Italian Wine Course 2025 March

The soil, created by ashes and pumices, is volcanic, without limestone, well drained, deep and with rough texture. These conditions allow an elevated availability of oxygen for the roots. The vineyard, situated at 440 metres of altitude with a slope of 15%, has a density of 5.000 plants per hectar and is cultivated with a cordon spur training system. Vigna Grande Cerzito is characterized by refined flavours of cherry, plum and chocolate and by a full and delicate structure. Great longevity, it becomes even more delicate and elegant with the passing of the years complementing with fresh notes of mint, eucalyptus and incense. LUIGI MOIO, quintodecimo

A more serious Prosecco with peaches, grapefruit, chopped apples and wet stones on the nose. It’s focused, dry and bright with a refined mineral edge. Lively bubbles. Drink now. JAMES SUCKLING

Ruby red with first garnet reflections. Intense, fine bouquet - preserved cherries, rosehip, cinnamon, a hint of oriental spices and the typical slate minerality of the site. Dense and silky on the palate, with a remarkably integrated tannin structure for this vintage. The finesse carries. The finish - long, savoury, salty - is the silent argument in favour of Le Lucére 2018: elegance that gets to the point. SUPERIORE

The 2018 is the most elegant and effortlessly balanced wine I have tasted from this estate. It opens with attractive scents of cinnamon, violets and rosemary and has an impressive concentration of wild berry flavours, but is not heavy. The integrated acidity gives the wine the right support, and the tannins are long and fine, adding texture and shape. The best is yet to come. MICHAELA MORRIS, decanter.com

Le Lucére, the usual expression of the substance that characterises the wines of San Filippo, in a vintage that displays a beautiful opulence. Notes of Vignola cherries on the nose, a hint of rhubarb and undergrowth, with a finish of wild mint. Juicy tannins in the mouth, with a return of fruit and undergrowth. LUCA GARDINI

Already complex and open, with aromas of slate, dried rosemary, grilled sage, lemon peel, sour cherries and cardamom. Smooth and full-bodied with supple and fine tannins. I like the undertones of olive pits and herbs. Powerful, mineral finish. Try after 2025. JAMES SUCKLING

JEROME COURSODON

Pear, apple, a white flower perfume, something a little like hay, and almonds. It’s a glossy wine but has a balanced attack of acidity, a slight lemon zest and almond bitterness, a pleasant and appropriate level of chalky grip, with a juicy finish of good length. Good. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front

Small tweaks and incremental changes in vinification and winemaking have seen the wines improve every year. The quality across the board has always been top of their class and further cements this outstanding estate as one of the pre-eminent producers in the region. It would certainly be no stretch to call them a leading light in the heart and hearts of Roero.

This is another great rendition. A hint of tropical fruit that lends an almost riesling like element to the wine, along with a floral hint. There is a some lovely depth to the fruit and that bit of extra flesh show so nicely on this wine. Still fresh and zippy on the finish with a little phenolic grip that carries the orchard fruits into a long, gentle close. Yum!

Friuli Venezia Giulia's Schioppettino is one of the world's most interesting and potentially great red grape varieties. Schioppettinos are especially characterized by an enticing green peppercorn note that is extremely typical and juicy, bright, mid-weight frames. Ronchi di Cialla's Schioppettino is an iconic and historic wine in the true sense of those words, and Italy's finest expression of the grape. IAN D'AGATA

The 2018 Schioppettino di Cialla is impossible to ignore. It's profoundly floral and herbal with rose petals, wilted violets, wet stone and ginger-tinged blackberry aromas. It opens with a pleasant inner sweetness and richer than expected, yet perfectly balanced, with depths of ripe wild berry fruits contrasted by spiced blood orange. For all of its depth and concentration, fresh acidity lifts the experience through the finish, leaving a candied citrus and white pepper tinge while tapering off classically dry. What a beauty. The 2018 is the child of a cool vintage, yet there's so much power and density here. Bury your bottles deep. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous

The 2020 Barolo Arborina is a gorgeous wine from this La Morra site. Crushed rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice, tobacco and underbrush all open in glass, supported by bright acids that lend energy. This mid-weight, translucent Barolo is pure class. I especially admire its dimension and nuance. Give this a few years to soften. ANTONIO GALLONI, Vinous

A focused and lively red with aromas of cherries, dried leaves, lavender and crushed white pepper follow through to a medium body with chewy tannins and fresh acidity. Vivid and crisp with a delicious, juicy finish. Try after 2026. JAMES SUCKLING

