Le Macchiole Paleo: The quintessential Tuscan Cabernet Franc

In a Forbes article written by Susan Gordon, Vinous wine critic Ian D'Agata is quoted thusly:

What Bolgheri is really remarkably good for is Cabernet Franc. It is probably the single best place for Cabernet Franc in the world after Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Even when you go to taste out of barrel, in nine out of 10 wineries the best one is filled with Cabernet Franc ... Le Macchiole's "Paleo" used to not be 100% Cabernet Franc but it became 100% Cabernet Franc and has never looked back.

And it is that Le Macchiole Paleo Cabernet Franc, one of my favorite Bolgheri wines, that I will be examining today.

Le Macchiole is a 22-ha estate located in Bolgheri DOC just across Bolgheri Road from the famed Tenuta dell'Ornellaia estate and 5 km away from the sea.  According to enotecaitalia.biz, the current incarnation has its roots in an estate of the same name founded in 1975 by the father and grandfather of the late Eugenio Campolmi (co-founder, along with his wife Cenzia Merli, of the current estate) when they decided to produce and sell wines from grapes grown in their small vineyards.  These founders utilized contemporary farming and winemaking practices and this, combined with poor vineyard positioning and soil quality, yielded low quantities of poor quality wine. 

When Eugenio took control of the business in 1981, he moved decisively to change the direction of the estate.  He made the decision that the location was not conducive to success so he purchased 9 ha of land in the current location in 1983. Not being sure of what varieties would grow best in this new location, Eugenio embarked on a path that would become the hallmark of the company -- experimentation to determine the best fit for the environment. For example, Le Macchiole was the first estate in Bolgheri to plant Syrah, the first to adopt high-density planting, and the first to produce a monovarietal Cabernet Franc.

The climate that Le Macchiole contends with is temperate, thanks to its proximity to the sea, but the temperature at its location is higher than anywhere else in Bolgheri. The soil is deep and clayey with significant stone and rock deposits. Vineyards are planted to 10,000 vines/ha, are short-cordon-spur pruned, and have been organic since 2002.

Le Macchiole only works with its own grapes, drawn from the stable of vineyards shown below. The map shows that Cabernet Franc is grown in every vineyard, except for the northernmost and southernmost, with a variety of soil types and planting densities. The vineyards are farmed organically, a process that begun with the 2002 vintage, with biodynamic practices launched in 2010.

Le Macchiole Paleo

Paleo began life as a classic Bordeaux blend in 1989 before being repositioned as a Cabernet Franc monovarietal beginning with the 2001 vintage. Grapes for this wine are sourced from the Puntone, Casanuova, and Vignone vineyards. The grapes are harvested manually and double sorted prior to a 30-day fermentation/maceration in concrete vats. The wines are aged for 19 months in new oak barriques.

Tasting of Selected Vintages of Paleo

I have grown to love the liveliness of this Cabernet Franc and am not reticent about spreading the message to converts and doubting Thomases alike. Below are notes on selected vintages that I have tasted.

2013 Le Macchiole Paleo -- On the nose blueberry, mocha, licorice, mint, tobacco, and baking spices. Full-bodied. Balanced. Mouth-coating tannins. Lengthy finish. Would benefit from a little more cellar time.

2012 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Plum, dark fruits, bell pepper, red pepper, tobacco, and herbs on the nose. Focused on the palate. Balanced. Medium-long finish.

2011 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Elegant. Ripe black and red fruits, garrigue, roasted peppers and wild herbs on the nose. Full-bodied. Well integrated. Textured. Lengthy finish.

2008 La Macchiole Paleo -- Floral, with dark fruits, mint, cinnamon, cedar and smoke on the nose. Palate confirms. Bold. More cellar time needed.

2007 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Dark berries, green bell pepper, chocolate, cassis, baking spices on the nose. Elegant and complex on the palate. Dark fruit, milk chocolate, integrated tannins and a lengthy finish.

