wines

From the Contrada Arcuria in Passopisciaro on the north side of Mount Etna at an altitude of 600-700 metres, this 100% Carricante is vinified partly in cement tanks and partly in large oak barrels. The result is a fresh white wine from old vines with an invigorating citrus scent and notes of mint, rich in tropical fruit, taut and firm, with an elegant mineral note on the palate, with a fine finish and high complexity. 4,000 bottles are bottled per vintage. SUPERIORE.DE

With further bottle ageing, this Barbaresco tends to be softer and more open, with soft tannins and a broad palate, thanks to the microclimate created by the cru's proximity to the Tanaro river.

La Tartufaia is the most inviting introduction to Giulia Negri's Barolo universe – and at the same time the most complex in its origin. The grapes come from two vineyards: Serradenari and Brunate. Brunate, one of the most sought-after crus in the entire appellation, straddles the border between La Morra and the village of Barolo – facing west, on tortonian clay with a high sand content and alkaline pH. This soil chemistry is crucial: an alkaline pH means fewer available minerals, more compact vegetation, grapes with thicker skins – and ultimately a Barolo that is fruitier, more accessible and rounder than its siblings. Spontaneous fermentation in 60-hectolitre wooden vats, around 40 days of maceration on the skins – somewhat shorter than the other parcels. Then 24 months in 25-hectolitre Austrian oak barrels.

The first vintage was released in 2001. A wine that had no history yet, only a conviction: that the Maremma, with Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, could express something that Tuscany had not yet heard. Twenty years on, with the 2021 vintage, Brancaia takes stock in silence – and has given this particular release the suffix ‘20 anni’. Over two decades, the vines have driven their roots deep into the sandy loam soil of the Maremma. No artificial water – only what the soil stores in winter and releases in summer. The vines have learnt to cope with the heat. The grapes are becoming more concentrated, the tannins finer, the character more distinctive. This is the promise made in 2001 – and which the 2021 vintage fulfils.

Oro di Caiarossa is a 100% Petit Manseng, the grapes are harvested by hand at the end of October. Dark golden yellow, almost amber-coloured in the glass. Flavours of passion fruit, mango and honey are softened by citrus fruits and floral elements. Subtly sweet on the palate with graceful flavours of candied citrus and tropical fruit. A fine hint of tannin and a reasonable length on the finish. This already fascinating dessert wine has both warmth and freshness and will gain in concentration as it matures. SUPERIORE.DE

The youngest of the Produttori cru wines, which saw the light of day in 1978. The palate reveals ripe, silky fruit and an important structure.

Monika Bär-Bettschart spent her holidays in Castellina as a young girl. She fell in love with this piece of Tuscany – and later with Thomas. After their marriage, the two acquired Gagliole. A Swiss couple, a Tuscan Podere, a very simple conviction: If you really love a piece of land, you have to farm it. La Valletta in Panzano has also been part of the family since 2011 – ten hectares on the north-western edge of the Conca d'Oro, at 450 to 500 metres, exposed to the south-west, on Pietraforte: that compact, limestone-rich sandstone that does not yield to Sangiovese – and therefore demands the best from it.

Only 2,500 bottles of the debut vintage were filled. Eós, named after the Greek goddess of dawn, is the result of a selection of the best Erbaluce grapes from our own vineyards on the volcanic porphyry soils of Boca. The grapes were slowly pressed with a vertical press (torchio) without being crushed or destemmed (whole bunch press). The juice was then poured into large Slavonian oak barrels, where it was aged on the lees for a year. This was followed by a further year of refinement in the barrel and in the bottle.

With "Capo Martino", Silvio Jermann not only pays tribute to the vineyard of the same name in the municipality of Dolegna del Collio, but also to his father Angelo – and thus to the origins of the family winery. It is a white wine of great cultural depth, a cuvée of indigenous varieties such as Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and Friulano, complemented by smaller proportions of other traditional varieties. The 2022 vintage was characterised by stable weather conditions with plenty of sunshine, which gave the grapes ripeness and expression – but without losing the typical freshness of the hills around Capo Martino. After the harvest, the grapes are destemmed, gently pressed and fermented spontaneously. Maturation takes place for around a year in large wooden barrels on the fine lees, with each component maturing separately before finally being blended into a cuvée. The result is a wine of quiet complexity and timeless elegance.

A Barbaresco with a lot of personality, in which body and tannin structure are well balanced by floral scents of undergrowth, mint and eucalyptus.

