wines

The Nerello Mascalese vines of Contrada Montedolce were planted in 1975. Almost five decades of roots in volcanic lava sand, north-northeast, 730 to 750 metres. Low yield, high concentration – a depth that younger plants simply cannot reach. 2021 was a dry, concentrated year on Mount Etna – and an exceptionally good one for the Nerello Mascalese: the vines struggled for water, the grapes remained small and the flavour became compact. Davide Rosso harvests by hand in mid-October, vinifies for ten days in stainless steel with daily pumping over and a délestage at half-time. The wine is matured in French oak barrels of various sizes – a deliberately flexible decision that leaves room for the vintage and the parcel to express themselves.

Fiano Pietraincatenata is the winery's flagship white wine and takes the grape variety to a whole new level. The bouquet is a fascinating blend of grapefruit, lime zest and peach with a hint of sweet smoke as it warms up in the glass. Silky yet savoury to the core on the palate. A cornucopia of citrus fruits and minerals completes the green apple fruit. Tense and invigorating as it progresses and finishes, but still well suited to further and exciting bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Deep, bright ruby red colour. Stunning aromas of floral dark berries, flint and attractive aromatic spices. Then fresh and juicy, but with a creeping concentration of blue and black fruit flavours, lifted by a zesty minerality and lively, harmonious acidity. The spicy, long finish is reminiscent of cloves, black pepper and coriander. A great wine, and we know now at the latest: The Catania family has a real knack for Cerasuolo di Vittoria. SUPERIORE.DE

Originating from the historic vineyards between Sassicaia and Ornellaia, Varvara honours the BaroneVarvàra Wrangler, great-grandmother of the current owner Count Federico Zileri Dal Verme. This classic Bordeaux assemblage of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, supplemented by Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a touch of Petit Verdot, thrives on the chalky soils 70 metres above sea level. Twelve months of ageing in Liters barrels and large oak casks give the wine structure without over-extraction.

While the white Oudeis captures the complexity of the Alta Langa in its purest form, its pink-coloured brother adds another dimension: the soul of Pinot Nero. Because here it is the red grape alone that expresses the terroir. Saignée, the French word for "bloodletting", describes the method: a short maceration on the skins extracts just enough colour and fruit from the must to achieve that shimmering onion skin tone that shines so seductively in the glass. The grapes come from altitudes between 300 and 550 metres in the municipalities of Bubbio, Loazzolo, Trezzo Tinella and Vesime – the grapes come from calcareous clay soils, which give the wine its mineral tension. After manual harvesting, the grapes are cooled with carbon dioxide snow and the must is left to rest for two to four hours under nitrogen before gentle pressing. This is followed by six months of bâtonnage and 36 months of yeast storage in the historic cellar vaults.

It was no coincidence, but opportunity, that Roberto Voerzio embarked on a new adventure in Monferrato a few years ago. As the latest addition to his exquisite collection, he put himself to the test as a passionate Barbera lover by acquiring some plots of land near Canelli and Nizza Monferrato. These are vineyards that are around 35 years old with clay and limestone soil, which gives the wine complexity and minerality. The old planting was then greatly reduced according to his modus operandi: to 3,500 to 8,000 vines per hectare with a production of less than 1 kg (!) per plant. Fermentation and maceration take place in steel tanks using indigenous yeasts, malolactic fermentation and ageing take place in barriques (70% used) for 12 months and then in steel tanks for a few months before bottling without filtration.

The organically grown Etna Rosso Reseca is made from 100% Nerello Mascalese from a 1.5 hectare vineyard located at 800 metres above sea level on the blackened cone of the volcano. The wine offers both power and grace, the two contrasting qualities that characterise the great wines of Etna.

There are grape varieties that have to wait decades for a visionary to recognise their true potential. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo was one such forgotten variety until Gianni Masciarelli started a revolution in 1981 that changed the face of Abruzzo viticulture forever. He was the first producer in the region to introduce the Guyot training system and French barriques, driven by a philosophy he called "innovazione continua" – continuous innovation in the service of tradition. Today, the vineyards surrounding the historic Castello di Semivicoli combine the fruits of this vision with the poetry of a place that has itself experienced a rebirth. Here, between Gran Sasso and Majella at an altitude of 380 metres, two very special Trebbiano vineyards take root: one with vines over forty years old that still embody the original vigour of the variety, and a younger one that Gianni planted at the end of the 1990s using the modern Guyot system – a symbiosis of grown wisdom and innovative spirit.