2006 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Ripe blackberries, baking spices, dark chocolate, cassis, herbs, and pepper on the nose. A black fruit core surrounded by a savoriness, spice, and minerality. Full bodied and fresh. Lengthy finish.

2005 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Aromatic. Dark fruits on the nose along with green peppers, earth, leather, cassis, espresso, herbs, and earth. Full round mouthfeel. Cherries, dark chocolate, and integrated tannins. Powerful. Lengthy finish.

2002 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Florality. Black/red fruits, coffee, hint of tar, herbs, and leather on the nose. Medium-bodied. Well integrated. Balanced. Red fruit and herbs. Lengthy, drying finish.

Tasting session at Capital Grille

2000 Le Macchiole Paleo -- Raw meat, lacquer, spice, black pepper, red pepper, and garrigue on the nose. Red fruit on the palate. Balanced. Lengthy, slightly astringent finish.

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Messorio, a Merlot monovarietal, is Le Macchiole's flagship wine. At a 2009 tasting of Masseto and Messorio led by the respective enologists Axel Heinz and Luca D'Attoma, Heinz opined that the wines were set apart by different visions and stylistic interpretations of similar terroir  with the result being that Masseto was "more powerful and more concentrated, with extremely 'aristocratic' tannins" while Messorio was "leaner" and "almost austere."

And this is the sense that comes through to me with Paleo: a restraint, an unwillingness to flood the zone. I love this wine.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Grattamacco: The "Bolgherian" arm of the Colle Massari Domaine vision

In an earlier treatment of the noted Brunello di Montalcino producer Poggio di Sotto, I noted that the estate was acquired in 2011 by Claudio Tipa of Colle Massari Wine Estates based on his promise to "retain and respect the same quality standards and production techniques" that were foundational to the estate's success and reputation. At that time Poggio di Sotto was the third estate in the "Domaine" launched with Maria Iris Bertarelli and Claudio's purchase of Castello Colle Massari in 1999. The estates in the current portfolio of properties are shown in the chart below. I explore the Grattamacco estate in this post.

Collage of screen shots from
collemassariwines.it

Bolgheri DOC

Grattamacco is located on a hill to the northeast of the town of Castagneto Carducci within the Bolgheri DOC wine zone.

Bolgheri experiences sunny, dry, and moderately windy conditions which allow the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes to ripen fully but with its exuberance restrained by the moderating influence of cool Mediterranean breezes. The topography slopes gently from the base of the eastern hills to the sea and the highest-quality vineyards are concentrated in the foothills running between Bolgheri and Castagneto. The hills protect the vineyards from the cold northern winter winds.  The vineyards are bathed in cool winds from the sea during the summertime and this, combined with a significant diurnal shift, causes  slow maturation of grape quality components and retention of high acidity. 

There is significant soil variation in the Bolgheri DOC: alluvial soils with round pebbles (ancient riverine deeposits); Aeolian sands, limestone, and clay (marine origin), and volcanic rock from the hills to the east. The oldest alluvial deposits are found in the Hill zone, the area in which the pebbly, iron-rich Sassicaia vineyard is located. The Intermediate zone has younger alluvial soils while the area closer to the sea consists of an alluvial-deposit and marine-deposit mix.

The Bolgheri terroir, according to Grattamacco winemaker Luca Marrone, is divided into two big areas:

"... the eastern side and the western side of the Bolgherese Road. In the eastern side, there is an important portion of limestone and clay soil. There are some peculiar sites, such as the blue clay of Masseto, the flysch (layers of shale intersperesd with hard sandstone) terrace of Grattamacco, the schistlike calcareous clay stone of Casa Vecchia, the flaky limestone clay of Argentiera. The western side very close to the Bolgherese Road consists mainly of red and brown clay and silt soils, while the sandy portions increase as we proceed to the sea."

In the same article, Wine Spectator identifies the soil as being mineral-rich, "thanks to the proximity of the Colline Metallifere hills behind Bolgheri that are profuse in iron, copper, lead, and silver ... this lends porosity to the soils, allowing the roots to descend and resulting in wines of finesse with mineral elements."

