Wines from Tuscany

"Pianrosso" – the red plain. When Giuseppe Bianchini began planting this vineyard in 1985, he knew that the heart of his heritage would beat here, on the iron-rich Galestro soils above the Orcia Valley. Eleven hectares between 240 and 360 metres, supported by the slate and marl subsoil that was once seabed before the nearby Monte Amiata left behind its volcanic minerality. Today, his son Paolo and his son Alex continue this legacy – three generations of Bianchini, who face Montalcino's hottest zone with organic cultivation and prudent restraint. The 2020 vintage demanded everything: July heat, which led to 15.5 per cent alcohol, but underneath lies the elegance for which Castelnuovo dell'Abate is famous.

The Cotarella family's Le Macioche Brunello 2020 shows balance and character, opening with bright cherry fruit, menthol, balsamic herbs, minerals and soft earthy tones. On the palate, the wine unfolds with lightness, silky and refined, with a pure presentation of ripe red berries accompanied by violet-coloured flowers and a hint of leather. Although grippy and structured, it remains energetic and fresh on the final, leaving a hint of violets and lavender. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Casanovina Montosoli is one of those wines where you know you are in for an experience as soon as you smell the glass. Dark berries and cherries are followed by roasted nuts, gravel and slate. It is remarkably fresh and light on the palate, but also rich and exotic, with a silky texture that is layered with tart wild berries, savoury herbs and a hint of balsamic spice over a medium-bodied palate. Inner roses, violets, lavender and tart citrus - this wine is remarkably layered and has an unseen depth. The balance between lively acidity and increasing tannin keeps the experience alive. With only 3,800 bottles produced each year, Riccardo Campinoti creates a cru here that not only represents the individuality of Le Ragnaie wines perfectly, but is also hard to beat in terms of elegance and finesse. SUPERIORE.DE

Guado al Tasso is not only the name of the winery, but also the historical term for a ford in the torrent on the Marchesi Antinori estate. In the Middle Ages, this was the name given to the place where one encountered the "tasso" (badger) while travelling through the water on horse and cart. This poetic place name came to symbolise a wine that combines depth and movement: A Bolgheri Superiore with provenance, history and attitude. Despite the summer heat, the 2022 vintage produced an astonishingly balanced structure. Selective harvest in the best parcels between the hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea, fermentation in stainless steel, followed by 18 months of ageing in new French barriques, followed by at least 6 months of bottle ageing.

Until the regulations were changed in 2016, 600 metres was the upper limit for Brunello di Montalcino. The grapes for Passo del Lume Spento come from a single vineyard located on a sandstone plateau at 621 metres above sea level. It displays fresh aromas of lavender and fennel with warm, fragrant earth and a subtle smoky note. The medium-bodied, crisp and sinewy wine tastes of red berries pressed from rocky earth, accompanied by tangy acidity and remarkable freshness. The finish is still primary and mineral, with crisp tannins that give this single-vineyard cru a remarkable bite and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Brunello di Montalcino Petroso is only produced in the best years and in an extremely limited quantity - just 1,200 bottles of the 2019 vintage will be released onto the market. The exciting bouquet combines rich dark fruits with savoury spices, sage and violets to create a captivating spectacle. Soft and enveloping on the palate, initially quite feminine, with a mix of vibrant acids and minerals giving way to wild berries and pretty inner flowers. This cool, balanced and savoury wine already shows enormous purity and finesse when young, but with its grippy tannins it definitely needs more years to develop fully. With such a limited production, it is a shame that more people will not be able to enjoy this exceptionally beautiful Brunello. SUPERIORE.DE

The fruit for this Brunello comes from a 14.4 hectare south-facing vineyard with loamy soils and lots of boulders. Complex, dark and earthy bouquet of ripe black cherries, enriched with notes of dried flowers, spices, crushed stones and a hint of animal musk. The palate reveals silky textures and pure Sangiovese fruit, underpinned by earthy tones supported by a network of minerals and tannins. The mouthfeel is always lean, tangy and soft, although you can feel the wine's full body and great appeal at all times. The final is polished and refined and lasts for several minutes. SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for the Fornace come from a vineyard high in the hills of Castelnuovo dell'Abate. It is only vinified separately in the best vintages in a small production run of around 3,000 bottles. In the glass, Fornace presents itself with a saturated, dark garnet-red colour. It makes a great first impression, which is enhanced by the depth and intensity of its flavours. Its personality is slender, refined and noble. This wine eschews the classic primary flavours of red and purple fruit, instead composing a beautiful symphony of spices, balsamic herbs and camphor ash. A wonderful wine. SUPERIORE.DE

Of all five Le Ragnaies vineyards, Vecchie Vigne is the most classic wine with a pronounced concentration and personality. Like Passo Lume Spento, the grapes for this vinophile gem come from vineyards located 600 metres above sea level. The site is one of the highest in the entire appellation. Its fruit is harvested from old vines that are 60 years old or more. Vecchie Vigne offers a dramatic and pungent bouquet of wild berries, blue flowers, balsamic herbs and crushed stone. The tannins are firm and taut and, given the high altitude, it is not surprising that the wine and its Sangiovese character are particularly crisp and linear. This exceptional Brunello also has an elegant, savoury profile, a silky texture and brilliant acidity that adds juicy depth to the tart red fruits. We recommend ageing the wine for at least another 5 years to reveal its full potential and distinctive character. SUPERIORE.DE