Pure Sangiovese from western Tuscany is not comparable with the interpretations from Montalcino or Chianti Classico due to its cultivation near the coast, but this somewhat different facet is in no way inferior to the aforementioned. Saturated, light ruby red colour. Intense and complex bouquet of cherries, lilac and broom, densely woven on the palate with black cherries, spices and grilled herbs, the whole framed by a terrificfreshness and lightness. A supple and elegant wine whose well-balanced acid wire not only provides the necessary structure, but also the framework for a wonderful further ageing phase. SUPERIORE.DE

In the rolling hills of Castelnuovo Calcea lies the Montemareto vineyard, a privileged parcel in the heart of the Nice DOCG zone, where Michele Chiarlo has relied on old, low-yielding Barbera vines for decades. The 2021 vintage benefited from a balanced vegetation cycle: a mild spring, warm, dry summer months and cool September nights resulted in perfectly ripe, concentrated berries. A deep ruby red colour with violet hues shines in the glass. The bouquet opens with juicy black cherry, ripe plums and dark berries, underpinned by violets, liquorice and fine roasted aromas. On the palate, the Barbera is powerful and supple at the same time, with rich fruit, present but well-integrated acidity and a fine-grained tannin that lends structure. The long, harmonious finish carries notes of sweet tobacco, herbs and a subtle almond flavour. A Barbera wine of remarkable depth and balance – full of character, storable and a worthy ambassador of the Nice terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

The Viognier and Chardonnay vines grow on Caiarossa's most calcareous terroir. The grapes are fermented separately in oak barrels, matured on the lees and blended at the end, with little or no racking in order to produce the wine with as little oxygen contact as possible. The result is a precise and clean white wine that, with its beautiful volume, depth and smoothness with fragrant flavours of flowers and almonds, goes well with a delicate and fragrant pesto. SUPERIORE.DE

Brilliant golden yellow colour. Complex notes of light peach, fresh pineapple and poached apricot on the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate with accents of smoke and toasted almonds. The finish is long-lasting, mineral and herb-accentuated. This very focussed and complex white paints a beautiful portrait of the refined side of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape, which is becoming increasingly popular. SUPERIORE.DE

In the heart of the Colli Berici, where one of Italy's most mysterious wine landscapes stretches between Vicenza and Padua, Stefano Inama has been writing an extraordinary chapter in the European Carménère renaissance for three decades. What began in 1991 with a nameless sip from an unmarked glass – that legendary "love at first taste" –has developed into an obsessive passion that has made Inama the leading Carménère pioneer in Europe. Carminium, produced since 2015, is the younger sister of the iconic Oratorio di San Lorenzo and epitomises Inama's vision of a more accessible, yet complex expression of this almost forgotten Bordeaux variety. The history of this wine is inextricably linked to the Oratorio di San Lorenzo – the small 16th century chapel that sits enthroned in the middle of a twelve-hectare Carménère amphitheatre. Here, where monks once lived in unspoilt nature, the Carménère vines have reached a level of ripeness after fifteen years that allows Inama to vinify the neighbouring plots separately. The terroir is characterised by the red clay soils of the Colli Berici – iron-rich terra rossa on limestone subsoil, which gives the Carménère that unique balance between power and elegance that remains unattainable elsewhere.

As usual, the grapes come from a selection of old vines from the Mosconi, Gabutti and Ravera parcels, whose chalky and clayey soils lend the wines fine minerality and structure. The wines are matured separately by vineyard for around 12 months in used barriques before the cuvée is blended. Dense ruby red colour with a purple core – a glance into the glass already reveals the depth of this vintage. The bouquet reveals a multi-layered aroma of ripe cherry, plum and dark berries, accompanied by hints of violet, liquorice and a touch of dried herbs. Juicy and focussed on the palate, with lively acidity, ripe fruit and supple tannins. The 2023 appears a touch fresher and more youthful than its predecessor, but retains the balance of regional roots and the finely nuanced style for which Chiara Boschis is known. SUPERIORE.DE