Unlike the broader Tuscany's focus on Sangiovese, the Bolgheri terroir is especially supportive of the Bordeaux varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon as the most widely planetd grape.

Grattamacco Estate

Tenuta San Guido's groundbreaking success with Sassicaia in Bolgheri was a signpost for other like-minded producers. One of the first responders to the signal was Piermario Meletti Cavallari, a Bergamo-based restaurateur who, in 1977, bought a neglected vineyard in the hills near Castagneto Carducci and founded Grattamacco (Wine Spectator). According to Cavallari, "After a short time, I realized that it was important to follow the road traced by Sassicaia, and I grafted some vines with Cabernet Sauvignon and replanted others with the same vine."

Grattamacco is 80 ha in size with 28 of those hectares planted to vines and 14 to olive groves. The vineyard, located between 100 and 200 m asl, is steep and hilly with soils distributed as follows:

• Silt and sandy soil in the Alberello vineyard
• Calcareous silt on the western side of the vineyard
• Sandy calcareous flysch on the eastern side.

The vines are farmed organically, average 25 years of age, and are trained Cordone speronato, Guyot, and Alberello, depending on location.

The estate was brought into the Colle Massari fold in 2002; first as a managed vineyard, then through outright acquisition.

Grattamacco Wines

Wine Spectator sees the Bolgheri terroir as driving three styles of wines:

1. Old World -- reminiscent of Bordeaux
2. New World -- emphasizes fruit
3. A more Tuscan character.

The periodical also sees the wines of Grattamacco -- maybe because of its hillside location -- as "more Tuscan, in general, and more Mediterranean, specifically. Grattamacco's Vermentino Bolgheri and Bolgheri Superiore ... are saline and minerally, firmly structured, even rustic in their youth, and full of wild herb notes. The L'Alberello, from a vineyard on the plain, is the most typically 'Bolgherian' wine from its cellar."

The full slate of Grattamacco wines -- and their production processes -- are illustrated in the chart below.

I have not tasted the Vermentino to date but have had some experience with the red wines in the portfolio.

The 2018 Bolgheri Rosso was broad on the nose with red fruit, baking spices, green herbs, butter, and an egg-like character dominant. Cranberry and spice on the palate. Textured. Good acid levels. Pleasant. Perfumed, drying finish.

The 2012 Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore is the more powerful of the two pictured below. Dark/red fruit, pepper, tar, licorice, and tobacco on the nose. Weightier red fruit, tar, and spice, along with power and structure, on the palate. Lengthy finish. The peak drinking window for this wine is still ahead.

The 2012 L'Alberello Bolgheri Superiore showed rusticity, rose petals, green herbs, baking spices, red pepper, blackpepper, tobacco, anise, mint, and dried toast on the nose. Bright red fruit, coal, and spice on the palate. Sweet fruit. Medium weight.

After bringing Grattamacco on board, Claudio and Maria went on to add the two Montalcino properties to their portfolio. I have already written about Poggio di Sotto so, in the future, I will double back to cover the starting point (Castello Colle Massari) and then close out with Tenuta San Giorgio.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Riparbella (Province of Pisa): The outer edges of Super Tuscandom

The Montalcino producer Podere Le Ripi has been hosting a series of Saturday webinars titled "Discover Brunello with Podere Le Ripi," featuring the estate's winemaker, Sebastian Narello, and a guest. The first week's talk featured a neighboring Brunello producer (Castello Tricerchi) but this last week featured a conversation with Ugo Fabbri, Brand Ambassador for the Super Tuscan producer Tenuta Prima Pietra.

As Marina, our host, explained it, Brunello di Montalcino and the Super Tuscans burst on the scene around the same time in the 1970s. They thought it would be a good exercise to trace the steps of the Super Tuscan movement and explore, in our discussion, whether there were any learnings for Brunello di Montalcino from this path.

