wines

Talentis Riserva is a barrel selection that is aged for 36 months in a combination of 25 and 20 hectolitre oak barrels and a small amount in tonneaux. Pian di Conte 2019 is a classic, stately wine with lots of dark fruits, dried blackberries, spices, tobacco and mentholated herbs. The palate is polished and elegant with sweet plums, cherries and blackberries on the attack. These sweet fruit nuances are followed by spicy cedar wood and campfire flavours, as well as fine tannins and an almost endless depth. SUPERIORE.DE

In the easternmost tip of the Barolo zone, where the ancient Serravallian soils of Serralunga d'Alba force the vine roots deep into the earth, lies one of the most uncompromising MGA sites in all of Piedmont: Sorano – a name that inspires awe among Barolo connoisseurs and at the same time epitomises Matteo Ascheri's entire philosophy: To create wines that are only produced in exceptional vintages, when nature shows all its goodness. 2021 was such a year. After the tropically hot 2018, which filled the water reserves, and the equally warm 2019, 2021 created that perfect balance between power and elegance that only dream vintages can achieve. In Sorano, where the south-south-west exposure at an altitude of 280 to 350 metres brings out the Nebbiolo terroir in its purest form, 2021 produced grapes of exceptional concentration and aromatic complexity.

Ai Suma is Braida's epitome of exceptional Barbera – ai Suma, which means "We did it" in the Piedmontese dialect, was first created in 1989 by a lucky coincidence: a late harvest that gave the wine enormous maturity and complexity. Since then, Braida's top Barbera has only been vinified in outstanding years, from hand-picked grapes from old vines in sun-drenched vineyards around Rocchetta Tanaro. The 2021 vintage benefited from a harmonious vegetation cycle: a mild spring, warm but balanced summer months and a dry, sunny harvestthat lasted well into October. These conditions allowed for a late harvest with perfectly ripe berries that characterise the wine. Careful fermentation is followed by the classic ageing period of around 15 months in French barriques, followed by a longer period of rest in the bottle, which brings structure and flavour into full harmony.

Serra is an often misunderstood location. Small, little known, sometimes underestimated by connoisseurs – because it has neither the full southern sun of a Cerretta nor the dramatic hillside location of a Vigna Rionda. Anyone who hears the MGA Serra in Serralunga for the first time thinks: quite nice. Anyone drinking the wine for the first time will think: wait a minute. The Rosso family's plot is located around one kilometre south of the village centre, in the upper municipal area of Serralunga, with an eastern to south-eastern exposure. No midday light to overwhelm the grapes – instead, cool mornings, slow ripening, a precision in the tannin that only this orientation can produce. Davide Rosso describes it himself: The eastern exposure intensifies the fresh, austere character of these wines. And rightly so. Those who reduce Barolo to power and flavour will have no use for Serra. Those who reduce Barolo to origin and attitude will never forget it.

Massimo Piccin is living the dream of giving new expression to Bordeaux growths from Bolgheri and producing wines that combine power, elegance and longevity. And so the Sapaio offers its full, vital and tannin-rich style magnificently and allows plenty of time for the finish. Once again, some of the grapes come from Bibbona, i.e. outside the Bolgheri DOC, so that this great wine can only bear the addition Toscana IGT.

A Barbaresco with a deliberately classic style: Nubiola is created from a mosaic of six small plots in Treiso, Barbaresco and Neive. Different exposures (east, south, west) and altitudes between 200 and 400 metres meet calcareous marl soils with sandy-clayey veins – the basis for complexity, flavour and length. The vines were planted between 1980 and 2004 (Guyot, approx. 5,000 vines/ha) and deliver concentrated and outstanding harvest.

Here it is, the impressive first Gran Selezione from Riecine, showing more grace than muscle and delivering a Riecine-typical and very precise Burgundian interpretation of the Sangiovese grape.

