Masseto - Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia
95 points - The Wine Advocate
96 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
Masseto - Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia
95 points - The Wine Advocate
96 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
95 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
100 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
94 points - The Wine Advocate
97 points - The Wine Advocate
98 points - The Wine Advocate
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From Italy’s most celebrated 7-hectare plot of Merlot, the 2011 Masseto is a wine of grand and lofty ambitions that happily materialize in the glass. This wine delivers on all the many promises it makes. First is the exceptional quality of the bouquet with seamless integration of dark fruit to spice, to chocolate, to Mediterranean herb. The aromas are presented in kaleidoscope effect so that many bright colours blend into one.
Second, is the mouthfeel that is as supple, rich, and persistent as you should expect of a wine of this pedigree. Lastly, is the wine’s aging potential that is already evident in terms of the integrated acidity and the richness of the tannins. In fact, the tannins are gorgeous here: They are silky, refined and delightful. It’s not the greatest Masseto ever made, but it performs beautifully nonetheless.
The estate’s 2007 Masseto is fabulous. Loads of black cherry, blackberry and cassis are intermingled with minerals, violets and French oak. This is an especially sensual Masseto that impresses for its clarity, intensity and length. The wine’s pedigree is impossible to miss, in fact in one of my blind tastings it was immediately identifiable; the class and sheer personality of Masseto came through in spades.
The wine that most delighted me at this historic tasting of Tuscany's most iconic wines was the 2006 Masseto. This is a wine of sheer power, bliss, opulence, infinity, and sublime seduction. This Merlot-based masterpiece hits all your senses with the grace of a ballerina and the power of a heavyweight. It is steady on its proverbial feet, but it also glides over the palate with a profound sense of elegance, harmony, and rhythm.
Among the prized vintages of Masseto, including 2001, 2004 and 2007, this edition is my favourite. The wine delivers an extra sense of tightness or firmness at the back that serves to stitch together its fleshy richness and general sumptuousness. The personality is sunny, expansive, articulate, and sophisticated. You'll remember that the 2006 vintage is celebrated for the elegance of its wines. In the coastal Bolgheri appellation, it is also remembered for the power of its wines.
You get the best of both worlds with this stunning creation: elegance and power. These traits are particularly well suited to the versatile grape variety at the heart of this Tuscan all-rounder. This is a true Renaissance wine.
This wine was made in the old winery (the existing Ornellaia winery). Fermentation kicks off in a combination of steel and oak tanks before the wine is racked over to barrique, where it rests for two years. The wine then goes into bottle for 12 months before its release. Like most vintages of Masseto tasted this early in the game, the oak is omnipresent, and it grounds the wine in terms of texture and structure. It is powerful, but that's always the case with Masseto.
I tasted this wine next to the decidedly more playful Massetino, and the Masseto moves over the palate with substantial fruit weight and concentration gained over the course of this hot and dry growing season (which produced smaller, richer, and more compact berries). Perhaps, what this vintage lacks is that profound varietal character that we saw in recent vintages like 2016 and 2015. If concerned that the hot vintage would draw out too many ripe fruit tones, the oak serves to soften some of the more volatile components of the fruit.
Those distinctive notes of macchia mediterranea (wild bush) that I always associate with Masseto are less present in this vintage. You feel the oak tannins on the finish with toast and vanilla that will certainly shed as the wine ages.
This wine was made in the old winery (the existing Ornellaia winery). Fermentation kicks off in a combination of steel and oak tanks before the wine is racked over to barrique, where it rests for two years. The wine then goes into bottle for 12 months before its release. Like most vintages of Masseto tasted this early in the game, the oak is omnipresent, and it grounds the wine in terms of texture and structure. It is powerful, but that's always the case with Masseto.
I tasted this wine next to the decidedly more playful Massetino, and the Masseto moves over the palate with substantial fruit weight and concentration gained over the course of this hot and dry growing season (which produced smaller, richer, and more compact berries). Perhaps, what this vintage lacks is that profound varietal character that we saw in recent vintages like 2016 and 2015. If concerned that the hot vintage would draw out too many ripe fruit tones, the oak serves to soften some of the more volatile components of the fruit.
Those distinctive notes of macchia mediterranea (wild bush) that I always associate with Masseto are less present in this vintage. You feel the oak tannins on the finish with toast and vanilla that will certainly shed as the wine ages.
Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control.
Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you'll notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit that makes an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel.
There is no overstating the sheer power and richness of this iconic vintage of Italy's ground-breaking Merlot. Despite that considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. You gain better perspective as the wine opens in the glass and reveals deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on first nose: dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco, and black cherry. There is great tightness and laser focus to the fruit.