Ugo began with a history of the Super Tuscan movement and Sebastian filled in some of the details. Then Ugo turned to the story of the founding of Tenuta Prima Pietra. His boss, Massimo Ferragamo, wanted to build a winery in the Super Tuscan zone and went to Bolgheri but was unable to find a property. While in the region, his adviser indicated that Sassicaia was such a success because it was on the highest ground in Bolgheri. So, as Massimo expanded his property search outside of Bolgheri, he had high-elevation as one of his key selection criteria. And so he came upon this 200-ha property on the hill in Riparbella (at that time only 7 ha was devoted to vines) and chose it for his Tuscan dream.

At this time Ugo remoted-in the winemaker from the Pietra Prima property to talk about the estate. She discussed the longer growing season resulting from a combination of the Mediterranean climate, the abundance of light, the constant wind, and the day-night temperature differentials. She mentioned the 500 mm of rain per year which was insufficient in the region and dictated irrigation. Of the 50 hectares of vineyards, 32 ha are currently irrigated.

Ugo also shared some news with us. Tenuta Prima Pietra had banded together with two like-minded wineries (Caiarossa and Duemani) in the area to promote Riparbella as a wine region. Their first initiative towards this end is a cooperative wine called Tresoro. This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on each estate. The grapes were vinified and aged at each estate and then sent to Caiarossa for blending and bottling.

I have written extensively on Tuscan Merlots but had not encountered this region, or these wineries, prior to this presentation. My interest was piqued.

Riparbella is located in Val de Cecina (shown in the map below) which "extends along the River Cecina in the south of the Province of Pisa" and also including portions of the provinces of Grosetto, Liivorno, and Sienna. The valley is hilly in the hinterland and mostly flat near the mouth of the river.

Riparbella is located due north of Bolgheri, with the mentioned estates located on high ground in an arc to the north of the actual town.

Location of Riparbella wineries (represented by Caiarossa)
relative to Bolgheri

The area is perfect for grape growing, with plenty of sunlight, a Mediterranean climate, a steady wind blowing in off the sea (modifying the temperatures and ventilating the vines), and significant diurnal temperature variation. These conditions allows for a longer growing season -- allowing the grapes to reach full maturity -- while retaining the acidity required for freshness and aging.

The chart below shows the distribution of the estates and some of their vital statistics.

Duemani
The leftmost of the three -- Duemani -- is spread over two distinct locations. The estate is owned by Elena Calli and Luca d'Attoma, the latter a highly respected Tuscan winemaker, and was established on the Tuscan coast because the owners wanted to produce wines from their favorite grape varieties (Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Merlot). They decided to farm biodynamically in order to respect and preserve the environment. The stated goal of the estate is "to produce wines that are fine, clean, direct, and delicious with unique and recognizable character."

The Duemani partners found the original 7 ha in 2008 and planted three vineyards on the amphitheatre-like setting: Cabernet Franc at the top; Merlot towards the bottom; and Syrah in a small, goblet-shaped vineyard in the middle of the slope. This rocky, dry-soil vineyard is the heart of the estate.

In 2014 they planted 3 more ha of Cabernet Franc at 383 m. Today they have a total of 12 ha under vine.

The Duemani portfolio is all red wines with the exception of a 100% Rosé Syrah. Two of the remaining wines are 100% Cabernet Franc, one is a Merlot/Cabernet Franc equal parts blend, one a 100% Syrah, and the last a 100% Grenache. Wines are fermented in amphorae, cement vats, conical French oak tanks, and French oak barriques and are aged in similar vessels plus tonneaux.

Tenuta Prima Pietra
The rightmost of the three is Tenuta Prima Pietra, owned by Massimo Ferragamo (who also owns Castiglione di Bosco in Montalcino). Organic farming is at the estate's core in that it "provides the best way to maintain the balance required in a natural vineyard" and allows the vine to be "consistent and sincere, a proud ambassador of the vintage, harvest, the terroir of the estate and the personality of each single varietal."

The composition of the estate's wine mirrors the distribution of cultivars in the vineyard. The grapes are vinified (separately) in steel tanks and then aged (again, separately) in French oak for 18 months before blending prior to bottling.