Sauvignon Bianco Rachtl comes from a small micro-location of just 0.4 hectares. It gets its fine flint and graphite nose from the porphyry soils near Unteraicha in the municipality of Völs. Very subtle on the palate with fine saline acidity, fresh fruit and a long-lasting finish. If you can call one of the 2,000 bottles of this vintage your own, you can count yourself lucky! SUPERIORE.DE

Gualto 2016 not only reflects the extremely aristocratic exceptional vintage, but is also one of the best Riservas from 2016. On the nose, very clear and straightforward after cherry, herbs and crushed rock. Full and supple on the palate, its texture is elegant and fine, the tannins only come to the fore in the second step and are excellently balanced. This wine will only reveal its true greatness in a few years, but it already offers an extremely tasty and engaging character. For a Riserva, it has a surprising amount of fruit and an elegance that makes it one of the most charming representatives of its kind. This wine (no more than 4,000 bottles were bottled) should not be missing in any well-stocked wine cellar! SUPERIORE.DE

Some wines bear the name of their creator and thus a silent commitment. Gualto is Gualtiero Ghezzi's personal signature: a strict selection of the best exposed Sangiovese Grosso plots near the Castello, at an altitude of over 300 metres, from sandy limestone marl soils with fossil inclusions. Matured for 36 months in oak barrels and a further two years in the bottle – the fact that this Riserva is being released while 2020s are already on the shelves elsewhere is not an oversight, but an attitude. 2019 was the year that rewarded such patience. Spring rains created the water reserves for a warm but never excessive summer. A radiant September with large day-night fluctuations brought full phenolic ripeness – slowly and without haste. International critics are celebrating the 2019 Brunello vintage as one of the most important since 2010 and 2016.

Ugolaia is a 1.7-hectare, south-west-facing plot with a view of the sea, where the temperature fluctuations between day and night are considerable. The estate's oldest vines grow here on red iron soil.

It was 1988 when Bruno and Brigitte Widmer ventured a bold dream that would change the Tuscan wine world forever. Their Il Blu – named after the timeless blue label with orange capsule – became the icon of an entire generation of Supertuscans, a manifesto of modernity in the midst of centuries-old traditions. Today, after more than three decades of perfection, the organically certified Il Blu 2022 epitomises Barbara Widmer's visionary continuity. What once began as a Sangiovese-dominated cuvée has developed into an 80% Merlot blend with 10% each of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon thanks to the ever-growing complexity of the Merlot vines from Radda, now over thirty years old. Only the finest, hand-picked grapes for this exceptional wine come from the two Chianti estates in Castellina and Radda. The clay and galestro soils at an altitude of 230 to 400 metres, characterised by a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters, give the grapes their characteristic intensity. The vinification follows a ritual of precision: each parcel, each grape variety matures individually for 18 months in French barriques – two thirds new, one third used barrels. Only then is the final blend made, followed by three months of refinement in uncoated concrete tanks and at least one year of ageing in the bottle.

The vineyards of the Löwengang estate in Margreid have been owned by the Lageder family since 1934. Here, on the rubble cone of ancient dolomite rock below steep cliffs, grape varieties such as Carménère and Cabernet find ideal conditions in the mild climate of the valley.

The name was no coincidence. "Habemus" – we have it. The phrase that falls from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica when the cardinals have reached an agreement. Emanuele Pangrazi chose it deliberately: Viterbo, the capital of Tuscia, was itself a papal residence in the 13th century when Rome was too dangerous – when Rome was too dangerous. The same city, the same history, only the wine was different back then. Pangrazi set out to change that in 2006. The vineyards are located at 300 to 400 metres in Blera, on heavy, stony clay soils with southern exposure. No artificial fertilisers, no chemicals – only spring water and plant-based products. All vines are trained as Alberello, the bushy single vine training of the Mediterranean region, with 11,000 plants per hectare. The yield remains at 25 quintals – two small, loose grapes per vine, with thick skins and little pulp. Concentration as a natural principle.

Between Sassicaia on the left and Ornellaia on the right, on the Strada del Vino of Bolgheri, lies a vineyard that has rewritten the definition of "perfect location". When Antonio Moretti Cuseri drove through the thick Maremma fog in October 2004 and suddenly emerged into the glistening sunlight of this coastal landscape, he knew: this is where he would make the Orma – his footprint. The third generation of the Moretti Cuseri family had already proven with Oreno at Tenuta Sette Ponti that their passion for Bordeaux cuvées can become an obsession. In Bolgheri, this love of Merlot and Cabernet was to find a new interpretation. On just 5.5 hectares of vines rooted deep in gravel and clay, organically farmed grapes are used to produce the wine that has been delighting international wine critics since its debut in 2005. The 2023 vintage combines half Merlot with 30 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and 20 per cent Cabernet Franc – an assemblage that combines the Mediterranean climate of the Tuscan coast with the finesse of great Bordeaux growths.