Wines from Tuscany

The dense, well-articulated Rigoleto made predominantly from organically grown Sangiovese grapes is extremely drinkable. The bouquet beguiles with beautiful aromas of dried plums and dark cherries. Opens with a lively bouquet of wild strawberries, rhubarb, violets and crushed stones. Silky to the touch, Rigoleto has impressive weight yet wonderful energy as a wave of ripe red and blue fruit swirls under the scent of lavender and spice. SUPERIORE.DE

Pure Sangiovese-Rosato, with fine floral nuances, strawberry and violet notes on the nose. Fresh on the palate, well-structured and with clear, red berry flavours through to the delicate, salty, spicy finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for Maurizio Castelli's new, crisp and fresh white wines come from a vineyard on Monte Bottigli, a "forteto" known to the locals for its wild and impenetrable nature. They ripen with a view of the panorama of the Tuscan archipelago and ideally embody the maritime character of the Maremma. Bright yellow with a bouquet characterised by floral and yellow-fleshed fruit aromas. On the palate, it has a medium structure, complexity and persistence, and its freshness makes it extremely enjoyable in the glass. For us, Costa Ovest is the ideal summer wine! SUPERIORE.DE

Rosamundi is one of the oldest rose species in Europe – the Gallic rose, cultivated by the Greeks and Romans, cultivated in medieval gardens and recognised as one of the most important of its kind in the 19th century. Morisfarms has chosen this name for a rosé that does it justice: historically rooted, botanically precise, with a quiet elegance. 100% Sangiovese from the Poggetti estate in Massa Marittima – clay-rich soils, south-west exposure, seven kilometres of sea air. The grapes are harvested in mid-September. What follows is the decisive factor: The skins are removed immediately after gentle pressing – no contact with the skins, vinification like a white wine. Fermentation in steel under dry ice protection, 15 days on the fine lees, fresh in the bottle.

When you say Talenti, you mean Brunello – but Riccardo Talenti, grandson of the legendary Pierluigi, can also be more light-footed. His Rosso Toscana combines 80 per cent Sangiovese with 20 per cent Petit Verdot from vineyards south of Montalcino on clay-limestone soils. The Sangiovese matures for several months in oak, while the Petit Verdot brings colour, fruit and velvety volume to the cuvée. The colour in the glass is a deep ruby red with violet reflections. Ripe cherry, plum and blackberry meet a hint of spice. Smooth and surprisingly full-bodied on the palate, with round tannins and a juicy freshness on the finish – an uncomplicated Tuscan that cannot deny the signature of a great Brunello house. SUPERIORE.DE

An uncomplicated Tuscan from the organically cultivated vineyards of Castello di Radda, which are south-facing on the hills behind the winery. The cuvée of 60% Merlot and 40% Sangiovese grows on clay-rich soils with a limestone content, which gives the wine its fruity and accessible character. After manual harvesting, the wine is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with a maceration period of around ten days. The wine is matured partly in steel and partly in tonneaux, with bottling taking place in the summer after the harvest.

The name says it all: "Cretum" refers to the Crete Senesi, those moon-like clay hills that stretch south of Siena. Poggio Bonelli lies on their threshold – in the extreme south of the Chianti Classico, where the vineyards of Castelnuovo Berardenga merge into the barren beauty of the Crete. Soils from the Pliocene, over five million years old, characterise the wines here: clay-rich tuff interspersed with sand. Chardonnay and Viognier come together in this terroir.

In the local dialect, Melacce means "apple orchard". Anyone who knows the vineyards of Collemassari will understand the choice: those windy slopes near Cinigiano that greet the Tyrrhenian Sea with every breeze and give the grapes a salty freshness that no cellar in the world can invent. The vineyards lie at 320 metres above sea level, the sea is thirty kilometres away – close enough to taste. 100% Vermentino, temperature-controlled stainless steel ageing. No wood, no intervention – everything that happens here happens in the vineyard.

