2018 Baffonero
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Tasting notes
Certainly the most expensive wine in this tasting, the Rocca di Frassinello 2018 Maremma Toscana Baffonero is a wine of big ambitions. However, it follows an old stylebook that sees Merlot presented in a very rich, voluptuous and extracted style that is beginning to tire the market. The wine is impeccably made, with lots of dark cherry, cedarwood and smoky mahogany. With 15% alcohol, it has embraced the sunshine along the Tuscan Coast. If you're in the mood for an inky, rich, warm-climate Merlot, Baffonero is for you.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Baffonero is a worthy follow up to the 2017. Whereas so many 2018s lean towards the more gracious end of the spectrum, Baffonero packs quite a punch, albeit in the slightly more restrained style of the year. Inky, exotically ripe dark fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, new leather and lavender all build as this exuberant, Maremma red shows off its undeniable allure. Baffonero, 100% Merlot, emerges from a 3.5 hectares planted in 1999, which have recently been supplanted by another hectare or so of vineyards. In 2018, a cool growing season without excessive heat, rare in this part of Tuscany, resulted in a long growing cycle. There was some rain early on, especially during flowering, but that, along with moderate temperatures, helped the vines from going into heat stress, which is always the risk on the Tuscan coast. Harvest for the Merlot was about ten days later than normal. The 2018 was vinified in cement, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel. Aging was 18-20 months in French oak, about 80% new.