Tasting Notes: The Masseto 2022 offers a profound aromatic intensity, with the nose leading with notes of crushed dark minerals, black plum, lavender perfume, and a hint of sage. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and richly structured, delivering concentrated layers of dark fruits, such as black cherry and blackberry, alongside accents of cocoa bean, graphite, and a touch of salinity. Despite its richness, the wine maintains remarkable balance and freshness, with fine, silky tannins that provide significant depth and energy through a long, complex finish. The overall profile suggests a powerful yet elegant wine with substantial potential for long-term aging.
Estate History: The Masseto estate was founded by Lodovico Antinori in 1981, initially as part of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, with the goal of creating world-class Bordeaux-style wines in the Bolgheri region of Tuscany. The potential of the specific hillside vineyard, with its unique Pliocene-era blue clay soils, was identified by renowned consultant André Tchelistcheff, who recommended planting Merlot. The first vintage was released in 1986 and quickly gained international acclaim, earning the nickname the "Pétrus of Tuscany" due to its exceptional quality and single-varietal Merlot focus. The property is now owned by the Frescobaldi family, and since the 2018 vintage, the wine has been produced in its own ultramodern, underground winery facility, functioning as an independent estate while maintaining a philosophy of minimal intervention in winemaking.