Lagrein and Gries belong together like Nebbiolo and Barolo. The Bolzano district of Gries is the ancestral home of this indigenous South Tyrolean grape variety – first mentioned in writing in 1379, and since then hardly anywhere else as convincing as here. Rudi Kofler puts it in a nutshell: "The alluvial soils of Gries are ideal for Lagrein. Because the Gries terroir is unlike anything else in Terlan. No steep slopes, no porphyry rock – but flat, post-glacial alluvial soil in the sunny Bolzano valley basin, where the Adige, Eisack and Talfer rivers meet and summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees are not uncommon. Loamy-sandy soils, lime-free, brooding. A terroir that gives Lagrein warmth and ripeness without taking away its tension. Hand-picked, destemming, slow maceration in steel, malolactic fermentation – then 12 months of ageing: half in large wooden barrels and half in barriques, one third of which is new. Precision meets depth.

Stoan has a spicy and floral aroma of ginger, crushed apples, savoury herbs and wet slate. It feels soothingly silky yet upbeat, focusing on ripe orchard fruits, along with a subtle hint of candied citrus for contrast. The palate remains crisp and clean with nuances of grapefruit and lime that linger. Firm pressure on the final, savoury. SUPERIORE.DE

High up on the southern slopes of Mount Etna, where the Contrada Manzuedda in Biancavilla rises 900 metres into the sky, lies an extraordinary vineyard, as old as the dreams that gave birth to it. Here, between the eternal snow of the peaks and the flames of the volcano, where the first Carricante vines sank their roots into the volcanic earth in 1950, A' Puddara, "the hen", is born. This is what the Sicilians call the Pleiades in dialect, the seven sisters in the firmament that shine from the sea above the volcanic peak in summer. Silvia Maestrelli, the visionary pioneer of Fessina who sadly died far too early, dedicated the starry sky of her Sicilian nights to this wine, a fitting tribute to this island of dreams and fire.

It is a story of transformation, written in the granite slopes of Gallura. Vign'Angena – the "foreign vineyard" in the Sardinian dialect – bears a name full of poetic irony. What once began as rented land, whose grapes Capichera used in the early years of her Vermentino revolution, became the quintessence of her own excellence. Since the first vinification in 1994, this DOCG wine has embodied the purest soul of the Gallurese terroir. Where the rows of vines between Olbia and Palau breathe the salty winds of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Vermentino thrives on the same soils that once harboured Nuragic giants. The nearby tomb of Coddu 'Ecchju silently tells of thousands of years of Sardinian history – here, where Fabrizio and Mario Ragnedda realised their vision of a new Vermentino era. No wood touches these grapes; only cool stainless steel preserves the crystalline purity of the harvest, which does not begin until mid-August each year.

Stylistically balanced, very finesse-rich Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from a small single vineyard (vineyard no. 7) in the Castelnuovo-Berardenga area, where the temperatures are always somewhat higher than in the rest of Chianti Classico. Dark, bright ruby colour. Elegant bouquet of pure Sangiovese of red berries with a very delicate hint of tobacco. Salty on the palate, shows a lot of pressure, very clear, compact fruit, builds up racy with tightly woven tannins; very intense and long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

With around two grams of residual sugar, this high-quality spumante from the Alta Langa, which was produced using the champagne method, is a particularly dry representative of its kind. The Chardonnay grapes come from clay and limestone terroir around 450 metres above sea level in the small municipality of Neviglie. Fresh and floral on the nose with beautiful citrus and subtle yeast notes. Fine perlage, harmonious on the palate with a fine creaminess and a multi-layered finish. SUPERIORE.DE

As always, the Cerviolo is excellent: concentrated, with the aroma of red cherry, sweet tobacco, walnut and wild mushroom. Silky and multi-layered on the palate, with balsamic and spicy notes, dense and soft, with absolutely harmonious tannins. A marvellous wine! SUPERIORE.DE

This Barbera oscillates between richness and elegance. Wonderfully concentrated cherry fruit, finely layered, along with blackberry and a little chocolate. Everything is in its place: acidity, fruit and finely knitted tannins. Warm, round and juicy on the palate, it retains its balance right into the long finish and is never too heavy or even too dense. SUPERIORE.DE