Wines from Tuscany

There are stories that only the terroir can tell – and Roccato is one of them. What began in 1988 as a visionary experiment, an equal marriage of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, developed into a legend of the Tuscan Renaissance. In 2015, Sergio Zingarelli took the decisive step. Based on decades of experience that the terroir speaks louder than the grape, the new Roccato was created: a single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon from the "Poggio alle Pecchie" vineyard planted in 1996. A paradox of nature – a Bordeaux grape variety that actually breathes Tuscan soul.

The combination of two such different personalities as Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon blend brilliantly in Grifi, giving this wine a unique character. The Cabernet gives the wine an extra kick of depth in the mid-palate as well as a tannic backbone that gives the wine plenty of persistence and energy.

Poggio Anticos Lemartine 2021 combines elegance and depth in an impressive balance. The cuvée of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon matured partly in French oak and retains a precise freshness despite its structure. The 2021 vintage benefited from a moderately warm climate with cool nights, which allowed for slow maturation and great aromatic clarity. Very nuanced on the palate, with dark fruit, fine spice and a hint of graphite - a wine of subtle power and Tuscan nobility. SUPERIORE.DE

On the northern slopes of Montalcino, where the cool forest breezes of Monte Amiata meet the warming influences of the Tyrrhenian Sea, lies one of Tuscany's best-kept secrets. Since 1953, when Bramante Abbruzzese returned to the land of his ancestors, Valdicava has been producing wines of an intensity and finesse that few estates can match. Today, his grandson Vincenzo continues the legacy. A man who prefers to be out among the vines rather than in the office and whose demand for perfection is legendary. The Rosso di Montalcino 2022 is made from the same select Sangiovese Grosso grapes that are also used for the world-famous Brunelli. At an altitude of 300 metres, in the coolest areas of the appellation, the vines thrive in a mixture of clay, sand and limestone – soils that produce fruit of exceptional intensity. Since the end of the 1980s, Vincenzo has completely dispensed with chemicals and practised biodynamic cultivation, allowing each grape to express the pure essence of its terroir.

Monica Raspi remembers: "I took my first steps as a winemaker in the Omino vineyard. The grapes grown here produce the wine that is the absolute benchmark for my very personal interpretation of the Sangiovese grape."

Sangioveto, which consists of 100% organic Sangiovese, is grown in cool locations at an altitude of 260 to 370 metres with a south-westerly exposure. In the past, Sangiovese was called "Sangioveto" or "San Zoveto". It represents a refined expression from this particular part of the appellation and a very faithful interpretation of the Tuscan grape.

The grapes for this exciting, mash-fermented Trebbiano (Orange/Natural Wine) come from the vineyards that the Dunkleys (former owners of the winery) found when they arrived in Gaiole in Chianti. They are destemmed and fermented in Cocciopesto amphorae. Once fermentation is complete, most of the wine remains on the skins for six months, while a small proportion (10-15%) matures without skins for the same period in new Liters tonneaux.

This Riserva is only made available each year in very small quantities to hand-picked specialist retailers and top restaurants. Brilliant ruby red colour. Fine raspberry and floral notes dominate the spicy nose. Very juicy on the palate, tannins and acidity are well integrated. Riecines Riserva has length and suppleness right through to the long fruity finish. The elegance and fine melting texture are impressive. Once again, this is Sangiovese at the top level that Riecine is known for! SUPERIORE.DE

A wine that takes its name from the estate's last noble family – and thus from a man who left his mark far beyond the world of wine. Conte Guido Chigi Saracini, born in Siena in 1880, was not only the lord of Poggio Bonelli, but also a passionate patron of music. In 1932, he founded the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, still one of the most renowned centres of musical education in the world today. He spent the mildest seasons of the year on his estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga – where the grapes for this Gran Selezione ripen today. It is the highest level of the Chianti Classico pyramid: exclusively Sangiovese from the best south-facing vineyards between 280 and 360 metres above sea level, where sun and wind guarantee even ripeness and aromatic complexity. Strictly limited yields of 50 quintals per hectare, twelve days of temperature-controlled fermentation, a further ten days of maceration on the skins. Then patience: at least 24 months in French oak, followed by bottle ageing.

