Wines from Tuscany

It was Eugenio Campolmi who, in 1989, plucked up the courage to give his flagship the name of a wild herb that grows on the Tuscan coast. Eugenio Campolmi (†2002) was not originally from the world of wine. He came from a family of restaurateurs and was supposed to take over his parents' restaurant and trading business. Instead, he and his wife Cinzia Merli took a bold leap into the unknown in 1983. Paleo – a name that stands for unbending identity and the will to achieve any goal. What began as a classic Bordeaux blend found its true destiny in 2001: 100% Cabernet Franc, a revolution in the still young Bolgheri.

Chardonnay in the Maremma – that sounds like a bad idea. The sun is too strong, the summer too long, the heat too Mediterranean. And yet: Georg Weber has taken up this challenge. Not because he had to, but because he loves Chardonnay – the great white Burgundy wines, their texture, their complexity, their ability to express a place rather than mask it. Capalbio is one of the very few places on the Tuscan coast where this gamble pays off: 30 to 80 metres above sea level, five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, clay-limestone soil with eroded stones, constant sea breezes, cool nights. Each plot is vinified separately – because Weber believes that the terroir should have the final say, not the cellar. Whole-bunch pressing, natural fermentation, ageing on the fine lees with regular bâtonnage, and gravity-fed processes throughout. Maturation in French barriques and oval concrete tanks – a combination that gives the Chardonnay structure and depth without making it heavy. Around 5,000 bottles. The terroir allows for no more.

Very individualistic and quite extraordinary cuvée from Colorino, Canaiolo and Sangiovese. The bouquet is full of dark berries and the scent of elderflowers. Dense and powerful on the palate, yet slender, very clear, pithy, polished tannins and a long, full finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Il Caberlot is more than just a wine - it is a unique statement. Since the 1980s, the Rogosky family has been vinifying one of Italy's rarest red wines with great restraint: pure Caberlot, a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Merlot, exclusively from the tiny, high-altitude Il Carnasciale vineyard near Mercatale Valdarno. The stony, barren soils at an altitude of up to 520 metres and the continental microclimate of central Tuscany shaped the 2021 vintage in an ideal way: a fresh spring, a moderately warm summer and a long, dry autumn led to a late, selective harvest with exceptional aromatic finesse.

In 1944, Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the Maremma on a one-hectare plot at the highest point of his estate in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri. It was a private experiment, intended for family and friends. Until 1967, Sassicaia was enjoyed at the Incisas' dinner table. Then, in 1968, the first vintage was released onto the market – appearing in 1971 as a Vino da Tavola. The rest is history. And not just the history of the Tenuta, but the history of Italian wine as a whole. At a blind tasting in London in 1978 – featuring 33 Cabernet wines from around the world – the 1972 Sassicaia emerged victorious. And Luigi Veronelli was the first to recognise the greatness of this wine. In 1994, Bolgheri was granted DOC status for red wines. And in 2013, the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC was established: the only Denominazione d'Origine in Italy that is exclusively and irrevocably reserved for a single estate.

Two hands, one dream: When Elena Celli and Luca D'Attoma discovered the wild hills of Riparbella in 2000 – unploughed, stony and overgrown with macchia – they recognised the potential of this rugged terroir, situated at an altitude of between 250 and 300 metres. Here, where the salty breeze from the Tyrrhenian Sea meets Mediterranean wilderness, one of Italy's most extraordinary Cabernet Francs has been produced for over two decades. Luca D'Attoma, legendary Oenologist and creator of iconic wines such as Le Macchioles Messorio, is committed to radical purity: biodynamic cultivation in accordance with Demeter guidelines, spontaneous fermentation in conical oak barrels, and 20 months' ageing in barriques comprising 80% new oak.

"Sassicaia really was our house wine back then," says Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, daughter of the president of San Guido, Marquis Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta. "It was more of a wine experiment that was only tested within the family and among friends, until we went on the market for the first time with the 1968 vintage. Today, this wine is all about elegance and balance. We like this style, which is not so much about the body. Sassicaia is a good representative of what we want to convey as a style."

In Andrea Cortonesi's own words, 2019 was the first vintage since the legendary 1990 that gave him the feeling that everything was in balance. A slow start to vegetation after a rainy winter, a summer without heat peaks, even ripening until September. Harvest from 25 September – clean, healthy, concentrated. Already a stroke of luck for the Annata. For the Riserva: a perfect invitation. But not every vintage becomes a Riserva. And not every grape in the best vintage. Cortonesi only uses the oldest vines for the Riserva – planted in 1975, back when the word Brunello was hardly known outside Montalcino. Seven hectares, spread over sites between 150 and 350 metres in Castelnuovo dell'Abate, calcareous-clayey soils with marl and mineral structure. What grows here has decades of life in it.

There are wines that speak of a place, and there are wines that speak of a decision. The PS Riserva is both. In the early 1970s, Siro Pacenti planted a small plot of one and a half hectares in the northern part of his Pelagrilli slope – on sandy loam, at 350 metres, within sight of Siena. These vines are still standing today. Only in the most exceptional vintages do they produce the PS – the estate's only single-vineyard wine, in a strictly limited edition, unfiltered and produced over time. The bottling process follows the same principle as all of Giancarlo's wines: fermentation in tempered steel, double manual selection before and after destemming, 24 months in customised French barriques. No intervention that is not necessary. No adjustment that is not justified.

