

In the heart of the Valdarno Superiore, where the ancient Via dei Setteponti inspired Leonardo da Vinci to create his immortal landscape studies, lies Tenuta Sette Ponti – named after the seven bridges that have linked Arezzo and Florence since Etruscan times. Here, on 300 hectares where history meets modernity, Dr Antonio Moretti Cuseri realised a visionary idea in 1999: to create a Tuscan Bordeaux-style wine that combines international elegance with the soul of Tuscany. Oreno – named after the small river that flows through the estate in that clay-rich area where the Merlot vines put down their deepest roots – was born out of a passion for Bordeaux finesse. Fascinated by his travels to Bordeaux, Moretti Cuseri had existing vineyards grafted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Whilst the Merlot thrives in the clay-rich soils, the Cabernet vines find their home on gravelly terraces that offer perfect drainage and natural temperature regulation. The Petit Verdot rounds off the cuvée with spicy notes and intense flavour.

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 grapes for the Vigneti del Versante 2019 come from the Scopeta, Cancello Rosso and Bassolino di Sopra vineyards. Bright red colour. Very deep, complex, expressive aromas of red cherries, raspberries, balsamic oils, violets and sweet spices on the highly perfumed nose, clearly recognising the terroir of Sesta. Great fibre and density on the palate, with much of this power coming from the heavier soils of the vineyards. The overall expression is profound and precise with sharply defined aromas of wild berries, liquorice, lavender and lightly toasted almonds. Violets on the finish, supported by a silky, fine texture. One of the most stunning Brunello from the dream 2019 vintage, which, as always, comes onto the market a year later than its neighbours. SUPERIORE.DE