Wines from Tuscany | Chianti

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

When Lamole di Lamole acquired this two-hectare cru in 2017, they took on more than just vines – they took on a legacy. The Sangiovese vines, planted in 1994, grow here in the archaic "Alberello Lamolese" style – a bush-trained method that generations of winegrowers have fought to preserve in these rugged highlands and which they have never been willing to give up. This natural terrace lies at an altitude of between 540 and 580 metres, facing south, caressed by the wind and bathed in the purest light. The ancient dry stone walls, built of ochre-coloured Macigno Toscano, absorb the sun's heat during the day and release it back to the vines at night – a dialogue between stone and plant that has continued for centuries. As early as 1800, the geographer Emanuele Repetti noted: "Buon vino di Lamole, lodata campagna" – good wine from Lamole, a much-praised landscape. In 2018, the village was declared a Patrimonio Storico d'Italia. The 2020 vintage – only the third from this vineyard – demonstrates the true potential of Gran Selezione. The grapes undergo visual selection, ferment in 50-hectolitre conical vats using "macerazione differita", and mature initially in the same vats, then in 30-hectolitre oak barrels. The result? A wine that the winemakers themselves describe as lyrical and beguiling.

It was Luigi Veronelli, the Italian wine revolutionary of the 1960s and 1970s, who convinced Francesco Giuntini that exceptional single-vineyard wines deserve a voice of their own. Of all the old poderi from the mezzadria era, Bucerchiale has always been the finest – a south-west-facing amphitheatre in the cooler heights of Rufina, where Tuscany meets the final foothills of the Apennines. In 1979, Francesco took the plunge. Whilst the law still mandated Trebbiano in every Chianti and the wine world prioritised quantity, he produced a defiant challenge made from 100% Sangiovese. A 100% Sangiovese from a single vineyard – a revolutionary act at the time, marking the beginning of the Tuscan Renaissance. In 2022, Vigneto Bucerchiale celebrates its 43rd year and embodies a vision brought to perfection. Spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks at 30–32°C, followed by 30 days' maceration, allows every nuance of the terroir to unfold before the wine matures: 50% in 25-hl French oak casks and 50% in barriques – only 15% of which are new.

A white wine from Trinoro? In 2001, Andrea Franchetti planted Sémillon on a tiny sandy plot in the woods, at an altitude of 630 metres – originally with the aim of creating a sweet wine. Yet year after year, the harvest yielded dry, concentrated grapes. What followed was a wine that Franchetti initially kept solely for himself: tasted, analysed and perfected over many years. It was not until 2017 that he ventured to produce the first commercial bottling. Today, after more than two decades, Trinoro Bianco is regarded as one of Tuscany's most fascinating white wines. Fermented partly in stainless-steel tanks and partly in small wooden barrels, and matured in concrete tanks – a winemaking process that preserves both 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

Monika Bär-Bettschart spent her holidays in Castellina as a young girl. She fell in love with this piece of Tuscany – and later with Thomas. After their marriage, the two acquired Gagliole. A Swiss couple, a Tuscan Podere, a very simple conviction: If you really love a piece of land, you have to farm it. La Valletta in Panzano has also been part of the family since 2011 – ten hectares on the north-western edge of the Conca d'Oro, at 450 to 500 metres, exposed to the south-west, on Pietraforte: that compact, limestone-rich sandstone that does not yield to Sangiovese – and therefore demands the best from it.

In the early 1970s, San Felice undertook a project at the Poggio Rosso vineyard that few at the time recognised as groundbreaking: carefully selecting Sangiovese clones – carefully selected, designated for a single plot, with the aim of eventually producing the purest expression of this patch of earth’s terroir. That is now a reality. Fifty years on from those plantings, Poggio Rosso stands as the pinnacle of San Felice’s terroir. The estate, which in 1968 created the Vigorello – the first Super Tuscan made without white grapes – and saved almost extinct grape varieties through the Vitiarium, takes a different, more rigorous approach with Poggio Rosso: no blending, no assemblage, no Pugnitello. Only Sangiovese. Only these plots. Only in the best vintages. A wine that is produced only when everything is just right. 2020 was hot, dry and intense. In south-eastern Chianti, near Siena, the Sangiovese ripened to a concentration reflected in 15% alcohol and an extract that carries the fruit without overwhelming it. The best vintages are no exception here – they are the prerequisite. 20 days’ maceration, aged for at least 20 months in wood.

Wonderful, finesse-rich selection of the estate's best Sangiovese grapes. The nose is impressive with its richness: red fruits, dark flowers, fine tar and vegetal notes, traces of blackberry jam. Full-bodied on the palate with subtle extract sweetness, powerful and juicy at the same time, the well-proportioned tannins come into play very well and glide this red elegantly into a long final. SUPERIORE.DE

A wine that made history. When the first vintage of La Selvanella Riserva was presented in 1969, it was a revolution in Chianti Classico – the very first cru from a single vineyard in the entire region. Today, over 50 years later, this Sangiovese classic is still regarded as a benchmark for the elegance and purity of the Radda terroirs. The 50 hectares of the La Selvanella vineyard sit at an altitude of 350 to 550 metres above Radda in Chianti in one of the most privileged positions in the entire region. Wines of exceptional structure and lively acidity are produced here. The perfect south-west exposure and the temperate continental climate create ideal conditions for the capricious Sangiovese to develop its full aromatic complexity.

