Wines from Tuscany

There are wines that have changed the history of their country. Not by chance, not because of a passing trend – but through a single, well-founded act of provocation. In 1971, Piero Antinori commissioned one of the most prominent Italian graphic designers of his time to design the label for his new wine: Silvio Coppola, known for book covers and designer furniture, for his austere and minimalist style. The label was minimalist – but the wine behind it was a revolution. No Trebbiano, no Malvasia. No white grapes in the red wine, as the Chianti regulations had stipulated since Ricasoli's time. Instead: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc. Barrique instead of large casks. A wine that consequently automatically fell outside the DOC classification – and was launched on the market as a simple Vino da Tavola. Piero Antinori signed the label with his father Niccolò's name: a gesture of gratitude for the trust that had allowed him the boldness to do so in the first place.

The 50th harvest year of Sassicaia. It snowed in Bolgheri in February 2018. The last time this happened was in 1985 – the year that is considered the greatest Sassicaia in history. The Siberian "Burian" winter storm brought temperatures below zero for days, killed the pests on the vines and replenished the soil water reserves. A promising start. What followed was a cool, slow wine year: moderate spring, temperate summer, refreshing nights well into September. Tenuta San Guido began the harvest seven to eight days later than usual – and selected more rigorously than in most years: The vineyards in the lowlands were not included. The higher vineyards, Castiglioncello and Quercione, characterised the character.

The Riserva Le Lucére is not produced according to a calendar. It is created when the plot allows it – when Galestro and slate, eastern exposure and Sangiovese Grosso come together in a constellation that goes beyond the ordinary. 2018 was such a year, even if the world of Brunello observers initially doubted it. The elegance and finesse shown by the 2018 Annata is multiplied by the Riserva through time. More than two years in barrique and tonneau, then the large containers, then the bottle. Each stage is a dialogue between wood and fruit, between power and suppleness. What emerges is a wine with a complexity that is immediately recognisable and will last for years to come.

An impressive and unforgettable Merlot from the sun-drenched vineyards of the Bolgheri zone near the Mediterranean Sea. It has received lavish praise in the trade press from all over the world. The bouquet combines dark, very ripe fruit and tobacco. Velvety tannins, an ingratiatingly alcoholic character and tremendous persistence are part of its soft taste. SUPERIORE.DE

Masseto 2020 combines all the special features of the vintage. Its colour and aromas show optimal concentration both visually and olfactorily and are characterised by a constant liveliness in the glass that does not diminish over time. On the palate, the power of this wine is expressed with a beautiful length and balsamic notes. Its solid tannin structure reveals the ageing potential typical of Masseto. SUPERIORE.DE

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, the Antinori family discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico.

"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."

"Everything was slow, calm and beautiful." This is how cellar master Carlo Paoli described 2013. After an April frost that regulated the natural grape yield, a summer without extremes followed – no heat spike, no stressful events, just a gradual, even ripening that gave the Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravel marl soils of Tenuta San Guido exactly what it needed: Time. Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, granddaughter of the founder, called the result a record year for Sassicaia. The harvest began at the beginning of September with the Cabernet Franc, which was the first to reach phenological ripeness, and ended at the end of September in the high vineyards of Castiglioncello.

Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta is said to have once said that Sassicaia is always great in years with an eight at the end: 1958, 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2008. The sentence sounds like a legend – but it holds water. 2008 was a year of transition: spring began cool, the vegetation was delayed by ten days, the summer gradually warmed up and led to a concentrated, structurally rich harvest. It was also the first year in which the new oenological team worked together with the legendary Giacomo Tachis – a baton that was passed in slow motion.

There are vintages that are underestimated on release and only assert their true status over the years. The 2009 Sassicaia is one of them. When it came onto the market, critics debated 2008 and 2010, but anyone who listened carefully realised that the 2009 climate year in Bolgheri was simply perfect. A long, cold winter secured the water reserves. The spring began cautiously, the summer gifted the vineyards with warmth and pronounced day-night temperature contrasts – conditions that lead Cabernet Sauvignon to extraordinary phenolic ripeness on the gravel soils of Bolgheri. The harvest began at the beginning of September and was flawless.

Gambero Rosso named the Giodo Brunello 2020 "The best red wine in Italy in 2026", and the reasoning reads like a silent tribute: "The sum of his experience with Sangiovese, his first love." His daughter Bianca Ferrini added what is behind the wine: "It is the first vintage in the new cellar, the first chapter together with my father."

When the world-famous Oenologist Carlo Ferrini makes his own wine, you can't help but be excited. Here, he has succeeded in creating an interpretation of Sangiovese that brings all his experience from decades of working with this grape variety to the fore as if through a burning glass. The moderate use of wood through ageing in 700-litre tonneaux expresses the clarity and personality of the grape and the unique terroir (there are just 1.5 hectares of the best Brunello sites) in an archetypal way.

San Walfredo – a Merlot that breathes history. Named after the Antinori family saint, this Bolgheri Superiore not only stands for excellence, but also for a conscious pause in the flow of modernity. The grapes come from a single plot, from an old, gravel-rich strip of alluvial soil near the sea. The combination of intense sunshine, good aeration and broodingsoils produces grapes of rare concentration and balance. The 2019 vintage got off to a cool start with late budding and an ideal growing season. September brought warm days and cool nights – perfect conditions for a balance of ripeness and freshness. The grapes were harvested exclusively by hand, plot by plot. Fermentation took place in conical stainless steel tanks, with a long maceration period, followed by 18 months of maturation in new French barriques and subsequent rest in the bottle.

