2021 La Fattoria La Massa Giorgio Primo
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The Tenuta La Massa 2021 Giorgio Primo reveals an inky dark color and rich concentration. It shows a pretty sense of textural smoothness that remains intact from start to finish, adding volume along the way. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. You taste the Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of grilled herb and bay leaf along with plenty of blackberry and baked plum. It matures in barrique for 18 months, with 50% new oak. Fruit comes from across eight hectares that are divided into six sub-parcels between 300 and 400 meters above sea level on clay schist and marly limestone—that's the sweet spot here in Panzano in Chianti. Production is 12,500 bottles.
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Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Dark ruby in colour, intense and structured, but as it opens this has a creaminess and welcome to it. An estate that delivers its Bordeaux blend with consistency and pleasure, a generous take on Cabernet. Stéphane Derenoncourt consultant, owner and winemaker Giampaolo Motta.
The highlight in this range, the 2021 Giorgio Primo is one of the finest wines Giampaolo Motta has ever made. Vertical and explosive, with striking persistence, the 2021 dazzles from start to finish. Scents of blackberry, graphite, new leather, licorice, incense and lavender are immediately alluring. Swaths of tannin and veins of acidity suggest that at least a few years of cellaring are warranted. Today the 2021 is decidedly embryonic. It was an unusual vintage marked by early-season frost, hail and then a very hot summer, which resulted in small grapes and very loose bunches. Conditions changed towards the end of the season with rain in August, followed by cooling temperatures. Harvest ran all the way to October 22, exceptionally late. The 2021 spent 20 months in French oak, 50% new.
From Bordeaux varietals growing in the ‘golden shell’, a sun trap in Chianti Classico's Panzano, this take on the Médoc's finest is a bonanza of spicy red and black berries supported by chocolatey depth and grippy tannins. Incredibly fresh and lifted, the poised mid-palate sees the emergence of some herbal touches and structural acidity, leading to a long, bright yet still quite sturdy finish.