A little shy and reserved at first, but after a short time it comes to life and from then on never takes a step back. A beguiling spectacle of spiced orange peel, sour cherry and mint draws you closer to the glass, where notes of cardamom, cinnamon, clove and sage can be found. Initially soft and smooth on the palate, with fleshy red fruits and sweet spices coating the palate. A complex network of minerals and fine tannins slowly settles beneath this soothing blend. The lively acidity ensures that it remains fresh despite its structure. Accessible early, but with beautiful potential. SUPERIORE.DE

Brilliant and vertical, it retains its characteristic floral note and the freshness of the fruit typical of the terroir.

The annual production of this boutique winery on Etna is just 9,000 bottles. At an altitude of 950 metres above sea level, the one and a half hectares of vines are divided into eight tiny plots and have been gradually bought up by the well-known Oenologist. The area is planted with Nerello Mascalese bush vines, which have been spared the phylloxera phylloxera and make their way through the lava-covered terraces.

As always, Vietti's outrageously priced "entry-level" Barolo (formerly Castiglione) is based mainly on grapes from Ravera, with smaller portions from Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. Ruby red colour of medium intensity. The nose is explosive, opulent, persuasive and immediate. Notes of plum, red and ripe black cherry, black cherry, rose petals and tobacco are perceptible. The palate is classic, rich, powerful, with notes of alpine herbs and a leathery finish. The tannin is already well integrated. Especially in the peak year 2021, this wine is an absolute insider tip in the winery's incredibly terrificBarolo line-up every year, and not just because of its price. SUPERIORE.DE

Produced in small quantities, Vallocchio clearly stands out from pure Brunello di Montalcino. Darker, deeper and more mystical, it shows notes of ripe blackberries and plums, complemented by exotic brown spices and a hint of lemon confit. Its texture is like velvet stretching across the palate, black-fruited and ripe, underpinned by minerals and cooling herbal notes. It is youthfully monolithic and dense, revealing its austere tannin core only towards the end, where notes of black tea, liquorice and a hint of cocoa emerge. SUPERIORE.DE

Marc de Grazia made history on Mount Etna when he rediscovered the forgotten volcanic slopes over two decades ago. His Etna Rosso – is the estate’s ‘calling card’ – now blends grapes from various plots at altitudes between 600 and 900 metres, where Nerello Mascalese grows on ancient volcanic soils. The vines are situated on the cool northern slopes of Mount Etna, surrounded by black pumice and lava rock – — a terroir that lends every sip its unmistakable mineral character.

Neris Edel-Rosso was born with the purchase of a very special vineyard. True to the winery's philosophy of only producing wines from the best terroirs around Montalcino, the small 7-hectare plot with over 45 years of vines was finally acquired in 2018. This was preceded by over 40 years of friendship with the previous owners, with whom Giovanni Neri planted the vines and nurtured and cared for them over the past decades. Incidentally, the best grapes from this vineyard have been used for a small quantity of the Brunello di Montalcino of the same name since the 2018 vintage.

Poggio San Polo's Brunello is a selection of the best grapes from the estate's various vineyard sites. It opens very engagingly with dark fruit, including plenty of black cherry and dark plum, rounded off by aromas of undergrowth, rose petals, new leather and wild mint. Pleasing texture, suppleness and silkiness on the palate, refreshed and carried by a well-presented, refined Sangiovese acidity. Dark berry flavours, long, deep and with a slightly mineral final. SUPERIORE.DE

A fruity and graceful Barbaresco. The loamy soils give it a firm backbone and strong tannins.

100% Carricante of incredible elegance and purity, its subtle aroma of herbs and citrus fruits is complemented on the palate by a wonderful minerality and salinity. A white wine full of expressiveness and finesse! SUPERIORE.DE

A white legacy from the volcano: with the Alberelli di Giodo Carricante, Carlo Ferrini shows that great white wines do not have to come from the north – but from the east of Sicily. The vines grow at around 870 metres above sea level in the Contrada Volpare on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Etna. It is a barren, high-altitude single vineyard with a view of the Ionian Sea, characterised by porous lava soils, layers of ash, basalt fragments and permeable volcanic sand. The Alberello system with low, free-standing vines forces the plants to root deeply – each vine wrests its own language from the soil.

When Eugenio Palumbo, cellar master at Vietti, described the summer of 2022, he found a phrase that has echoed through the Langhe ever since: "Barolo grapes are usually harvested in wellies, not Crocs." A hot, dry year – the grapes were harvested 15 days earlier than usual, and the decisions made in the vineyard made all the difference. As in every year, grapes from around twenty different parcels flow into the Barolo – those portions that remain after selection for the single-vineyard wines. In 2022, a rare twist was added: this time, the Brunate, Cerequio and Villero vineyards were not released as independent MGA wines. Not the second selection, but their entire harvest was therefore channelled into this wine. Palumbo himself calls the result "a kind of super single vineyard" – and he is right.