Aromas of blue flower, dark-skinned berry and French oak lead the way on the attractive 2020 Mauro Veglio Arborina. Picking up where the nose leaves off, the palate offers juicy Morello cherry, coconut, vanilla and coffee bean alongside taut, fine-grained tannins. Drink 2028–2034. KERIN O’KEEFE

Sourced exclusively from the Barolo San Giovanni Cru in Monforte d'Alba
Distinctly ripe with plenty of charm and appeal, this is what Barbera is all about. The acidity is bright and that is reflected in the fruit through the tartness that snaps its way across the palate while the more obviously ripe and well rounded fruit follows up with admirable depth and plenty of spice inflected plum, orange zest and a bright, long, primarily red fruited finish that carries a light mineral flair and a faint hint of scorched earth. Plenty of potential here, this is a very classical styling that really screams out for food. Your ideal partner for a lot of meals and with more than enough going on to keep the geeks interested too. NICE! ROSCOE

The 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is brilliant. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, mint and licorice all build in this exquisite, elegant Gran Selezione. All the elements are beautifully balanced. The 2019 is a blend from vineyards in Ruffoli (Greve) that spent more than a month on the skins, with submerged cap maceration at the end, an approach borrowed from the super-classic wines of Piedmont. Aging was 4-5 months in tonneaux and then about 12 months in botti, all neutral oak. ANTONIO GALLONI

The estate’s third release, this Gran Selezione is among the top wines from Chianti Classico’s 2019 vintage. Just 4,000 bottles were produced from Querciabella’s site above 500 metres on the steep, stony slope of the Ruffoli hill. Coy to begin with, it hints at coffee, smoke and oily herbs such as grilled rosemary and sage. The palate is tight and sinewy, showing cranberry and red currants punctuated by inner-mouth perfumes of lilac and a crushed stone sensation. Decisive, linear tannins are carved with precision and accentuated by zesty acidity. I was lucky enough to try this on a few separate occasions and it just gets better with each sip. MICHAELA MORRIS

A jeweled ruby with a magenta tinge, the 2019 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione offers some creamier aromas of cocoa, black cherry liqueur, more raspberry fruit, pine, and dark mineral earth. Full-bodied, with a velvety texture, sweet tannins, notes of black cherry, and a lush, long, ripe finish, it has fresh acidity but a warming, rounded feel. It’s showing its more primary side right now, coming from a shy vintage, and feels like it’s going to be slow to mature. As it opens, it reveals notes of fresh lavender and sage. It’s very well done and will definitely be a more serious wine. Drink 2026-2046. AUDREY FRICKE

The 2019 Camalaione is a dense, full-bodied wine. It is the most opulent of the wines in this range and also one that is the most similar to how these wines were made in the past. Deep, inky and layered, Camalaione has a ton to offer. The 2019 was vinified in amphora and spent two years in French oak barrels, 50% new, then a year in cement. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 15% Syrah. (96) ANTONIO GALLONI

Le Cinciole is one of my favorite Tuscan wineries that still seems to fly under the radar. Proprietor Luca Orsini farms his eleven hectares of biologically certified vineyards with maniacal care, which explains the superb purity of these wines. WINE ADVOCATE

The wine of Le Cinciole sit at a wonderful cross-roads where site, thoughtful winemaking, and principled growing combine to create a set of expressive wines that make an instant and lasting impression. Luca Orsini and his wife Valeria Vigano craft classically styled but modern wines from their home turf nestled in the Panzano Hills of Chianti. Luca’s thoughtful and passionate approach reveals itself with every sip and that is no more evident than in their top-tier wines like this incredible super-Tuscan red blend.

The 2022 Etna Rosso wafts up with a perfumed blend of rosy florals and hints of juniper berry. This is vividly fruit-focused, with a wave of ripe wild berries and sweet spices that flow across a stream of brisk acidity. It leaves a staining of primary concentration and mildly grippy tannins to resonate as violet inner florals slowly fade. While more extroverted than expected, the 2022 is a total pleasure to taste and maintains fantastic balance. ERIC GUIDO, Vinous

An iconic winery from Etna and one of the few with vineyards on all four slopes, Benanti has played a major role in the region’s rise. Considered a seminal, high-quality producer, they helped put Etna firmly on the global wine map. Their wines combine volcanic energy with elegance and structure.

Complex delicate aromas of peonies and roses, changing into black cherries and dried red plums. There are cloves, earth and licorice, with a balsamic note and freshness. A warm, enveloping structure with velvety tannins, persistence depth, plays with the balsamic aromas. 100 days of drying, before fermentation, and aged in oak for 36 months. LA DAMA

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