Caiarossa
Caiarossa, the largest of the three estates, is owned by Eric Albhda Jelgersma, who also owns the Bordeaux estates Chateau Giscours and Chateau du Tertre. Biodynamic farming is at this estate's core, as manifested in its cultivation activities (animal and grain manure and fermentation residue, biodynamic preparations, cover crops) and vine-protection initiatives (stimulation of the natural defences of the plant, spray with low doses of sulfur and copper, pesticides based on natural mineral substances, "sexual confusion" to control insect population).

The wine lineup includes a Viognier - Chardonnay blend, a late picked Petit Manseng, a blend that incorporates all of the estates red grapes, a Bordeaux blend plus Syrah, and a Sangiovese wine with small additions of Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

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Discovering this region and these estates was an unforeseen effect of attending the Podere le Ripi talks. They stepped out of the box and showed us something totally new. Kudos to the team.

As for the region and the estates, it will be interesting to see how they grow and evolve. I look forward to going into the area, after things have gotten back to some level of normalcy, and tasting their wines on site.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Antonio Galloni and Vinous Ornellaia and Masseto Retrospective (1995 - 2010), from Magnum

Antonio Galloni had had to work overtime in order to convince Axel Heinz (the Ornellaia and Masseto winemaker) to agree to a wine tasting that would, essentially, allow direct comparison of the estate's two major wines. Antonio's powers of persuasion carried the day and now here we were, at Bouley Test Kitchen on December 5, 2016, ready to participate in the Ornellaia and Masseto Retrospective (1995 - 2010), from Magnum.

As early arrivals stood around the dining area chatting, or searching out their appointed seating, we were served 2008 and 2009 Pierre Peters Champagne. The Champagne was then followed in short order by a number of passed Hors-d'Oeuvres, each, in its own manner, pleasing to both vision and palate.

We were eventually called to order and grudgingly took our seats with longing, backward glances towards the origin point of the Hors-d'Oeuvres. Antonio shared the particulars of the tasting with us:

• The wines would be tasted in flights arranged from the youngest to the oldest
• Every wine was to be poured from magnum
• Each magnum had been sourced directly from the winery
• The wines had been opened at 5:30 pm that day and were all in good condition
• The tasting included all of the significant vintages falling between 1995 and 2010. 

From an operational point of view, the tasting would be broken into four flights, each flight containing two vintages and each vintage having both an Ornellaia and Masseto included. Each flight would be paired with a course, but the wines would be presented at the table prior to the associated dish being served.

Amouse Bouche

Flight 1: 2010 and 2007 Vintages
Axel was called upon to introduce the first flight. He characterized the 2007 vintage as an early year with cool conditions during harvest while the 2010 was the latest ripening vintage he had ever seen up to that time. 2010 was not, he said, the most typical vintage of the estate.

Both of the 2010s were still very young to the taste. The Ornellaia showed powerful, intense dark fruit, some structure, and a licorice coating on the palate. I found the Masseto to be unyielding on the nose. Full finish with a hint of green.

The 2007 Ornellaia was broader-based than the 2010. Dark, ripe fruit. The 2007 Masseto was perfumed with hints of balsamic and licorice. Tight. Rich dark fruit and some green on the palate.

Forager's Treasure of Wild Mushrooms with
Sweet Garlic and Special Spices

Flight 2: 2006 and 2004 Vintages
According to Axel, 2006 was a strange wine. It had not been easy to make but turned out well having, as it did, a richness, high tannins, high acidity, and concentrated fruit. The 2004 was a textbook vintage with ideal conditions yielding grapes that had ripened evenly and uniformly (masseto.com).

The 2006 Ornellaia was the first of the wines tasted to exhibit any noticeable acidity. Rich and intense, with juicy acidity surrounded by a beautiful core of fruit. Good levels of fruit and acidity in the 2006 Masseto. Rich, structured, powerful, and balanced. This wine is a buy.

