2009 Masseto
Buying options
Tasting notes
One of the hottest vintages and one of the earliest. They started to pick on 2 September which is normal now when they start in late August but it wasn’t in 2009. The sirocco warmed things from the south and can sometimes bring sand from Africa. Warm nights and there was a threat of the grapes raisining so the tannin and acid are concentrated. Dark, glowing, velvety dark garnet. Very intense nose with an almost burnt edge. Not totally unlike the 2003 bordeaux. Thie is like essence of Masseto. Slightly drying finish. A tad dried out but it’s certainly opulently sweet. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The thread of potent, warm-vintage Massetos continues with the 2009. Dense, opulent and unctuous to its core, the 2009 is a decidedly flamboyant wine with huge fruit density and equally big tannins. Black plum, bittersweet chocolate, menthol and dark spices all build with time in the glass. The 2009 is not at all subtle, but it is pretty delicious. Warm, dry weather, with narrow diurnal shifts, resulted in a harvest that took place over 8 days, from September 2 to 10.
Ashamed to see that I have not recorded my tasting notes on other recent vintages of this wine. I must say I have tended to find them overly sweet and thick. This one definitely has more structure – almost as though it is taking Figeac rather than Bon Pasteur as its model. But the overall result, to sound horribly ungenerous, is a wine that, despite its high alcohol, seems a little light on fruit and tart and chewy on the finish. It may well get there eventually but at the moment is a bit like sucking upholstery webbing. Sorry. I know I must read like the nark of narks. (JR)
About the producer
Established in the 1980s by Lodovico Antinori on the advice of André Tchelistcheff, Masseto was one of Tuscany’s first pure Merlot wines. Sibling to Ornellaia, the Super Tuscan is often considered the Pétrus of Italy – offering powerful, perfumed wines that are highly sought-after by collectors.