Like a precious legacy, this wine rests in the history of the patrician Serristori family, who acquired the land of Donoratico in 1512 and built the magnificent villa in 1660. Today, from the shadow of these historic walls springs a wine that bears the soul of the Tuscan Maremma – where the salty whisper of the Tyrrhenian Sea meets the warm hills of Bolgheri. In the vineyards of Argentiera, the DOC Bolgheri estate closest to the coast and at the same time the highest, the grapes ripen between the Mediterranean scrub and the endless blue of the archipelago. Here, on just twelve hectares of the Villa Donoratico site, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot take root in sandy and rocky soils, while the subsoil is criss-crossed by marine flysch rock, a geological memory of seas long past.

Laura Brunelli's Rosso is a blend of Sangiovese grapes from Podernovone – 500 metres above sea level on the south-eastern slope of Montalcino with south-western exposure – and Canalicchio on the north side of the village. The vines for the first vineyard were planted in 1998, those for the second in 1989. "Our Rosso is made from the same grapes as the Brunello," says Laura Brunelli. The wine is traditionally aged for a year in large oak barrels. It is extremely fresh every year and not without complexity. The aromas of redcurrants, wild strawberries, black pepper and juniper are followed by a bright bouquet of red fruits on the medium-bodied palate. It has velvety tannins and a refreshing, integrated acidity. A really great interpretation of the terroir and, as every year, a little Brunello. SUPERIORE.DE

The address is Castellina Marittima, twenty kilometres north of Bolgheri – just outside the DOC boundary that decides what name a wine may bear. A bureaucratic fact that changes nothing in terms of content: 14 hectares of organically cultivated vineyards on fossil-rich soils made up of minerals, iron ore, shell limestone and alluvial sand, facing the sea, with strong day-night temperature fluctuations – these are the conditions for which Bolgheri is famous. The estate is the project of two vinophiles: Austrian journalist Stephan Klasmann and Italian Oenologist Andrea di Maio, who previously vinified at Antinori's Guado al Tasso and Isola e Olena's Cepparello. Kappa is their real flagship – a Bordeaux-inspired cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, which is bottled after fourteen months of barrel ageing, with an annual production of around 18,000 bottles.

Castello di Ama thinks in concentric circles. The Chianti Classico Ama is the first – accessible, direct and immediate. The San Lorenzo Gran Selezione is the innermost – dense, expressive, for decades. In between, with the birth of the 2018 vintage, the Montebuoni was created: a Chianti Classico Riserva that strives for the depth of the San Lorenzo and preserves the drinking pleasure of the Ama. Castello di Ama itself calls it the most honest representation of the elegance of the Sangiovese grape in this terroir – and that is a lot, from a house that has helped set the standard for this elegance. The Montebuoni comes from the valley of the same name – the most south-westerly and at the same time climatically most versatile of the four Ama vineyard sites between 420 and 508 metres above sea level. The soils vary: heavy clays at the bottom, limestone and scree at the top. Both give the Sangiovese something different – structure and fullness from below, freshness and minerality from the higher altitudes. This tension is the secret of the wine.

Here is a big, rich Rosso that is harmonious and impressive in all its components. The bouquet alternates between dried cherries and a fine tobacco note. The palate is taut and precise, in the style of the house, its body is supported by powerful tannins that make it an ideal and refined accompaniment to Tuscan cuisine. SUPERIORE.DE

Piaggia Riserva is pure elegance in a bottle: clear ruby red colour, almost impenetrable, very consistent. Raspberry compote, dried orange peel, roses, exotic spices and a hint of cocoa on the broodingbouquet. Silky and refined on the palate, with notes of violets, ripe red and black fruits in rapid succession. Its lively acidity retains exceptional finesse, although the primary fruit slowly asserts itself. Finishes long with a layer of sweet tannins and balsamic cherry flavours. Its finesse and balance are already astonishing at a young age, and the best will only come in a few years. SUPERIORE.DE

