Wines from Tuscany

The Riserva Lupi e Sirene (Wolves and Mermaids) label is reminiscent of the good old days when Podere le Ripi was so remote that the howling of the wolves was the only sound you could hear at night.

Interesting bouquet of eucalyptus, rosemary and other garden herbs, underpinned by damp forest soil and a beautiful blackberry nose. On the palate, multi-layered and complex after coffee, raspberry jam with an exotic note. Wonderfully aromatic, complex and long - a successful and independent interpretation of the Cabernet grape. 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

Elisabetta Geppetti's Saffredi is one of Italy's great red wines every year, full of elegance! Dark, polished ruby red colour with purple-violet edges. The explosive aroma of blackcurrants, blackberries, plums, violets and oak spices is accompanied by fascinating spicy, ethereal and wonderfully floral accents with earthy tobacco notes. Dense and velvety on the palate, framed by firm tannins and a juicy freshness that leads the wine full of energy into an endless finish. The flavour profile, which is very typical of Saffredi, is wonderfully balanced, yet multi-layered and very focused with its spiciness. Saffredi 2021 is a genuine and multi-dimensional beauty that should mature for a few more years. SUPERIORE.DE

2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. No overripeness, no heat scars, no compromises. And for an east-facing vineyard like Le Lucére – fully exposed to the first light of the morning – this meant that the Sangiovese Grosso was harvested with a ripeness that has rarely been so precisely predictable. Harvested early, fresh and concentrated at the same time. Caciorgna allowed the wine to pass through all of its stages: 13 to 14 months in barrique and tonneau, then almost 28 months in large containers – an ageing process that demands and receives depth. The result is a Le Lucére of princely stature.

2020 posed a simple question for Montalcino's winegrowers: who has the better terroir? In a hot, dry year – august temperatures close to 40 degrees – it was not just the manual labour in the vineyard that decided, but the geology. Le Lucére responded with Galestro and slate: soils that hold water deeper, moderate temperatures and preserve freshness when patience and acidity have long since given way elsewhere. Organic farming since 2013 has paid off many times over in years like these. Living soils, deep-rooted vines, no drought stress that forces chemical interventions. Paolo Caciorgna didn't have to save anything. He just had to listen.

Il Nocio, a Nobile di Montepulciano from a single vineyard, impressively demonstrates the true essence of the Sangiovese grape and has also been one of the region's quality leaders for years. Deep red, intense aromas of sour cherry, redcurrant, rose petals, violets and sweet spices. Dense, juicy and elegant on the palate, with fresh, pure fruit and smoothly polished tannins. Lively mineral and floral nuances in the very long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Dark bouquet of cherry and plum sauces mixed with cloves and grapefruit peel. This is pure elegance, rich and supple, even polished in feel, while masses of mineral-tinged red berries flow over a core of vibrant acidity. The tannins arrive late and intermingle with a concentrated layer of primary fruit, leaving a classically structured impression. It is already clear that this wine will make its fans very happy in a few years' time. SUPERIORE.DE

Altesinos Riserva is a taut and firm wine with perfectly nuanced fruit and an impressive aristocracy that always characterises the great elegance of Altesinos wines. In addition to its noble restraint, this Riserva is extremely refined, revealing a cosy ripeness with precise cherry aromas, spices, leather and traces of liquorice. Already exceptionally good today, it will certainly be even better in a few years' time! SUPERIORE.DE

The Magistra Brunello was vinified for the second time in 2019. Produced in a small edition of just over 1,000 bottles, it is the estate's new flagship wine. It is an extremely rigorous selection of the best grapes from the small Magistra vineyard, which is located south of Montalcino at around 400 metres above sea level. The vines are surrounded by a holm oak forest, which benefits from exposure with night-time ventilation from the Orcia Valley. This favours the development of the aromas, which are noticeable in the intense Sangiovese bouquet of crushed sour cherries, spiced blood oranges, minty herbs and a hint of sweet smoke. Silky yet lively on the palate, driven by a lively acidity that effortlessly carries the mineral fruit of the red berries across the palate together with the polished tannins. A gem of a wine! SUPERIORE.DE

The Riserva Lupi e Sirene (Wolves and Mermaids) label is reminiscent of the good old days when Podere le Ripi was so remote that the howling of the wolves was the only sound you could hear at night.

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to practically abandon this noble location. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) has become what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron and is therefore very different from all other Fèlsina vineyards.

Wolves and sirens. The coat of arms of Podere Le Ripi bears both – the wild and the seductive, the earthbound and the mythical. It is no coincidence that the Riserva bears this name. It is both. The vineyard is located on the eastern side of Montalcino, near Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where oceanic marl soil with a granite skeleton has been shaping the vines for millions of years. The vines are planted in Alberello – the old, bush-like training method in which each plant fights for itself, roots deeply, gives little and gives everything. 11,000 vines per hectare. Biodynamic, without concessions to simplicity. The vinification follows an inner logic that Sebastian Nasello thinks through to the end: spontaneous fermentation, maceration for 20 to 25 days in open oak vats – 80 per cent with classic pumping over, 20 per cent according to the Piedmontese principle of skin infusion. Then 36 months in large wooden barrels, followed by 14 months in cement. No shortcuts. No cosmetics. Just time and conviction.

