Wines from Tuscany | Chianti

The dark, seductive Cabernet Franc Poggio de' Colli takes its time in the glass and slowly awakens with a blend of redcurrants, peppery roses, exotic curries and a slight hint of musk that lends it gravitas. Velvety soft yet refined. Aristocratic and cool on the palate, with a powerful wave of tart raspberry fruit that feeds the palate with savoury spices and mineral notes. Leaves a layer of fine tannins and a hint of berry concentration on the final, which tapers off savoury, long and perfectly balanced. A radiant wine that will only reveal its full beauty in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

High above Sambuca Val di Pesa, just three kilometres south of the famous Tenuta Tignanello, rises the venerable Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo – a bastion of faith since the 10th century, where Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of the Vallombrosan order, once lived and died. Here, where wine of exceptional quality was already appreciated around the year 1000, only the finest Sangiovese grapes thrive on calcareous soils with clay content at an altitude of 300 metres. The historical importance of this place is documented in hundreds of volumes in the Florentine state archives – centuries of Sangiovese cultivation and rural life, preserved for eternity.

When Ferruccio Ferragamo took over the dilapidated Borgo from the Duke of Savoy-Aosta in 1993, it was more than just a property purchase. It was, as he himself said, "an act of faith". Thirty years later, the flagship of the house carries this spirit in every bottle: a commitment to elegance without compromise. A meticulous geological study preceded its creation. Each grape variety was planted where the soil would best bring out its strengths: Merlot for velvety opulence, Cabernet Sauvignon for structure and depth, Syrah for freshness and aromatic lift. Separate vinification, then the marriage – a blend that bears the signature of Valdarno. The wines mature for eighteen months in French oak – the Merlot partly in larger barrels to preserve its fruit, Cabernet and Syrah in first and second passage barriques. The result is neither a copy of nor a competitor to Bolgheri or Chianti, but something completely unique.

What does it mean to elicit the highest form of expression from a grape variety? For the Ferragamos, it is the essence of their wine philosophy – and this Chardonnay is their white manifesto. In a region that, since Cosimo III de' Medici's decree of 1716, has been one of the four noblest wine zones in Tuscany, Il Borro dares to do the unexpected: a white wine that wants to compete with the great Burgundies. The vines are rooted in metamorphic soils interspersed with fossilised sea shells – witnesses to a time when water still covered the land here. At the foot of the Pratomagno, they find that balance of warmth and night-time coolness that gives the Chardonnay both ripeness and freshness. After being harvested by hand in small crates, an unrivalled ageing process begins: part of the must ferments in stainless steel, while the rest is divided between clayver, acacia and oak barriques. Maturation on the fine lees lends texture and depth – each vessel contributes its own nuance before merging into the final cuvée.

Vigna San Marcellino Gran Selezione is both youthfully fresh and ripe and complexly muscular. It contains a healthy dose of the deeply coloured Pugnitello grape, and on the nose liquorice, tarragon and broom mingle with lush plum and subtle roasted aromas that are highly seductive in their complexity. Deep, taut and lively on the palate, loaded with black cherry and rich, velvety tannins. The texture is silky, while subtle chalky notes and a salty minerality give it plenty of energy and lead it into a juicy, refreshing finish. Vigna San Marcellino is a convincing wine with enormous ageing potential every year. SUPERIORE.DE

Bianco Trinoro is made from 100% Semillon from a tiny sandy plot in the highest areas of the Trinoro vineyard. The plot is located at around 600 metres above sea level and covers approximately 5,000 square metres. The vineyard was partially planted in 2001 and completed in 2006 with vines from Bordeaux; here, as elsewhere on the estate, the vines are planted close together, one metre apart, in the Bordeaux style. Very aromatic with ripe, fruity notes balanced by a lovely freshness and acidity, great length and very good ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

With this exceptional Chianti Classico Riserva, the Mazzei family celebrates their famous ancestor Ser Lapo, in whose writings the name "Chianti" is mentioned for the first time. The upper part of the label features a faithful reproduction of one of his writings (from 1398) with beautiful calligraphy. "Don't worry about the cost of this wine, even though it was expensive: its quality will make up for it."

