Italian Small Wonders Dozen

This unique blend of 85% dolcetto for softness and volume, and 15% nebbiolo for subtlety and bouquet, grown on the splendid hill above the Colla family's winery and made every year since 1969. 2019 was a cooler more classic vintage, leading to well-structured wines that will age beautifully.

The DOCG of Taurasi is in the province of Avellino in Campania, on volcanic soils where aglianico vines thrive. Though slightly under the radar, it can create some of Italy's finest reds and is often known as the Barolo of the south. From one of the most accomplished of the region's producers, this shows earthy, dark brambly fruit, dried herbs and an underlying irony character. It is powerful and poised, dry and firm, with a long and lifted finish. The palate displays ripe, rich bramble and blackberry fruit, dried oregano, dark chocolate and a sour-cherry bite. Full-bodied, with lots of tight-grained, grippy tannins, and bracing acidity. Decant in good time before drinking, even up to 12 hours.

A beautifully concentrated and layered Brunello. From the charmingly open 2020 vintage, this exudes ripe red berry fruit, wild herbs and savoury spice, underpinned by juicy acidity and framed by granular, gripping tannins. Sourced from Val di Suga’s three vineyards in Montalcino – 40% from Vigna del Lago in the cooler northeast bringing elegance and freshness in this warm vintage, 30% from Poggio al Granchio in the southeast bringing breadth and an iron-like complexity, and 30% from Vigna Spuntali in the southwest – this is brilliantly balanced and drinking well now. Val di Suga’s style is focused on fruit expression and purity and runs through this wine – a modern interpretation of Brunello. Picking earlier than many producers, they opt for a shorter maceration and a shorter maturation. This has been aged for two years in large Slavonian oak casks, giving the tannins chance to soften while preserving ample fruit character.

This cherry and rose-scented Barolo of great promise and spiced length comes from the great Bussia vineyard in a great vintage of very fine, firmly structured wines. They've benefited from five years ageing and are coming delightfully into their own. Silvano Bolmida, maker of this wine, os one of our Wine Society Pioneers and has an infectious and endless passion for healthy living soils; once he starts talking about it, he’s unlikely to come up for air for a very long time. His vision of a vineyard is ‘not merely a collection of vines but rather a complex ecosystem comprising various species working in harmony.’ Together with his wife, son and daughter, their dream is ‘to leave the land in better condition for future generations than how we found it.’ With the funds from our Climate and Nature Programme, the Bolmida family will be increasing the diversity and complexity of plants – and therefore life – in their vineyard ecosystem, which in turn will make it more resilient to climatic pressures. This is a two-pronged initiative which involves firstly establishing an organic, living mulch in the vineyards via cover cropping with thirteen species, and rolling these plants with a new mulching roller; and secondly planting native forest trees in the areas adjacent to the vineyards. Low intervention winemaking means that they don’t ‘put anything into the wine that doesn’t come from grapes’, and the winery benefits from solar panels providing 60% of their energy.

The terraced organic vines of Filetta, one of the original and highest sites of Chianti Classico at 600 metres, produces wine of rare fragrance and finesse and well-balanced silky flavour. Violet floral notes combine with bright blueberry and plum flavours, concentrated yet elegant with graphite on the fine finish.

From the beautiful hilltop town of San Gimignano, this vernaccia has great weight of fruit with melon, ripe apricot and nectarine on the medium bodied refreshing palate. Spicy ginger and herbal notes last well on the finish. The slightly grippy mouthfeel makes this a brilliant food wine, pairing perfectly with roast chicken.

Made by Andrea Lonardi MW, this is a more modern style of Amarone, with a shorter drying time, and less oak the result is much fresher yet still with a distinctive richness. From a great vintage in this part of Italy, this wine is showing plenty of spicy bramble-fruit notes that are pure on the full-bodied palate.

In the Tuscan subregion of Bolgheri, the more maritime-influenced climate and clay-based sandy hills are perfect for production of merlot and cabernet. This Bordeaux-style blend is aged in French oak and is elegant and refined, with expressive flavours of cassis and raspberry, and a graphite mineral edge.

From high-altitude vineyards at around 600 metres, this is a refined and mineral expression of pinot bianco. Pale straw in colour, with aromas of fresh pear and white stone fruit, layered with hints of green walnut, subtle spice and a gentle smoky note. Elegant yet lively on the palate, combining juicy freshness, vibrant acidity and a finely textured finish, supported by discreet oak. This is also exclusive to Wine Society members.

Timorasso, a rare Piedmontese variety, shines in La Colombera’s Derthona. Citrus and pear, oyster-shell and fresh pastry aromas entice you to the crisp, linear palate of lemon, apple and mineral notes, savoury and subtly saline on the finish, with quiet depth and structure marking it out as a fine Timorasso with real ageing potential.

This wonderful nebbiolo has a scented perfume of rose, violets, cherry and red apple. Bright and full of energy, this well structured Italian wine will develop more spice and forest-floor flavours as it ages.

A very fine expression of Soave Classico with a complex array of pear, citrus and flinty-mineral flavours, and a long, intense finish. The 2024 vintage has beautiful tension, linearity and energy, and promises to age gracefully. Made from a selection of this organic estate's best grapes - 75% garganega and 25% trebbiano di Soave - this takes Soave Classico as you know it to a whole new level and has remarkable ageing potential. The Coffele family has farmed organically for many years, taking a whole-farm approach that combines vineyards, livestock and olive groves. Sheep and goats form part of the system, helping reduce the need for machinery while contributing to a more diverse agricultural landscape. Alongside their environmental work, the family has also developed projects that support the local community, reflecting a long-standing belief that successful farming should benefit both the land and the people connected to it.