To open a bottle is to unleash a liquid kaleidoscope. A rare combination of sumptuous opulence and polished elegance.
As a tribute to its rugged force, its softness, and the debt it owes to the soil from which it rises, Masseto was named after the rock-hard clusters of blue clay called ‘massi’ that form on the vineyard’s surface.
On Italy’s Tuscan coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, where the ancient Greeks believed the four divine winds of the god Aeolus met, Masseto sits in a protective sweep of the Bolgheri hills.
98 Point Galloni Vinous.
98 Points Jane Anson 96+Robert Parker
97 Point Wine Spectator
99 Points James Suckling
Around the vineyard grows a wild profusion of Mediterranean maritime umbrella pines, groves of gnarled olive trees and ‘macchia’, that typically Tuscan blend of shrubs and bushes. Our winemaking philosophy is more about accompanying rather than forcing things.
The vines of Masseto seem to be continuously struggling with the elements. Such a place must be carefully managed by man’s hand, to sustain it without adding any further stress. In the winery, minimum intervention is the keyword. The extraordinarily concentrated grapes need no sophisticated winemaking but simple operations. 2020 After a mild and rainy winter, there was a temporary drop in temperatures in March, with a few nights below 0°C just when the vines began to bud in the last week of the month. Fortunately the new shoots were still protected by the downy tissue around the bud, which prevented frost damage.
The weather was generally warm during the rest of spring, with normal rainfall, ensuring regular vegetative development until blossoming, which took place between the 20th and 25th of May. A passage of heavy rain towards the middle of June was followed by a very long dry period with a substantial absence of rain and scorching temperatures until the end of August.
Veraison took place evenly and quickly between the 20th and 25th of July, triggering the ripening of the grapes under a blazing sun. Rain arrived at the end of August, leading to a considerable drop in temperatures, with overnight lows sometimes falling to 13°C, creating the ideal conditions for completing the ripening of the Merlot grapes.
They were harvested early and quickly in order to preserve their freshness as much as possible, and just in time to avoid a sudden week-long heat wave, in which temperatures soared to 37°C. The Merlot harvest was completed on the 14th of September, followed almost immediately by the Cabernet Franc harvest, which ended on the 16th of September.
Pairing Suggestions: A perfect wine to pair with roasts, fatty meats, aged cheeses and savory pasta dishes.
Maturation: This growing season’s climate trends challenged us to be focused and diligent both in the vineyards during harvesting activities and when grapes were brought to the cellar where sorting operations and initial winemaking processes were essential to achieve optimal results. During fermentation in truncated conical tanks, each individual must was macerated on the skins giving particular emphasis to preserving aromas, extracting color, and encouraging desirable tannins that were supple and elegant. Racking was performed after rigorous daily sampling and tasting. Once separated from the skins, the wine was transferred into small oak barrels where it underwent malolactic fermentation to accentuate aromatic finesse and complexity. Aging took place in French and Hungarian oak barrels, partly new and partly second passage, for a total of 15 months: after an initial period of aging the lots separately, they were blended then completed barrel aging. Tignanello, made primarily with Sangiovese and a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, underwent an additional 12-month period of aging in the bottle before being released.