Concerto was born in 1981, a time of dynamic change in Italian viticulture. The hitherto untapped potential was recognised and experiments were carried out with new grape varieties and, for the first time, successfully with international grape varieties. It was Marchesa Carla Mazzei who spontaneously chose the name Concerto in 1981 after the first tasting of just fifteen barriques – a symphony had taken place in her glass. As one of the first ten Super Tuscans, this wine made history and revolutionised the Tuscan understanding of wine. From the Scassi vineyard in the western part of Fonterutoli, surrounded by oak forests at an altitude of 350 metres, the Sangiovese comes from mass selections from an experimental vineyard in the 1930s. And the small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon has developed a completely independent character here over four decades, far removed from the international character it develops elsewhere. The 18-month maturation in French barriques then gives the wine its noble structure without overshadowing its original elegance.

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are situated in the territories of three neighbouring municipalities within the Chianti Classico region: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three major vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time, in order to reflect the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiòla.

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are situated in the territories of three neighbouring municipalities within the Chianti Classico region: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three major vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time, in order to do justice to the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiòla.

Concerto was born in 1981, a time when Italian viticulture was undergoing dynamic change. The potential that had hitherto gone untapped was recognised, and new viticultural practices were introduced, with successful experiments carried out for the first time with international grape varieties. It was Marchesa Carla Mazzei who, in 1981, after the first tasting of just fifteen barriques, spontaneously chose the name Concerto – a symphony had unfolded in her glass. As one of the first ten Super Tuscans, this wine made history and revolutionised the understanding of Tuscan wine. The Sangiovese comes from the Scassi vineyard in the western part of Fonterutoli, surrounded by oak forests at an altitude of 350 metres, and is sourced from mass selections in an experimental vineyard dating back to the 1930s. And the small proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon has, over four decades, developed a character entirely of its own here, far removed from the international style it takes on elsewhere. The 18-month ageing in French barriques subsequently lends the wine its refined structure, without overshadowing its original elegance.

Vinea Vecchia truly lives up to its name: the vineyard plot between Panzano and Montefioralle was planted in 1981, back in the days when Chianti was still produced using old, unselected Sangiovese clonal selections. With the 2020 vintage, it is being given its own label for the first time, as its character has become too distinctive to be part of any blend. At an altitude of 500 to 540 metres, Alberese rock alternates with schistose clay-marl – a soil that demands little yield from the old vines, but all the more concentration in return. Following spontaneous fermentation, the Sangiovese matures for 26 months in ten-hectolitre wooden casks, large enough to allow the fruit and terroir to express themselves fully. A total of 2,572 bottles and 46 magnums were produced, each numbered by hand.

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are situated in the territories of three neighbouring municipalities within the Chianti Classico region: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three major vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time, in order to reflect the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiòla.

The forest literally begins at the vineyard fence: the "Vinea nel Bosco" plot, planted in 2001, lies at an altitude of around 530 metres on the edge of a deciduous forest, which brings mist and coolness in the mornings, whilst the afternoon sun provides sufficient warmth as it filters through the treetops. The soil, composed of Alberese, limestone and clay marl, yields little but what it does produce is highly concentrated. Spontaneous fermentation of the Sangiovese grapes begins in stainless steel, before the young wine matures for 26 months in large, 20-hectolitre wooden casks and is then left to rest in the bottle for at least another year. With an alcohol content of 14.5 per cent, it is full-bodied without feeling heavy – the 2020 vintage yielded a total of 2,412 bottles and 108 magnums.

Many people today forget what Petresco historically represents: Luca Orsini's response to the Super Tuscan craze of the 1990s. Whilst half of Panzano was ageing Cabernet and Merlot in new French Allier oak to please American critics, Orsini remained steadfast. He created a pure Sangiovese, deliberately classifying it as an IGT to free himself from rigid doctrines, and proved to the world that Panzano needs no Bordeaux-style crutches. In the exceptional 2021 vintage, this single-varietal Sangiovese achieves a stature that can, without hesitation, be ranked amongst the great Tuscan terroir monuments.

The grapes for this Supertuscan come from the San Giovanni vineyard near San Giovanni a Cerreto. In the church next to the vineyard there is a painting by Rutilo Manetti depicting St John the Baptist (San Giovanni). Deep ruby red, youthful, rich, dark fruit, berry and cassis flavours meld with French oak. On the palate with deep, subtle fruit flavours and an excellent balance of fruit and tannin, plus some smoke, liquorice and tar. A rich but not too heavy red with excellent structure and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Giovanni Manetti's Vin Santo del Chianti Classico consists of 50% Malvasia and 50% Sangiovese and was aged for 84 months in small oak barrels. The wine is absolutely stunning - from start to finish - and there are just 1,000 bottles of it.

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are situated in the territories of three neighbouring municipalities within the Chianti Classico region: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three major vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time, in order to reflect the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiòla.

It is no exaggeration to describe Riecines Chianti Classico as an archetype of the Gaiole terroir: In the glass, it is light in colour with notes of wild berries, blackberries and white pepper. These slightly wilder aromas are very characteristic of Gaiole in Chianti, particularly of this corner of the sub-zone near the village after which it is named. This cool site produces a crisp and elegant Sangiovese with tension and bite, peppery tannins, and notes of small black fruits that linger through to a respectable finish. For years, Riecine has been producing one of the most subtle Chianti Classicos – a magnificent wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Historically, the vineyards of Castello di Fonterutoli are located in the areas of three neighbouring municipalities of Chianti Classico: Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda in Chianti. With the 2017 vintage, the Mazzei family vinified all three large vineyards separately as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione for the first time in order to recognise the diversity of the terroir: Castello di Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiòla.

The Riecine vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti has a history dating back to the 11th century. Today's vineyards grow between 430 and 600 metres above sea level on stony, alluvial limestone soils over a subsoil of pure limestone - rock that was once washed here from the Monterossi hill by the ancient Massellone river (once called "Clante", the origin of the name "Chianti"). Since 2006, La Gioia has been a pure Sangiovese, a decision that perfectly reflects the philosophy of the estate: absolute concentration on the noblest of all Tuscan grape varieties.