The 2004s were the first wines to show really well on the nose. This illustrated the relative youth of the previous wines. The Ornellaia had floral notes along with tea, licorice, and olives. Full-bodied. Heavier than the earlier vintages. The Masseto was a beautiful wine. Classic older Merlot. Granny's attic, spice, and a dankness. Weighty and structured.

Organic Millbrook Venison with Wild Pawpaw
Fruit

Flight 3: 2001 and 1998 Vintages
The 2001 and 1998 vintages are two of the most important reference points for the estate. Michel Rolland, the long-time consulting enologist for the estate, calls 2001 the best vintage that he has ever seen in Tuscany.

The 2001 Ornellaia presented cigar box, cedar, cocoa, and coffee. Diminished fruit levels and pleasing acidity. Classic Bordeaux nose. The Masseto had been decanted earlier in the day due to "tightness." It presented green pea, a mustiness, curry, and tobacco. Sweet ripe fruit on the palate. Axel feels that the 2001 is the most opulent Masseto that he has tasted.

The 1998 Ornellaia was a beautiful wine. Cigar box, tobacco leaf, and black fruit on the nose. Textured and structured. A "come-hither" wine. The Masseto presented cigar box, tobacco, orange peel, and spice. Textured and balanced with a long finish. Axel remarked on the "smoky tobacco leaf character" of both of the wines in the 1998 vintage.

Organic Colorado Lamb with Organic Snow
Peas, Sweet Peas, Fava Beans, Okra, and
Organic Rosemary-Perfumed Quinoa

Chef's Surprise: Eggs and White Truffles

Flight 4: 1997 and 1995 Vintages
According to Axel, 1995 was a cool-climate vintage while 1997 was the year that the estate introduced a second wine at Ornellaia.

The 1997 Ornellaia was a desirable wine with still a lot of life ahead. A little green pea and coconut on the nose along with a restrained orange peel. Fresh on the palate. Fine-boned and elegant. Long finish. The Masseto was all Grandma's attic, black fruit, cedar, cigar box, tobacco, and talcum powder. Elegant. Great weight on the palate along with tobacco, dark fruit, a savoriness, and spice. A lengthy, slightly pruney finish. This is one of the vintages where I distinctly preferred the Ornellaia to the Masseto

The 1995 Ornellaia was unyielding on the nose.  A little blue fruit. Tired. The 1995 Masseto showed tobacco and Granny's attic. Great acidity and sharp red fruit. Lengthy finish. An excellent wine.

Chef's Selection of Mature Artisanal French
Cheeses by Maitre Affineur Rodolphe le Meunier

Axel Heinz signing bottles

My memento

This tasting more than lived up to expectations. I went in looking to taste as much Masseto as I could and came away with  a new-found respect for Ornellaia. I will be buying that label in a more studied fashion going-forward, rather than reflexively, as I do today.

The dishes that accompanied the tasting were all of exceptional quality. The standoiut for me though was the Organic Millbrook Venison. It had a nice spicy undertone and was so tender that the knife glided through. Great texture.

This was a memorable evening. And I made a bunch of new friends at my table.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Italian Merlots: Tenuta dell'Ornellaia's Masseto (Bolgheri, Tuscany)

Any discussion of Merlot wines generally begins with a deep bow in the direction of Bordeaux's right bank and wines such as Le Pin, Pétrus, L'Eglise-Clinet and a host of others that are produced in Pomerol and neighboring St. Emilion.  And that acclaim is justified.  But Merlot wines from Bordeaux no longer have a monopoly on greatness as a number of small-production, mono-varietals reared in the Bolgheri region have begun to gain critical acclaim.  Names such as Masseto (Wine Spectator 100 points in 2001), Redigaffi (Wine Spectator 100 points in 1997 and 2000), and Messorio (Wine Spectator 100 points, 2004), among others, have grabbed the attention of critics and wine collectors alike and, in so doing, have led to steady value appreciation for those lucky enough to own these wines.

I will be exploring these Italian Merlots in a series of upcoming posts beginning with today's post on Tenuta dell'Ornellaia's Masseto, an estate which I had the privilege of visiting last year with a Bordeaux Index team.

