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.
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| 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.
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