Here's our new little super star from the Tuscan Coast. The 2018 Massetino is Merlot with a dash of Cabernet Franc that makes all the difference in terms of the wine's aromatic precision and its overall staying power. Dark fruit and dried blackberry are followed by exotic spice and campfire ash. The aromas are fluid and relaxed, flowing seamlessly in unison and grace. If you love Masseto, you can't miss the Massetino. This wine offers a whole new take on the world-famous Merlot, and if we are to be honest, it paints a path to where future vintages of Masseto are going as an expression of a vineyard and territory rather than just a strict read of one grape.
The 2019 Massetino is 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc. This is only the third vintage of this cuvée, which adds a splash of Cabernet Franc to give a dramatically different take on Masseto. Ripe black cherries, currants, tobacco leaf, scorched earth, and ample graphite are just some of the nuances here, and it does have a slightly more floral, herbal, focused edge compared to the more round and opulent Grand Vin. Rock solid on the palate and structured, tannic, yet balanced and concentrated, it's built for the long haul and will need 7-8 years to hit maturity, but it’s going to have 25-30 years of overall longevity.
Very ripe and intense with dried berry, cherry and walnut, as well as some tar and smoke. You can see the wood, too. Full-bodied with layers of dark-fruit, vanilla and coffee oak character. Rather flamboyant. Give it time to come together and calm down. Try after 2023, when it will be more together.
The 2018 Massetino, here in its second release, picks up where the 2017 left off. Let’s start with what is plainly obvious. Massetino, the second wine of Masseto, is more complex and nuanced than most flagship wines in Tuscany’s Maremma. The 2018 beautifully balances energy, aromatic depth and fruit intensity. Mocha, cedar, leather, licorice and blackberry jam all run through the 2018, infusing it with notable complexity. The purity of the fruit is just striking. Once again, the Franc is such a strong and distinctive marker. I loved it. The 2018 spent 15 months in oak and a month in tank prior to bottling.
Delivering blackberry, black cherry, iron, vanilla and toasty oak flavors, this red is rich and dense, with a vibrant structure driving the long finish. There is fine balance, and though this is oaky, it's stylish and intense. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2021 through 2033. 100 cases imported.
The newly-added second wine of Masseto. Last year's 2017 vintage was just distributed in Italy, so this is the first one on the Place. Enticing as you would expect from this property, with a lot to love. Traces of earthiness, with a rip of balsamic spice and a caress of ripe berry fruits that build through to the finish. Fresh and mouthwatering, with the confident brush strokes that tell you this is a great quality bottle from a vintage that had more rain than the drought summer of 2017. From the younger vines of the Masseto estate, 50% new oak.