Since the first vintage in 1988, there has been no other wine in the world made from the mysterious Caberlot grape variety, a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Merlot, which the agronomist Remigio Bordini discovered in an overgrown vineyard near Padua at the end of the 1960s. What began with a superstitious gesture – wolf and Bettina Rogosky buried a bottle of Sassicaia under the first Caberlot vine in 1986 – developed into a cult icon of the Tuscan wine world. Only 3,900 magnum bottles of the 2020 Il Caberlot are produced annually in the barren heights of Mercatale Valdarno, where iron-rich sandstone soils over limestone bedrock create a rarity that collectors in 24 countries covet. Each bottle is personally numbered by Bettina Rogosky and recorded in a small notebook – a ritual that emphasises the exclusivity of this wine dream come true.

Badia a Passignano is always one of the many highlights in the Antinori range and is probably the estate's most refined and elegant Sangiovese. Its character is medium-bodied and supple, but with plenty of fruit intensity, which is typical of the vineyard of the same name. It skilfully strikes a balance between richness and finesse, captivating from the very first sip. Lavender, mint, blue-purple fruit and liquorice are beautifully brought out. It is a very traditional and noble expression of the Tuscan grape that is hard to resist. SUPERIORE.DE

It is by no means a given that we will once again be able to offer you a few bottles of the rare 18th edition of Ornellaia's "Vendemmia d'Artista" 2023 in 0.75-litre bottles this year. As usual, this special edition is rare and highly sought-after, as each wooden case of six contains just one bottle of this limited-edition collector's item.

Powerful, very attractive wine. Smells of strawberry and cherry, spices and a hint of leather. Tastes juicy, very special and impresses with firm tannin and persistent length. SUPERIORE.DE

Luce Brunello has been one of the icons in the large portfolio of Frescobaldi wines from Tuscany for years. The 2019 edition opens with great power and determination with ripe fruit flavours of blackberries and candied cherries. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and very harmonious thanks to the bright acidity and the overall quality of the primary fruit flavours of this excellent vintage. The tannins are well woven into the full-bodied density of the wine. Be sure to aerate or, better still, leave to mature for a few years in the cellar. SUPERIORE.DE

Here is arguably one of Italy's finest Cabernet Francs: bluish hues mingle with ruby red. The deep bouquet offers blackberries and hints of roasted coffee, followed as the wine opens up by notes of sea scrub, balsamic and minty notes. On the palate, full-bodied and silky tannins with hints of violets and mint, offering flavour and freshness. All this is underpinned by a refined elegance that carries through to a harmonious and lingering finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Here comes the third vintage of Stefano Frascolla's heart project from the Alta Maremma. Just 2,500 bottles of this 100% Syrah are bottled, aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, then filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

From the oldest Merlot plot in the Le Sondraie vineyards comes Bell'Aja’s flagship wine – a wine that impressively demonstrates the ambition of the San Felice project in Bolgheri. Since 2016, this estate has rounded off the historic group’s interpretation of Tuscan wine: from the hills of Chianti Classico, through the prestigious vineyards of Montalcino, to this shining jewel on the Etruscan coast. Bell’Aja Superiore embodies the pure essence of a unique terroir: 95% Merlot from the estate’s most venerable vines blends with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon to create a wine of impressive power and opulence. The sandy-clay soils of the Le Sondraie area, just five kilometres from the Tyrrhenian Sea, lend this Bordeaux-inspired blend the maritime minerality that makes Bolgheri one of the most fascinating terroirs in the wine world.

The Paesaggio Inatteso selection comes from Camigliano's 3.5-hectare "La Magia" vineyard, which has mineral and calcareous soils. Only just under 3,000 bottles are bottled. It offers a more robust style and a stronger aromatic intensity than the Annata. Bright red with an amber-coloured rim. On the nose, round notes of walnut shells, roasted hazelnuts and linseed, as well as red plums, pomegranate seeds and green olives. Traces of incense and cardamom in the background. Full-bodied, lively tannins on the palate, with hints of red berries and flowers leading to an intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

A mere 2,500 bottles are produced from this 100% Syrah; it is aged (on the skins) for half a year in amphorae, after which it is filtered and matured in small French oak barrels.

A distinctive expression of southern elegance, shaped by the terroir of the Maremma and a cuvée that ingeniously combines Syrah and Grenache. The vines for the Tinata grow on loamy, calcareous soils on a hillside, not far from the Tyrrhenian coast near Capalbio. The 2021 vintage was balanced and almost ideal: a moderately warm summer, without any drought stress, followed by a long, sunny autumn – perfect conditions for fully ripe, aromatically complex grapes.

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruit aromas of pomegranate and cherry, and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. On the palate, fresh rose sugar and graphite, accompanied by raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberries. A long finish with a subtle hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

Black cherry red with a violet rim. On the nose, notes of spices such as ginger, cinnamon, dried coriander and vanilla pod, rounded off with fruity aromas of pomegranate and cherry, and floral nuances such as geranium, lavender and rose. On the palate, fresh rose sugar and graphite, accompanied by raspberry, cherry, fresh plum and cranberries. A long finish with a subtle hint of cassis. SUPERIORE.DE

For us, the pure Cabernet Franc from Duemani is one of the best representatives of the grape variety and the western Tuscan coastal region. The bouquet has an extraordinary clarity of dark plum, coffee and wild roses. Rich and with a perfectly integrated woody note on the palate, its strength, structure and elegance are particularly fascinating. SUPERIORE.DE

Duemani has just 7,000 Syrah vines – the estate's smallest plot, yet perhaps the most precious. Suisassi, this enigmatic name, which evokes the sound of the nearby surf, embodies Elena's very own vision: to create a Syrah that imitates neither the Rhône nor South Australia, but captures the Tuscan coast in all its wild beauty. Luca D'Attoma, who helped create Le Macchiole's legendary Scrio as a consultant, applies the same philosophy here: 30% of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches to enhance the aromatic complexity, spontaneous yeast fermentation in conical oak vats and small 1,Liters preserves the fruit's vibrancy, before the wine is left to rest for 20 months in French barriques.