The Ornellaia estate encompasses 180 hectares -- 97 of which are planted to vine -- divided between two properties: the 37 hectares of vineyards and the winery on Via Bolgherese and a 60-hectare property called Bellaria which is located to the north of Bolgheri.  The Via Bolgherese property is divided into a 30.37-hectare vineyard dedicated to fruit for non-Masseto Ornellaia wines and a 6.63 hectare vineyard dedicated to the growth of Merlot grapes for the fabled Masseto wine.

The Masseto vineyard lies on soil comprised of thin silty clay and broken rock fragments. There is some confusion as to the planting date of the vines with the Masseto website stating the year 1984 as the planting date and other sources (see hermitagewine.com/masseto) using 1981 as the planting date.  The older date seems to be more reasonable as the first vintage of the wine is identified as being offered on the market in 1986.

The Masseto vineyard is sub-divided into three distinct sections based on soil characteristics and resultant wines.  The lowest section of the vineyard is called Masseto Junior and its soils are characteristically a clay-sand mix.  According to the winery the wines produced frrom grapes grown in this section are lighter and serve to smooth out the tannic roughness associated with the wines from the other sections as well as contributing to the overall delicacy of the final product.  The middle portion of the vineyard is called Masseto Centrale and has the highest levels of Pliocene clays.  Wines produced from these grapes are powerful, concentrated, and tannic.  The top portion of the vineyard is located 120 meters above sea level and the soil here consists of loose clays and sand along with pebbles.  The soil here is the shallowest in the overall vineyard and the grapes tend to ripen earliest.  The wines produced from this section of the vineyard are dense and linear.

Source: masseto.com

The Tenuta dell'Ornellaia winemaker is Alex Heinz and the winery's philosophy is "quality without compromise."  The quality begins in the vineyard and continues throughout the winemaking process.  Grapes are hand-harvested and subjected to a three-part selection process which ensures that only the best berries make it to the fermentation tanks. Suspect grapes are selected-out in the vineyard and before and after de-stemming.

Fermentation is conducted in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and oak vats with each block fermented separately.  Blocks are aged in wooden barriques for one year prior to being blended into the final wine by the winemaker.  The barriques of choice are procured from the Massif Central area in France and have a medium toast.  After blending, the wines are returned to the barriques for an additional year of aging.  Specific lots of wines may be clarified prior to bottling depending on their characteristics.  The wines are aged for an additional year in bottle before being released to the market.

Source: masseto.com

Source: masseto.com

Annual production of Masseto averages around 30,000 bottles and the wine sells for around $450 upon release.  Recent vintages that are especially well regarded by the critics include the 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2008. Axel Heinz, the winemaker, in a Decanter interview (Ornellaia, May 2013) said "When young, Masseto can seem monolithic, but it often shows much more complexity with age."

Masseto has the distinction of being the first Italian wine to be sold through the Place de Bordeaux, a marketplace ttraditionally reserved for First Growths and a small number of foreign icon wines. Other foreign wines sold through this marketplace include Opus One and Almaviva, both estates associated with Baron Rothschild (decanter.com 11/18/08).  The first Masseto vintage offered through this marketplace was the 2006.

On a personal note, this is, for me, one of the great wines of the world.  I have had the pleasure of tasting vintages from the mid-90s and and have been consistently blown away by how elegantly they transit time.  Our team tasted the 1996 vintage during one of our many local tastings and the notes talk of a terroir-driven wine with coffee notes.  The wine was smooth with great texture and complexity.  It was concentrated but not weighty.

Masseto has been referred to as the Pétrus of Italy and it is a moniker that, in my opinion, is not without merit.  Will there come a day when we refer to Pétrus as the Masseto of France?


©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Bolgheri DOC, home of the Super Tuscans

After our fabulous night at Enotecha Pinchiorri, we rendezvoused at our hotel's breakfast room to reflect on the brilliance of the previous night and to fortify ourselves with a solid food base before venturing out on a day of tastings.  Our entire day was going to be spent in Bolgheri.