Podere Uccelliera is located on the south-eastern slope of the hill of Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where the view falls on the extinct volcano Monte Amiata and the breeze from the Orcia Valley blows through the vineyards. Not a large estate, not a marketing machine. Nine hectares, one man, one idea of wine. Andrea Cortonesi comes from a Mezzadria family that cultivated these lands for generations, long before Brunello was a word the world knew. In 1986, he bought the old Podere – with centuries-old olive trees, half a hectare of vines and the firm intention of creating something lasting here. He had previously worked at Ciacci Piccolomini, Poggio di Sotto and Mastrojanni – as a cellar master, as an observer, as a learner. What he took with him was not a recipe. It was a flair. He vinified his first Brunello in 1991.

Until the regulations were changed in 2016, 600 metres was the upper limit for Brunello di Montalcino. The grapes for Passo del Lume Spento come from a single vineyard located on a sandstone plateau at 621 metres above sea level. It displays fresh aromas of lavender and fennel with warm, fragrant earth and a subtle smoky note. The medium-bodied, crisp and sinewy wine tastes of red berries pressed from rocky earth, accompanied by tangy acidity and remarkable freshness. The finish is still primary and mineral, with crisp tannins that give this single-vineyard cru a remarkable bite and great ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Since Guidalberto has been vinified from its own grapes, most of which also grow in the Sassicaia DOC monopoly position, San Guido's "second wine" has grown beyond itself. Spicy, earthy bouquet with hints of tobacco, clove and lavender, dense and juicy on the palate with fresh red and black berry fruit. The tannins are well balanced and the finish is complex with a majestic elegance that will become even more refined with years of ageing in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

The crown jewel of Le Cinciole bears a name that reveals its origins: Petresco, derived from the stony soils of this special single vineyard that Valeria Viganò and Luca Orsini planted over twenty years ago at an altitude of 470 metres. Here, where the Sangiovese vines are optimally positioned above the Panzano valley, one of the region's most exceptional Supertuscans is produced year after year. The 2019 epitomises the estate's uncompromising philosophy: only the very best grapes, hand-picked and carefully selected, find their way into this masterpiece. Spontaneous fermentation in cement tanks at a maximum temperature of 28 degrees preserves the original power of the Sangiovese before the wine completes its malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques. The Petresco rests for twenty-four months in a sophisticated combination of large barrels and barriques – a balanced blend that gives the wine depth without masking its original elegance. A further year in cement vats and at least twelve months of ageing in the bottle complete the development of this exceptional Sangiovese.

In 2001, the brothers Piero and Lodovico Antinori, together with their nephew Niccolò Marzichi Lenzi, recognised the extraordinary potential of the hills of Bibbona in the upper Maremma. Instinct, passion and centuries of family experience led to a parcel-by-parcel study that would eventually become the birth of Tenuta di Biserno. The terroir of these 40 hectares at an altitude of 90 metres is of extraordinary complexity: mainly alluvial and clay-limestone soils that create the ideal environment for Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The different exposures and the distance from the sea characterise the varietal expression so strongly that the decision in favour of two production lines was obvious: Biserno – the most prestigious and representative wine of the estate – and Il Pino di Biserno.

Biserno is more than just another Bordeaux blend in Tuscany. It is the essence of a place that cannot be tamed, but wants to be understood. Cabernet Franc forms the backbone – a grape variety that develops an unrivalled minerality in these marine soils. Merlot lends a velvety texture, while Cabernet Sauvignon and a hint of Petit Verdot complete the architecture. Every grape harvested by hand, every decision thought through down to the smallest detail by Helena Lindberg and Michel Rolland. 2021 was the year of perfect balance. A mild, wet winter caused the vines to sprout late, while a cool spring delayed development. But when the warmth arrived in late May and early June, life exploded in the vineyards. The summer, warm but not too hot, cool at night due to the salty breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea, created ideal conditions for slow, even ripening. The harvest began early, at the end of August, and extended into October – time enough for each plot to find its perfect moment.

Riserva is not an automatic process at Fuligni. It is created when a vintage deserves it – and when the estate's oldest vineyards have produced something that is more than Brunello. More than good. 1972, 1976, 2002: vintages in which Fuligni simply did not bring any Brunello onto the market because the quality was not right. This consistency is rare, because you have to be able and willing to afford it. It is also the foundation on which a Riserva acquires its very special meaning. 2020 was not an easy year. Warm, dry, early ripening – a vintage that many producers dismissed as too lush, too soft. Fuligni saw it differently. The north-east-facing sites in Cottimelli, between 380 and 450 metres, on Galestro – stony, cool, with natural acidity even in hot years – dampened the heat and preserved the freshness. What was a challenge in flatter, warmer sites resulted in concentrated, healthy grapes with depth and surprising elegance. The oldest vines on the estate, over forty years old, with reduced yields and highly concentrated juice, provided the material for the selection.

