2015 Masseto

They describe this as a perfect vintage with a maximum of 30° C ‘which is much less than the 35 we’ve seen recently, even in July 2024.’ Picked as late as mid September. There’s ‘a touch of Tuscany’ in this wine according to Lamberto Frescobaldi. A little more concentrated and sweeter than 2016. Lively, layered, deep blackish garnet. Lively nose, almost explosive. Racy, with very bright fruit that almost distracts from the substantial tannic charge. Hint of tarriness on the end. Still quite tightly wound with flavours of purple fruits – elderberries? Still a bit tough. (JR)

Another ‘textbook’ vintage. Harvested by hand into 15-kg crates and sorted by hand before destemming and gentle crushing. Six different lots were vinified separately. Fermentation took place in both steel and wooden tanks, followed by 15 – 20 days' maceration at 25 – 30 °C. Malolactic fermentation took place in 100% new oak barriques and matured for 24 months. Aged in bottle for an additional 12 months prior to release. From 2015, they say, they ‘learnt to tame the rich Merlot on clay character. Less extraction. Trying not to exceed in richness. Grapes maintain acid so it’s tempting to keep grapes on the vine. We’ve learnt to be a bit more precise. ’ Mild and fully evolved. Milk chocolate to 2016’s dark chocolate. Round and flattering. Open and easy. Pretty easy to love. Very mildly Napa character. (JR)

The release of this wine comes at a very happy time for the Masseto brand. The stunning 2015 Masseto is hitting the market just as the final touches are being made to the new Masseto winery. I'm told that Masseto might one day see other wines made under that same roof, so we can't exclude a future enlargement of the Masseto portfolio. The Masseto vineyard now covers seven hectares (divided into three plots), and the vines range from 30 to 40 years old. The wine is absolutely teeming with sensorial spirit that is transmitted through the bounty of the bouquet and the solid tannins of the mouthfeel. Nothing about the wine goes unnoticed or unchecked. Its many working pieces fit together with precision like a well-oiled machine. The 2015 vintage is characterized by a level of sheer exuberance that also defined the 2004 and 2007 vintages. Yet, it also reveals similar power, directness and linearity that we saw in the 2010 vintage. The 2015 Masseto takes the best of all those past vintages and confines those qualities to this single, spectacular bottle.