Bolgheri, situated south of Livonia on the Ligurian coast, is part of the Maremma sub-region of the broader Tuscany wine region.  The Maremma sub-region is warmer overall than the rest of Tuscany resulting in a

                                    Source: http://www.wine-toscana.com/tuscany.htm

two-week-earlier harvest start than its regional counterparts.  Bolgheri (click here for a map of the DOC) experiences sunny, dry, and moderately windy conditions which allow the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes to ripen fully but with its exuberance restrained by the moderating influence of cool Mediterranean breezes.  The topography slopes gently from the base of the eastern hills to the sea and the highest-quality vineyards are concentrated in the foothills running between Bolgheri and Castagneto.  The hills protect the vineyards from the cold northern winter winds.  The vineyards are bathed in cool winds from the sea during the summertime and this, combined with a significant diurnal shift, causes  slow maturation of grape quality components and retention of high acidity.  There are approximately 1600 hectares under vine in the Bolgheri DOC today.

There is significant soil variation in the Bolgheri DOC: alluvial soils with round pebbles (ancient riverine deeposits); Aeolian sands, limestone, and clay (marine origin), and volcanic rock from the hills to the east.  The oldest alluvial deposits are found in the Hill zone, the area in which the pebbly, iron-rich Sassicaia vineyard is located.  The Intermediate zone has younger alluvial soils while the area closer to the sea consists of an alluvial-deposit and marine-deposit mix.

The first Bordeaux-style vineyards were planted in Bolgheri in 1944 by Marquis Mario Incisa della Rochetta who favored the wines of the Medoc and saw some similarity between the gravelly soils of the Medoc and Bolgheri.  After a period of experimentation, including maturing the wine in barriques in the French manner, the wine, the precursor of today's Sassicaia, was introduced to the market in 1968.  The wine flew below the radar until Hugh Johnson of Decanter arranged a tasting which featured Cabernet-based wines from France, the U.S, and Italy.  The relatively unknown Sassicaia stunned by besting the more established competitors.  Fame and fortune followed thereafter; as did other producers who jumped in to produce what was now being called "Super Tuscans."

These Super Tuscans, even though of high quality, and carrying hefty price tags, did not merit any higher than an IGT (table wine) designation in the Italian regulatory scheme because they were made from non-region-typical grapes.  This state of affairs was maintained until 1994 when a Bolgheri DOC was granted for non-traditional grapes and a Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC was granted for wines grown in the Sassicaia vineyard.  The following are included in the Bolgheri DOC:

• Bianco
• 20 - 70% of each of the following: TrebbianoToscana, Vermentino, or Sauvignon Blanc
• Up to 30% of other authorized varietals
• Released the Spring following harvest
• Yields of 100 quintals/hectare allowed
• Vermentino
• 85% Vermentino
• Released the Spring following harvest
• Yields of 100 quintals/hectare allowed
• Sauvignon Blanc
• 85% Sauvignon Blanc
• Released the Spring following harvest
• Yields of 100 quintals/hectare allowed
• Rosato
• Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, other approved varietals
• Released the Spring following harvest
• 11.5% minimum alcohol
• Rosso and Rosso Superiore
• 10 - 80% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Up to 70% Merlot
• Up to 70% Sangiovese
• Up to 30% of other authorized varietals
• Rosso aged a minimum of 10 months; Superiore a minimum of 24 months, 12 in wood and 6 in bottle
• Yields of 90 quintals/hectare for Rosso and 80 quintals/hectare for Superiore
• 11.5% minimum alcohol for Rosso, 12.5% for Superiore
• Sassicaia
• Produced in Sassicaia subzone
• Aged for 2 years, 18 months in barrique
• Yields of 60 quintals/hectare allowed
• 12% minimum alcohol

Some of the most acclaimed wines from Bolgheri include Sassicaia (Tenuta San Guido), Ornellaia (Tenuta dell'Ornellaia), Masseto (Tenuta dell'Ornellaia), and Messorio (Le Macchiole).