Masseto has pulled off back-to-back home runs. This is the first time that an Italian wine has earned 100 points in successive vintages. The 2016 Masseto is a thunderstorm of emotions, but it manages to keep them under perfect control.
Like the 2015 Masseto before it, this vintage is a seamless wine of the highest pedigree. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that is bringing Italy to the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you'll notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit that makes an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel.
There is no overstating the sheer power and richness of this iconic vintage of Italy's ground-breaking Merlot. Despite that considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. You gain better perspective as the wine opens in the glass and reveals deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on first nose: dark fruit, spice, sweet tobacco, and black cherry. There is great tightness and laser focus to the fruit.
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.
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.
The 2014 Masseto has developed beautifully over the past few years of its oak and bottle evolution. This is a very distinctive edition of the iconic Italian Merlot that delivers a silky and streamlined approach. As bold and opulent as Masseto is in the warm vintages, I personally find those wines difficult to finish because the extract, concentration and intensity are so over the top.
The best vintages of Masseto usually overpower any food dish you put before them. This is a subdued and downplayed expression instead. The cool summer season has shaped fresh berry notes of wild blackberry and cassis with drying mineral, tobacco, licorice, and tar. There is evident sweetness here in terms of the wine's fruit flavors and its tannins, but there also is a cooling vein of acidity that makes the difference. The alcohol feels integrated and light. If you are hankering for a less massive and less muscular Masseto, this vintage is for you.
The 2014 Masseto has developed beautifully over the past few years of its oak and bottle evolution. This is a very distinctive edition of the iconic Italian Merlot that delivers a silky and streamlined approach. As bold and opulent as Masseto is in the warm vintages, I personally find those wines difficult to finish because the extract, concentration and intensity are so over the top.
The best vintages of Masseto usually overpower any food dish you put before them. This is a subdued and downplayed expression instead. The cool summer season has shaped fresh berry notes of wild blackberry and cassis with drying mineral, tobacco, licorice, and tar. There is evident sweetness here in terms of the wine's fruit flavors and its tannins, but there also is a cooling vein of acidity that makes the difference. The alcohol feels integrated and light. If you are hankering for a less massive and less muscular Masseto, this vintage is for you.
The 2013 Masseto paints a glorious picture of Tuscany. It captures an inspired moment in time and walks an impressive tightrope between power and elegance. In my preview tasting last year, I noticed the firm textural richness of the 2013 vintage and the crystalline sharpness of its aromas. Thanks to 12 additional months of bottle aging, that impression is evermore constant and concrete.
The focus is there, yet the wine has also fleshed out and put on more velvety definition especially in terms of mouthfeel. It wears its pedigree with pride, but most importantly it offers the balance and integration to promise a long and healthy aging future. The 2013 vintage follows closely on the heels of the impeccable 2006 and 2010 vintages in terms of cellaring potential. This is a bottle that should interest collectors.
The 2012 Masseto is seductive from the first sip. The 2011 edition of this wine was very successful, and not too different in character from this wine. What the 2012 vintage offers instead is a level of textural richness and creaminess that is outstanding. The very nature of the fruit feels velvety and silky smooth, without a single ripple.
The bouquet reveals upfront aromas of dark cherry and spice that are contrasted perfectly against one another. Classic vintages of Masseto include 2001 and 2006. The 2012 vintage doesn't offer the same backbone firmness as those years, but it offers lots more exuberant richness instead. Some 32,000 bottles were produced. The wine should hold forward for many, many years.
The 2010 Masseto is truly monumental, leaving you breathless and wordless all at once. Once you sip the wine, it takes a few minutes before you grasp the enormity of its beauty and potential. You almost have to wonder how enologist Axel Heinz could conceive of a wine this beautiful - and how did he execute it? I could wax poetic for hours: Dark cherry, chocolate, baking spice and tobacco smoke lift off the bouquet in thin veils and magical puffs. The quality of the aromas is exceptional, but again, the seamless integration is what makes Masseto a protagonist of Italian wine. No matter how much time goes by, that beauty will remain firmly etched in your memory bank.
The 2008 Masseto is another huge wine. It boasts tons of energy in a tense, inward style I can only describe as implosive, as if the wine is holding back all of its energy. A deep core of black fruit, grilled herbs, liquorice and new leather emerges from time to time, but the tannins are still imposing. There is no shortage of pedigree. I fully expect the 2008 to develop into one of the great Massetos. Needless to say, it will be interesting to taste the 2008 in vertical tastings in the future.