When an estate like San Filippo produces its Riserva in a vintage like 2019, the result is something for which wine language is barely sufficient. 2019 shone in Montalcino. No critic who tasted it spent long searching for words. For Le Lucére, this meant: an east-facing vineyard that utilises the late morning sun to allow Sangiovese Grosso to ripen slowly, evenly and without stress until October. Harvest between 28 September and 7 October – not a moment too early, not a moment too late. Then: more than a year in barrique and tonneau, almost two and a half years in large oak casks, a further year in the bottle. An ageing process that is not rushed because it cannot afford to be.

Siepi has always been more than just a vineyard – it was a vision waiting to become reality. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, this mystical place lies amidst dense oak forests near Castellina in Chianti: ten hectares of pure magic on Alberese soils, which even the ancient Romans knew how to appreciate. Paradoxically, the story of Siepi 2023 begins with one of the most challenging vintages of recent times. A mild winter with scant rainfall, followed by a rainy spring that pushed the Mazzei winemakers to their limits. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, a wine emerged that impressively embodies the estate's philosophy: "Great vineyards shine in difficult vintages."

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard, the Antinori family and then Lodovico Antinori, with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate and terroir, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico and later the Tenuta del Nicchio, which is now run by Lodovico and his daughter Sophia. SUPERIORE.DE

After many years of identifying the best Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot parcels within the boundaries of their Bolgheri vineyard, the Antinori family and then Lodovico Antinori, with the help of the famous OenologistMichel Rolland, discovered in the early 2000s that there was an even more special microclimate and terroir in the middle of this microclimate and terroir, the results of which surpassed those of the larger area. Everyone involved immediately realised that this unique character had to be vinified and highlighted separately - this was the birth of today's cult wine Lodovico and the Tenuta del Nicchio, which is now run by Lodovico and his daughter Sophia. SUPERIORE.DE

Poggio Antico's noble new addition to the portfolio makes its debut in the very first vintage with the typical class of the winery: precise and with great personality, it shows a lively fruit of outstanding quality, reminiscent of black plums, blackberries, pressed blueberries, plums, wild myrtle, milk chocolate, roasted hazelnuts and a light vanilla note. Citrus undertones and an elegant acid wire slim down the extract sweetness in the best possible way. Full-bodied on the palate, very well polished tannins and a solid, powerful finish that shows both muscle and relaxation. The grapes come from the small vineyard of the same name at over 550 metres above sea level. SUPERIORE.DE

Lodovico Antinori has always been the creative force behind Tenuta di Biserno in Bibbona. In 2018, however, he launched a new project with his daughter, Sophia Antinori, called Tenuta del Nicchio. The estate comprises 12 hectares of vineyards near Bolgheri and two hectares near the village of Castagneto Carducci. Il Nicchio (debut vintage 2021) is by no means simply Lodovico's 'second wine'. It is inspired by the magnificent Saint-Émilion Château Cheval Blanc and is made primarily from Cabernet Franc. This grape variety thrives on the region's complex soils, which consist of silt and alluvial sand with a high clay content. Just a hint of the estate's own Merlot is added to create a wine with a character all of its own.

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.

Brunello di Montalcino by Poggio di Sotto is an explosive wine, full and dark. Black cherries, menthol, spices and freshly tanned leather are just some of the diverse aromas. The palate is dense, enveloping and fantastically flowing. Accentuated acidity, perfectly integrating the tannins, finishes on notes of ripe stone fruit, leather and mushrooms. An absolutely fascinating, sublime wine (for the advanced) at the highest level. SUPERIORE.DE

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 the estate in Castiglioncello di Bolgheri. It was a private experiment intended for family and friends. Until 1967, Sassicaia was enjoyed at the Incisa family's dinner table. Then, in 1968, the first vintage was released – 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 – in which 33 Cabernet wines from around the world were compared – the 1972 Sassicaia emerged as the winner. 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 winery.

Rare, exceptional Merlot from the west of Tuscany: deep ruby red with violet reflections. The bouquet is multi-layered with hints of wild berries and blackberries, ripe cherries, but also liquorice and tobacco notes. Very structured and lively on the palate. The silky tannins emphasise the delicate minerality right through to the almost endless finish. SUPERIORE.DE

There are wines that make history. Solaia is one of them. When the Antinori family bottled this wine for the first time in 1978 – a pure Cabernet cuvée made from 80 per cent Sauvignon and 20 per cent Franc – nobody could have guessed that one of the most influential chapters in Italian wine history was about to begin. The name itself says it all: Solaia is derived from "sole", the sun, as this vineyard on the Tenuta Tignanello enjoys the sunniest south-west exposure on the entire estate. Twenty hectares between 350 and 400 metres above sea level, where the vines drive their roots deep into Alberese and Galestro – the hard limestone and schistose claystone that date back to the Pliocene and are rich in marine fossils. Solaia is only produced in exceptional years; there was no bottling in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992. This consistency, this relentlessness in the pursuit of perfection, makes Solaia what it is: not just a wine, but an icon.