Italy

Only made in the best vintages, the 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva from Querciabella is a really beautiful bottling from this stunning estate. The product of three single vineyards, it’s currently pretty reserved, but with notes of fresh cherries, wild roses, and a hint of rosemary. It’s a simply wonderful wine.

The 2015 Camartina is an astonishing super-Tuscan. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, from high altitude vineyards in Greve-in-Chianti, it’s a wine that astonishes with its elegance, finesse, and purity. Notes of morello cherry, blackcurrant, and wild flowers, with an intensely structured core, and a long, savoury finish. Outstanding, a real tour de force.

The 2015 Camartina is an astonishing super-Tuscan. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, from high altitude vineyards in Greve-in-Chianti, it’s a wine that astonishes with its elegance, finesse, and purity. Notes of morello cherry, blackcurrant, and wild flowers, with an intensely structured core, and a long, savoury finish. Outstanding, a real tour de force.

The 2015 Camartina is an astonishing super-Tuscan. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, from high altitude vineyards in Greve-in-Chianti, it’s a wine that astonishes with its elegance, finesse, and purity. Notes of morello cherry, blackcurrant, and wild flowers, with an intensely structured core, and a long, savoury finish. Outstanding, a real tour de force.

The 2015 Camartina is an astonishing super-Tuscan. A blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese, from high altitude vineyards in Greve-in-Chianti, it’s a wine that astonishes with its elegance, finesse, and purity. Notes of morello cherry, blackcurrant, and wild flowers, with an intensely structured core, and a long, savoury finish. Outstanding, a real tour de force.

A blend of Chardonnay and Grechetto, the 2018 Cervaro has lovely richness to the fruit, with notes of hazelnut and a hint of honey. You feel the Umbrian sun here, but it's all in balance.

One of the great Super-Tuscans, in 2017 Tignanello is intense and structured, with notes of wild herbs, baked earth, and cassis. There's a silkiness to the finish, which lasts an age.

A single vineyard Freisa, and a step up, this is a brilliant wine from this tiny estate. Wild hedgerow and flowers soar from the glass, with incredible structure and length. Mineral, precise, and very long, this is a delight. And it ages brilliantly: older bottles we tried blew us away.

A blend of two declassified Nebbiolo da Barolo vineyards: Bussia Brovi in Monforte d’Alba & Roncaglie in La Morra. This has plenty of volume, with delicate fruit, notes of rose petal and plenty of minerality on the finish. A lovely example of what's to come.

Just 2000 bottles were made of this, from Monforte vineyards near to Monchiero. Dark and juicy, with blackcurrent and a hint of tar, there's lively acidity and a very pure and charming finish. This is so delicious. Bravo.

Vibrant in colour, there's a complex nose of pomegranate, iron oxide, and bright, wild strawberry fruit. There's just a lick of tannins, and a very savoury, focussed finish. Joyful now, but with the bones to age, too.

Lovely concentration and ripeness to the 2017 Cerasuolo, with just a hint of fava bean and blood orange on the nose, and hedgerow fruit on the palate. There's a depth here that comes from the vintage, but it's in no way overblown. Lovely.

This is a real benchmark white of Italy, that ages spectacularly. Mineral, intense, with plenty of grip and palate weight, it's a remarkable wine. Buy this, and keep if for a few years.

Wow. What purity and focus, and also such silky tannins. This is a brilliant red. Notes of pomegranate and rose petal, and lots of blood orange add to the core of red fruit. The tannins are talc-like, and there’s such focus on the palate. This is outstanding.

More shy on the nose, but on the palate there’s incredible depth and intensity. Really powerful and grippy, very wild, with notes of orange, peaches and apricots, and such a mineral undercurrent. The best of Etna.

Delicate and herbal on the nose, with fresh lavender as well as plenty of pomegranate and red berry fruit. The tannins sneak up on you: there’s an almost nebbiolo element with that grip and a tar and roses element. But the bright, pale colour and volcanic undertones give it away.

More shy on the nose, but on the palate there’s incredible depth and intensity. Really powerful and grippy, very wild, with notes of orange, peaches and apricots, and such a mineral undercurrent. The best of Etna.

Sourced from across the Barbaresco region, from trusted suppliers, this is a wonderfully fragrant example of the region's everyday grape variety.

Yet another wine that shows just how good the 2014 vintage is. Soaring aromatics, incredible finesse, and remarkable length. A complete wine.

This comes from a single site in the Roero region, giving bright fruit and silky tannins. Giacosa's mastery of Nebbiolo is well known, and this shows their whole talent.

Wonderfully fresh and vibrant, particularly for a 2017, this has notes of cinnamon and freshly cut flowers swirling from the glass. A finessed and classy Barbaresco, that's surprisingly ready to go.

Yet another wine that shows just how good the 2014 vintage is. Soaring aromatics, incredible finesse, and remarkable length. A complete wine.

Juicy and fine boned, with notes of orange and a hint of ripe beef tomato, the 2018 Barbera is a lovely wine. It's drinking well out the gate, but will age nicely, too.

Ian D'agata has written, "I have long thought that the Arneis was by far Giacosa’s most underrated wine", and this is a zesty, fresh example from one of the grape variety's staunchest defenders