This red wine in Riserva quality is dedicated to Bettino Ricasoli, who wrote down the grape variety mix of today's Chianti back in 1872. But he was much more than that: twice Prime Minister of the united Italy (1861 and 1866), founder of the daily newspaper "La Nazione", agricultural researcher and "father" of the first Chianti product specification. The creation of this wine interprets his tireless determination to create an independent Chianti style that is both traditional and contemporary to this day.

In 2012, Carlo Franchetti began producing wines from Pinot Noir grapes grown on the hillsides around San Casciano Bagni. The following year saw the creation of Sancaba, the first collaboration with his cousin, which aimed to emphasise the richness, depth and uniqueness of this grape variety in this particular terroir. In 2014, the two cousins merged their wineries and founded Vini Franchetti. Sadly, Andrea Franchetti passed away in 2021, a wine visionary who leaves a big gap. However, his two very different wine projects, one at Tenuta di Trinoro and the other called Passopisciaro on the slopes of Mount Etna, have one thing in common: bringing the characteristics of the vintage, the specificity of the terroir and the full potential of the grape variety into the glass. His wines are intuitive and poetic and always express exactly what his philosophy and vision of wine and life was.

In 2012, Carlo Franchetti began producing wines from Pinot Noir grapes grown on the hillsides around San Casciano Bagni. The following year saw the creation of Sancaba, the first collaboration with his cousin, which aimed to emphasise the richness, depth and uniqueness of this grape variety in this particular terroir. In 2014, the two cousins merged their wineries and founded Vini Franchetti. Sadly, Andrea Franchetti passed away in 2021, a wine visionary who leaves a big gap. However, his two very different wine projects, one at Tenuta di Trinoro and the other called Passopisciaro on the slopes of Mount Etna, have one thing in common: bringing the characteristics of the vintage, the specificity of the terroir and the full potential of the grape variety into the glass. His wines are intuitive and poetic and always emphasise exactly what his philosophy and vision of wine and life was.

A wine that made history. When Francesco Ricasoli presented Casalferro for the first time in 1993, it marked the beginning of a new era for the venerable Castello di Brolio and cemented Ricasoli's membership in the elite of Italian oenology. Today, almost three decades later, Casalferro 2019 is a prime example of how a French grape variety matures to exceptional perfection on Tuscan terroir. Casalferro is the essence of three exceptional individual vineyards: Vigna Casalferro, Vigna Pecchierino and Vigna Sodacci. These 13 hectares of Merlot vineyards between 400 and 500 metres above sea level are the result of decades of meticulous terroir studies. Each site has its own personality: Vigna Casalferro with its sandstone and limestone soils, Vigna Pecchierino on pure Alberese limestone and Vigna Sodacci on iron-rich sandstone soils. They all share the characteristic altitude, which gives the grapes the crystalline freshness and lively acidity that characterise the DNA of the Brolio terroir.

High above Sambuca Val di Pesa, just three kilometres south of the famous Tenuta Tignanello, rises the venerable Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo – a bastion of faith since the 10th century, where Giovanni Gualberto, the founder of the Vallombrosan order, once lived and died. Here, where wine of exceptional quality was already appreciated around the year 1000, only the finest Sangiovese grapes thrive on calcareous soils with a clay content at an altitude of 300 metres. The historical importance of this place is documented in hundreds of volumes in the Florentine state archives – centuries of Sangiovese cultivation and rural life, preserved for eternity.

Poggio Rosso Gran Selezione has an enormous abundance of fruit that is beautifully layered. A very beautiful interpretation of the Sangiovese grape with a dense core and plenty of padding around it. Rich ruby-garnet colour, very fine texture and structure on the palate, which only reveals itself fully with the necessary time in the glass. It is full of tension and power in its youth, the acidity and the well-built tannins are programmed for development, as it will only develop its full elegance and greatness in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

Vigorello was created back in 1968 at the beginning of the Super Tuscan movement. It is a powerful yet refined wine that bursts from the glass with unadulterated tones of black fruit, liquorice, rose and dried lavender, Mediterranean herbs and a sweet hint of vanilla. The balance and structure are outstanding and it will develop even more complexity over time. SUPERIORE.DE

Brilliant ruby red colour. Lively nose of small, primary fruity red berries, subtle use of wood and impressive race and complexity for the price. Precise and taut on the palate, showing its origins boldly and decisively. Then a harmoniously balanced mix of tobacco, leather, cedar and, of course, cherry and plum. The finely balanced tannins carry this powerful and impressive Riserva into a long final. Impressive! SUPERIORE.DE