Felsina's rare white wine from the heart of Chianti Classico. pep, made from 70% Trebbiano, 15% Chardonnay and 15% Sauvignon Bianco, thrives in south-west facing vineyards at an altitude of 350 metres. After manual harvesting, the wine is fermented and matured exclusively in stainless steel tanks. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Shows floral and fruity aromas on the nose. Light and very refreshing on the palate with a natural salinity. An extremely versatile white wine for everyday enjoyment – perfect as an aperitif or with tasty fish dishes such as fritto misto or baked fish. SUPERIORE.DE

Elisabetta Geppetti is more than just a winemaker – she is the "Signora del Morellino", the energetic woman who took over the reins of the family winery at the age of just 20 and helped the Maremma region to achieve international renown. When she pressed the first Morellino in 1985, she laid the foundations for a success story that continues to this day. This wine is the quantitative and qualitative calling card of Le Pupille – a constant, authentic expression of the terroir between Pereta and Magliano in Tuscany. The Morellino combines Sangiovese (90%) with Alicante and the autochthonous Ciliegiolo (5% each) from vineyards exposed to the south-west at an altitude of 50 to 250 metres. The vines, some of which are over 40 years old, are rooted in skeleton-rich, clayey and ferrous soils, cooled by sea breezes and strengthened by pronounced day-night temperature differences. After the harvest at the end of September, the must ferments on the skins for 15 days and matures for eight months, mainly in stainless steel tanks with a small proportion in used barriques.

The Lohsa estate is located in Magliano in Toscana – deep in the Maremma, less than 30 kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Federico Carletti bought it in the 1990s and replanted the vineyards: Sangiovese as the heart, Ciliegiolo as the Tuscan companion. The soils here are Galestro and marl, skeleton-rich, well-drained, at an altitude of around 100 metres – the sea is close enough to moderate the ripeness without taking away the structure. Morellino di Scansano is Sangiovese in Maremma guise: sunnier, softer, more accessible than its big siblings in the north – but with its own character. Fermentation in stainless steel, followed by partial ageing in wood: the wine remains fresh and loses none of its Mediterranean directness.

As an entry into the world of Vino Nobile, Federico Carletti's Rosso reveals all its directness without false modesty. Eighty per cent Sangiovese – here honourably called "Prugnolo Gentile" – are combined with twenty per cent Merlot to create a cuvée that expresses the character of the galestro-rich clay soils unfiltered. This organically produced composition matures only briefly in historic barriques, emphasising the youthful freshness of the Sangiovese grape. Intense ruby-coloured tones reveal the power of the Tuscan sun, while a seductive interplay of sour cherries and dark forest fruits with herbal and floral nuances unfolds on the nose. On the palate, this Rosso presents itself with the typical Poliziano balance: velvety, elegantly structured, with a subtle tannin structure that never dominates, but harmoniously envelops the fruity core. An authentic ambassador of its terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

After a break of thirty years, Federico Carletti has ventured a renaissance in recent years: Ambrae marks Poliziano's return to white grape varieties. This elegant cuvée made from ninety per cent Chardonnay and ten per cent Roussanne thrives on the clay-rich slopes around Montepulciano – a name that, like the winery itself, pays homage to the great Renaissance humanist Angelo Ambrogini. This composition matures exclusively in stainless steel without the influence of wood, allowing the mineral depth of the Pliocene soils to express itself unfiltered.

In the Middle Ages, it was a monk from Montepulciano Abbey who was the first to write down how to make wine from the local grapes. Sabatino Lulli, known as Sabazio, did not leave behind any great works – just a few lines about the local varieties and their processing. La Braccesca has given its name to a wine that reflects this modesty: direct, fresh and straightforward. The Marchesi Antinori estate extends over 500 hectares on the border between the Val di Chiana and the hills of Montepulciano, at an altitude of around 280 metres. 85 per cent Prugnolo Gentile – the local Sangiovese clone that gives the Rosso di Montepulciano its characteristic freshness and fruitiness – supplemented by 15 per cent Merlot, which contributes body and softness. The two varieties are harvested separately: the Merlot in mid-September and the Prugnolo Gentile a month later. Separate fermentation in steel, short malolactic fermentation in large barrels, then four months of ageing. Fresh, light, without a hint of wood.