At the end of the 1980s, Luca Sanjust planted the first Merlot clones in the clay-rich soils of Feriale, unaware that he would create a legend. The name Galatrona – once the dominion of the Tuscan dynasty, whose medieval watchtower towers over the ten-hectare vineyard – was to become synonymous with Italian Merlot perfection. "Le Pin of Tuscany", as Wine Spectator calls it, but at a fraction of the price of this mythical Pomerol. The 50,000 vines on southeast-facing terraces combine Bordeaux genetics with Tuscan soul. Clay stores the moisture that Merlot needs in the hot summers, while slate, marl and sandstone provide the mineral complexity.

Altesinos Montosoli displays the famous characteristics of this particular site, which are always characterised by a pronounced mineral intensity, with hints of crushed granite and lead pencil layers. The five-hectare vineyard has a higher concentration of Galestro clay-slate rock, and the altitude contributes to the freshness of the wine.

When you hear the story of the effort that went into the Colonia vineyard, you have to wonder if the fine people of Fèlsina are absolutely crazy. It took them two years to remove the imposing rock that had forced previous generations of the Poggiali family to practically abandon this noble location. But it is thanks to the ambitious Giovanni Poggiali that this spectacular vineyard (Vigneto Colonia) has become what it is today. It has reddish-brown soils, is rich in magnesium and iron and is therefore very different from all other Fèlsina vineyards.

While the world stood still in 2020, a quiet revolution took place in the vineyards of Montalcino. On the cool north-eastern slopes where Vincenzo Abbruzzese has been cultivating his Sangiovese vines for decades, nature wrote a chapter full of paradoxes: hot summer days with temperatures of up to 40 degrees, followed by night-time cooling, which gave the grapes the crystalline freshness that makes 2020 one of the most fascinating Brunello vintages in recent history. The vintage got off to a promising start with a mild winter that replenished the water reserves – a blessing in times of climate change. The spring was dry but even, until a rainy June with 154 millimetres allowed the foliage to grow lushly. Then came the summer: 64 days without a drop of rain, a drought that Vincenzo had never experienced before in his career. But where other winegrowers despaired, the master of Valdicava proved his expertise: meticulous foliage management protected the grapes from sunburn, while the deep roots of his old vines utilised the stored water from the rainy spring. The end of August brought redemption: cooler nights and scattered rain showers gave the vines new vigour. Vincenzo waited – a decision that sets his Brunello 2020 apart from many others. While other producers harvested before the September rains, he took advantage of the cooler temperatures for a final ripening that gave his wine the balance that makes 2020 a "drink-while-you-wait" vintage.

Avvoltore is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Powerful and explosive in the glass, it possesses remarkable intensity in all its dimensions, with great fruit and equally impressive tannins. Dark cherry, leather, smoke, tobacco, liquorice and grilled herbs form a virile, imposing Maremma red wine that will need at least a few years to develop its full expressive power. Once again, Morisfarms has done a great job with its flagship wine. SUPERIORE.DE,

Monumental and very concentrated single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of sour cherries and a fine cedar wood and liquorice note. The exciting thing is that Pietradonice is clearly recognisable as a Montalcino growth and yet, with its herbal and spicy character, it is as typical of Neri as it is of the grape variety and therefore seems to come from another larger world. SUPERIORE.DE

The Riserva "Tenuta Belguardo" is the flagship of the winery and an expression of Maremma in its modern, elegant form. It is based on Cabernet Sauvignon with a proportion of Cabernet Franc and reflects the Mediterranean vigour of the region as well as the cool precision of the nearby hills. The vines grow on barren limestone and sandy soils facing south-west, just a few kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea. The 2019 vintage is considered one of the most balanced of the last decade: a cool spring slightly delayed budbreak, followed by a warm but not overheated summer with regular breezes. The long, sunny September days with clear day-night differences produced grapes with perfect phenolic ripeness and fresh acidity. After selective manual harvesting, fermentation took place in stainless steel with a long maceration period, after which the wine matured for 18 months in French barriques and tonneaux.

Every year, Renieri conjures up a lush and fruit-driven Brunello in the glass, bursting with freshness, brightness and balsamic-aromatic intensity. Its grapes come from a small, nine-hectare parcel with chalky clay soils. It offers strong cherry and blackberry aromas with delicate spice, smoke and blue flowers. The wonderfully balanced acidity propels this showpiece wine into a seemingly endless final. SUPERIORE.DE

It was in 1991 that Michele Satta planted his first vineyard with a visionary blend: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah. An assemblage that would simultaneously honour Bolgheri's established Bordeaux excellence and unite the Tuscan elegance of Sangiovese with the Mediterranean complexity of Syrah. Three years later, in 1994, Piastraia was born – the wine that changed everything and catapulted Michele Satta into the ranks of the great Bolgheri producers. The name comes from the chestnut trees that surround the vineyard – piastraia refers to the characteristic paving of chestnut leaves that covers the ground. But it is more than just a name: it is the manifestation of a philosophy that combines international greatness with Tuscan soul. Almost three decades after the first planting, Piastraia has found its final form. Since 2012, it has proudly borne the designation "Bolgheri Superiore" – an honour for vineyards that have reached their full complexity after two decades. From the 2019 vintage, Satta said goodbye to Syrah in this blend to make room for the pure essence of Bordeaux varieties and Tuscan Sangiovese.