The rosé version of the Vin Santo, the Occhio di Pernice (Eye of the Partridge), is created using the red Sangiovese grape variety. Dark and copper-coloured in the glass. Fascinating bouquet of smoke, honey, caramel and dried apricots. Exotic, full-bodied on the palate with a wonderful balance of freshness and lively acidity. Clean, almost dry finish with a racy aftertaste of dried fruit and spices. Exciting and stimulating! SUPERIORE.DE

The Fontalloro is a single-varietal Sangiovese that is matured for up to 20 months in new and two-year-old barriques.brilliant ruby colour with a light garnet rim, mineral, woody-fruity aroma of cherry, cedar, blueberry and hazelnut. With aeration, the flavours become increasingly complex and the terroir influence very clear. Compact and very present on the palate with fine-grained tannins and classic proportions. Very high ageing potential and one of the best Sangiovese in central Tuscany every year. SUPERIORE.DE

When Lamole di Lamole acquired this two-hectare cru in 2017, they didn't just take over vines – they took over a legacy. The Sangiovese vines, planted in 1994, grow here in the archaic form of the "Alberello Lamolese", the bush training that generations of winegrowers have wrested from the harsh altitude and which they never wanted to give up. This natural terrace lies between 540 and 580 metres, exposed to the south, buffeted by the wind and flooded with the purest light. The old dry stone walls made of ochre-coloured Macigno Toscano absorb the sun's heat during the day and give it back to the vines at night – a dialogue between stone and plant that has been going on for centuries. As early as 1800, the geographer Emanuele Repetti noted: "Buon vino di Lamole, lodata campagna" – good wine from Lamole, praised landscape. In 2018, the village was declared a "Patrimonio Storico d'Italia". The 2020 – only the third vintage from this vineyard – shows what Gran Selezione can mean. The grapes undergo optical selection, ferment in 50-hectolitre conical barrels with "macerazione differita", mature first in the same containers, then in 30-hectolitre oak barrels. The result? A wine that the winemakers themselves describe as lyrical and beguiling.

Bianco Trinoro is made from 100% Semillon from a tiny sandy plot in the highest areas of the Trinoro vineyard. The plot is located at around 600 metres above sea level and covers approximately 5,000 square metres. The vineyard was partially planted in 2001 and completed in 2006 with vines from Bordeaux; here, as elsewhere on the estate, the vines are planted close together, one metre apart, in the Bordeaux style. Very aromatic with ripe, fruity notes balanced by a lovely freshness and acidity, great length and very good ageing potential! SUPERIORE.DE

A white wine from Trinoro? Andrea Franchetti planted Sémillon in 2001 on a tiny sandy plot in the forest, 630 metres above sea level – originally with the vision of creating a sweet wine. But year after year, the harvest yielded dry, concentrated grapes. What followed was a wine that Franchetti initially kept to himself: tasted, analysed and perfected for years. It was not until 2017 that he dared to bottle it commercially for the first time. Today, after more than two decades, Trinoro Bianco is considered one of the most fascinating white wines in Tuscany. Fermented partly in steel tanks, partly in small wooden barrels, matured in concrete tanks – a vinification process that preserves purity and structure in equal measure.

This impressive Sangiovese comes from the single vineyard "Vitticciana", which was specially created for a pure Sangiovese wine by the "Godfather of Carmignano" Ugo Contini Bonacossi due to its perfect orientation. It is only produced in the best years, when it presents itself as a multi-layered wine with fine fruit and fine-grained tannins. After a few years of ageing in the bottle, it can easily hold its own with some of the best Brunello di Montalcino. SUPERIORE.DE

Francesco Ricasoli, the likeable and ambitious owner of Castello di Brolio, brings out the elegance and finesse as well as a marvellous depth of fruit in his wines. Rocca Guicciarda Riserva is a soft, silky wine. Dark ruby in colour, it has a rich, open bouquet of cherry and pomegranate, with a fine almond and tobacco note. A wine whose juiciness makes it a pleasure to drink early on, but whose flavour complexity increases enormously as it matures. SUPERIORE.DE