At 618 metres above sea level, where the air already carries the coolness of the mountains and the view sweeps over the entire Chianti Valley, lies one of the most venerable vineyards in Tuscany: Coltassala – once born as a rebellious Supertuscan, today ennobled as Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from the UGA Radda, embodies the revolution and evolution of Tuscan viticulture like no other wine. In 1980, Federica Mascheroni Stianti's family took the plunge: when the DOC system was still forcing Trebbiano and Malvasia into Chianti, they pressed a pure Sangiovese wine up here in small barriques based on the French model instead of the traditional large Slavonia barrels. What was then still misjudged as Vino da Tavola heralded a new era. Today, with the new UGA rules of Chianti Classico (Unita Geografiche Aggiunte, in Germany one would say Lage, in France Cru), Coltassala is finally finding its well-deserved home – as a Gran Selezione from the Radda geographical unit, which stands for the most extreme and elegant expressions of Chianti Classico. The altitude gives the 2021 vintage that characteristic freshness that makes Radda so unique – despite the warm weather, the wine retains its crystalline acidity and vibrancy.

The exceptional 2019 harvest has prompted Luca Sanjust to take another step towards "quality without compromise". The yields per plant were reduced even further and the selection of grapes from the identified parcel was made even more rigorous. This led to a reduction in the number of bottles available to around 3,000. The same meticulousness was applied in the cellar, selecting the most suitable 7 hectolitre barrels for ageing "sur lie". The greatest attention was paid to their wood grain and "toasting" in order to achieve the harmony and taste that a pure Grand Cru Sangiovese should have.

The grapes for the Annata, which was certified organic for the first time in 2020, come from a 13-hectare site at an altitude of 500 metres. The soils here are somewhat lighter and stonier than the average for the appellation, with slate-rich Galestro and calcareous Alberese. As always, Poggio Antico's 2020 vintage is authentic and classic, with bright fruit tones, wild cherries, roasted nuts, blue flowers and forest floor. While the other wines in the portfolio mature in smaller tonneaux, this wine is aged in large Slavonian barrels. We like the energetic lift and the simultaneous brightness of the fruit - the winery achieves this like no other. As the wine progresses, the approach is very delicate with a convincing intensity of floral aromas and a silky mouthfeel. A lively acidity ensures balance and freshness right to the end, while a salty, mineral note is added on the finish. As always, this Brunello from the best winery is a safe bet! SUPERIORE.DE

The grapes for this wine come mainly from a vineyard in the north-east of Montalcino with Galestro soils at an altitude of 330 to 480 metres above sea level. In addition to five different sites there, the Neri family also owns three vineyards in the south between the villages of Sant'Angelo in Colle and Castelnuovo dell'Abate. L'Etichetta Bianca, as this Brunello is called, is medium-bodied and noble and offers bright, fresh red cherry flavours. Hints of rust and warm stone as well as subtle sweet spices add complexity. Tactile but fine, sandy tannins give it the necessary grip, the finish is delicately salty, lively and fragrant. A classic from one of the best houses in the appellation. SUPERIORE.DE

The name is a tribute. Giodo – composed of Giovanna and Donatello, the names of his parents. Carlo Ferrini, one of Italy's most important Oenologist, has dedicated his life to Sangiovese – as a consultant for estates from Montalcino to Etna and as the designer of some of the most influential wines in Tuscany over the last three decades. It was not a question of if he would found his own winery at some point, but when. In 2002, he found it: ten hectares in Sant'Angelo in Colle, south-west Montalcino, seven of them woodland, three for the vine. And the vine here is exclusively Sangiovese – 15 carefully selected clones, planted with the patience of a man who knows that great wines are not made, but accompanied.

Michele Satta is one of the pioneers of Bolgheri – in 1982, he founded his winery as one of the first in this now world-famous Tuscan coastal region. While the big names all around were focussing on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, Satta took an unconventional step: with Marianova, first vinified in 2015, the second generation of the family created the first Bolgheri Superiore to be made entirely without Bordeaux grapes. Instead, this wine combines equal parts of the best Syrah and Sangiovese grapes from the Vignanova vineyard – the grape varieties that have most strongly characterised Satta's Bolgheri experience. Vinification takes place in cement vats with 30 per cent whole-cluster fermentation and malolactic fermentation in barriques. Ageing lasts 18 months in Liters amphorae and barriques, followed by further bottle ageing.

Il Caberlot is normally only bottled in magnum format. Here we offer a few bottles from a small edition, which were bottled in the 0.75 litre bottle (demi-magnum) with the addition of the name "Sommelleria" especially for restaurants.

Marianova is the first Bolgheri Superiore to be produced without Bordeaux grape varieties. Instead, it is a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Sangiovese, an idea of Michele Satta's son Giacomo, which was first produced in 2015.