A summer that Europe remembers as hot – and Montalcino as surprising. The vines of Col d'Orcia, deeply rooted in the calcareous, clay-poor soils of the Orcia hill, showed in 2020 what biodynamic cultivation means in years of stress: resilience. Early bud burst after a mild winter, followed by a balanced spring with well-distributed rainfall. The summer remained warm, but without extreme heat phases – sporadic downpours at the end of August cooled the soil at the last moment and allowed the grapes to develop aromatic compounds instead of simply ripening. In addition, there were pronounced day-night temperature differences in September. Harvest from mid-September, clean and structured. The result has a character that Montalcino connoisseurs describe as "captivante": simultaneously accessible and enigmatic. Maceration for 18 to 20 days, shallow 150-hl steel tanks, gentle extraction. Three years in large barrels, twelve months in the bottle: Col d'Orcia's traditional vinification process – unchanged for decades because it works.

Keir Ansonica is the white answer to Keir Syrah, which is also aged in amphorae. A wine produced in small quantities of 2,000 bottles, which is neither clarified nor filtered and is an expression of both innovation and tradition.

In the amphitheatre of the Tuscan hills of Castellina lies a single vineyard site called Il Poggiale, whose history dates back to 1968, when Paolo Panerai united four historic Poderi into a visionary project. Here, on the limestone soils between 350 and 400 metres above sea level, only Sangioveto thrives – the noblest local variety of Sangiovese – supplemented by only a few per cent of the autochthonous Canaiolo and Colorino varieties.

Gigliola Giannetti learnt the trade from Franco Biondi Santi – a school could hardly be more rigorous. Later, when she ran a wine shop in Montalcino, she became friends with Giulio Gambelli, the legendary Sangiovese whisperer who accompanied the best Brunelli in the region for decades. It was he who encouraged her to make wine herself. She bought her first plot of land in 1993. What sets Le Potazzine apart from others: All five hectares are registered for Brunello. The Rosso is therefore not a little brother from the second row, but a declassified Brunello – the same vineyard, the same care, just matured for a shorter time. Vinification follows the Gambelli credo: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, long maceration of 30 to 45 days, no temperature control. Then twelve months in large Slavonian oak barrels, as is the tradition.

Sometimes a great vintage needs a little scare first. In April 2021, the thermometer dropped to minus seven degrees in parts of Montalcino – late frost, which hit the more sensitive sites and reduced the harvest to around 15 per cent below the previous year. What was a loss for some farms proved to be a gift for quality. Fewer grapes, more concentration. The surviving vines seemed to know what was at stake. The rest of the year followed the textbook pattern of classic Brunello meteorology: regular spring, hot and dry summer – then two decisive rain events in the second half of August, which gave the vineyards water and the grapes their final aromatic complexity. The September nights cooled the Sant'Angelo vineyard in Colle to temperatures that distinguish phenolic ripeness from genuine elegance. Harvest did not start until mid to late September – patiently waited, fully redeemed.

Smells intensely of redcurrants and black cherries, leather, spices and liquorice. Lush and flowing on the palate, all elements merge into a great, striking wine. Great potential! SUPERIORE.DE

Sotto Casa – in the truest sense of the word: the single vineyard of the same name lies directly next to the winery, on stony alluvial soil – the most intimate vineyard on the entire estate and the only one from which Boscarelli combines international grape varieties with Prugnolo Gentile. Cabernet Sauvignon provides structure and a tannic frame, a small proportion of Merlot gives fullness and softness – sangiovese remains the soul. The three varieties are harvested separately, fermented separately – in oak vats with natural yeasts for around 10 days at controlled temperatures. Each cuvée then matures separately in Slavonia and Allier oak between 3 and 30 hectolitres, depending on the varietal character. Blending only takes place at the end of the 28 to 32 months of maturation.

Fresh, vibrant and full of energy, Geremia 2019 is highly entertaining and lively. Its flavours are remarkably intense, yet it also has a certain lightness that keeps it balanced and brilliant with every sip. Crushed stones, menthol, liquorice, sage and gravel envelop its core of blue and violet fruits, the tannins are well-built and it convinces not least with its beautiful length. Geremia always has something magical about it and its special personality makes it one of the most remarkable red wines from the Chianti Classico region for us every year. SUPERIORE.DE