Wines from Tuscany

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Geremia founded the Ricasoli family in the 7th or 8th century – at a time when Chianti was not yet a wine name, but a battleground between rival noble families. Today, his descendant Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi runs the same estate, on the same land, in Gaiole in Chianti. And he gave this wine the name of his ancestor. This is piquant in that the Geremia is not a Sangiovese. Marco planted Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon on 2.5 hectares of his hills in 1997 – consciously, curiously, with a clear question: what does this terroir say in another language? The chalky-clay soils between 340 and 510 metres, the south-southeast exposure, the microclimate between Florence and Siena – everything that characterises Sangiovese is also available to the Bordeaux varieties here. Hand-picked in baskets, fermentation in temperature-controlled tanks, 24 months in medium-roasted Allier barriques, bottled unfiltered, 18 months bottle ageing. Certified organic.

The 2019 vintage leaves no doubt about its origin from a top vintage in Montalcino. The fruit for Poggio Landis Brunello is harvested at altitudes of 200 to 300 metres above sea level. Interesting aromas of wild cherry, plum and crushed flowers. Taut, polished yet traditional character on the palate. It fits perfectly into the house style, which favours an elegant and less extract-rich approach. A highly sophisticated charmer across the board. SUPERIORE.DE

Ricasoli's Vin Santo is the sublime interpretation of one of the historic grape varieties of Chianti Classico, the Malvasia del Chianti, and at the same time a masterpiece of centuries-old Tuscan craftsmanship. Here, the 880-year-old winemaking tradition of the Ricasoli family merges with the mystical art of passito making to create a wine of rare nobility. The grapes come from vines over forty years old on well-drained alluvial soils at an altitude of 200 metres with southern exposure. At the beginning of October, at the end of the harvest, the Malvasia grapes are hand-picked together with small quantities of Trebbiano and Sangiovese grapes with an optimum sugar content and perfect flavour concentration. Only the best, loose-berried grapes with sparse berries are transported in 18-kilogramme crates to specially ventilated chambers at Castello di Brolio. This is where the magic of time begins: the grapes hang to dry for three months while the water content slowly dwindles and the flavours concentrate. The must from the gentle pressing then ferments for months - a process that takes years and requires the utmost patience. The young wine then matures for nine years in oak caratelli of various sizes, where it develops its characteristic amber colour and complex aromas.

In the history of the Campolungo vineyard, thousands of years of Tuscan viticultural culture merge with visionary dedication to perfection. These historic terraces between 420 and 580 metres above sea level were already recognised as exceptional by the Romans and have been considered one of the cradles of fine Chianti since the 19th century. The 2018 tells the story of a special climatic favour: after a hot, dry summer, the extreme altitude of Lamole preserved the crystalline freshness that makes Campolungo one of the most exceptional single vineyards in Tuscany. Pure Sangiovese from hand-picked grapes of exceptional aromatic intensity. After careful hand-picking and visual selection of the best grapes, a two-week fermentation with skin contact takes place in traditional wooden vats. Thirty months of ageing in oak barrels, supplemented by a small proportion in French barriques, create a wine of multi-layered complexity and elegance.

The fifth vineyard. Such is the simple origin of this name – and so direct is Carlo Ferrini's philosophy behind it. La Quinta is not the little sister of Brunello, but its self-confident counterpart: the same address in Sant'Angelo in Colle at 400 metres, the same Sangiovese from skeleton-rich soils with a south-easterly orientation, the same care in the cellar and ageing. Only the time horizon is different. 2020 brought Montalcino warm, balanced conditions with a good night-day temperature amplitude – a vintage that favoured depth and drinkability in equal measure. 7 days of fermentation, 13 days of maceration in steel, then 12 months in a combination of 700-litre Liters, 2,500-litre Liters barrels and cocciopesto amphorae, rounded off in cement tanks. The baked clay amphora provides the breathable openness that keeps the wine alive without oxidising it.

Montalcino and Cabernet Sauvignon – at first sounds like a marriage against nature. Sangiovese reigns here, Brunello grows here, the grape variety has found its expression here for centuries. The fact that Count Alberto Marone Cinzano nevertheless planted Cabernet Sauvignon on the hills of his estate in the early 1980s was neither a coincidence nor an experiment – it was a conviction. The conviction that this terroir, these soils, this altitude are capable of more than just one wine. Today, Olmaia is a monument to this vision. The vineyard – 365 metres above sea level, planted in 2005 – bears his name. The DOC Sant'Antimo, founded in 1996, created the legal framework for just such wines: international grape varieties, grown in Montalcino's chalky soil, with the ambition not to imitate, but to interpret.

Normally, the Sangiovese grapes from the 14-hectare single vineyard are mainly harvested in Ama and San Lorenzo. Since the 2018 harvest, Lorenza and Marco have decided to vinify a small quantity separately. Deep, dark ruby red colour with violet reflections. Extroverted bouquet of blackberry, raspberry and redcurrant, with notes of crushed gravel, tobacco and traces of young leather. Very powerful and beautifully textured on the palate, the various layers of primary fruit only gradually unfold, the wood pleasantly receding into the background. Finely granulated tannins and a well-integrated acidity flank this very harmonious red on an elegant, long final. There is a lot to like here, for us it is once again a typical Ama wine: racy, powerful and elegant! SUPERIORE.DE