The wine that most delighted me at this historic tasting of Tuscany's most iconic wines was the 2006 Masseto. This is a wine of sheer power, bliss, opulence, infinity and sublime seduction. This Merlot-based masterpiece hits all your senses with the grace of a ballerina and the power of a heavyweight. It is steady on its proverbial feet, but it also glides over the palate with a profound sense of elegance, harmony and rhythm. Among the prized vintages of Masseto, including 2001, 2004 and 2007, this edition is my favorite. The wine delivers an extra sense of tightness or firmness at the back that serves to stitch together its fleshy richness and general sumptuousness. The personality is sunny, expansive, articulate and sophisticated. You'll remember that the 2006 vintage is celebrated for the elegance of its wines. In the coastal Bolgheri appellation, it is also remembered for the power of its wines. You get the best of both worlds with this stunning creation: elegance and power. These traits are particularly well suited to the versatile grape variety at the heart of this Tuscan all-rounder. This is a true Renaissance wine.
The 2005 Masseto (Merlot) is simply gorgeous. A wine of extraordinary class and personality, it remains very primary in its dark fruit, licorice, cassis and toasted oak. It offers notable concentration and well-integrated tannins, all of which convey an impression of awesome harmony, finesse and balance. The tricky growing season seems to have been less of an issue for the Merlot, particularly in the old-vine Masseto Centrale vineyard. The 2005 Masseto has been superb every time I have tasted it thus far. As is often the case, the wine requires at least a few years of bottle age before it becomes approachable. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.
It is impossible not to be impressed by the consistent results Ornellaia achieves year after year. This is a gorgeous set of wines from oenologist Axel Heinz and agronomist/General Manager Leonardo Raspini. In general, the estate’s 2005s are smaller-scaled wines than is often the case, but they offer remarkable balance and plenty of style. As outstanding as the 2005s are, the 2006s are simply off the charts. They are thrilling wines that have tons of everything; fruit, acidity and structure to burn. Even though 2005 was a fresher vintage than 2006, Heinz reported that the 2006s have higher acidities that developed as a result of the unique qualities of the growing season.
The 2005 Masseto (Merlot) is simply gorgeous. A wine of extraordinary class and personality, it remains very primary in its dark fruit, licorice, cassis and toasted oak. It offers notable concentration and well-integrated tannins, all of which convey an impression of awesome harmony, finesse and balance. The tricky growing season seems to have been less of an issue for the Merlot, particularly in the old-vine Masseto Centrale vineyard. The 2005 Masseto has been superb every time I have tasted it thus far. As is often the case, the wine requires at least a few years of bottle age before it becomes approachable. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.
It is impossible not to be impressed by the consistent results Ornellaia achieves year after year. This is a gorgeous set of wines from oenologist Axel Heinz and agronomist/General Manager Leonardo Raspini. In general, the estate’s 2005s are smaller-scaled wines than is often the case, but they offer remarkable balance and plenty of style. As outstanding as the 2005s are, the 2006s are simply off the charts. They are thrilling wines that have tons of everything; fruit, acidity and structure to burn. Even though 2005 was a fresher vintage than 2006, Heinz reported that the 2006s have higher acidities that developed as a result of the unique qualities of the growing season.
Masseto is a renowned Italian wine produced by Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia, located in the Bolgheri DOC in Tuscany. The estate was founded in 1981 and has since become one of the most prestigious wineries in Italy.
Masseto is a single-vineyard Merlot, made from grapes grown in the Masseto vineyard. The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, and is known for its intense aromas of ripe red fruits, spices, and tobacco. On the palate, it is full-bodied and velvety, with a long, lingering finish.
Masseto is a classic Italian wine, and is a great choice for those looking for a complex and elegant red. With its intense aromas and full-bodied flavor, Masseto is sure to please even the most discerning wine connoisseur.
The stunning 2004 Masseto (100% Merlot) presents layers of sweet jammy dark fruit and mineral notes that burst forth from the glass with notable length, purity and delineation. It is a decidedly elegant and super-refined Masseto that continues to integrate its 100% new oak well, showing extraordinary class and fine, silky-textured tannins that caress the palate on the long finish. The 2004 will be hard to resist in its youth as it is incredibly delicious even now, yet it promises to develop gracefully to at least age 20. It is a phenomenal effort that is not to be missed. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2024.
The massive 2001 Masseto forms with Le Macchiole’s Messorio and Tua Rita’s Redigaffi a trio of world class Merlots in a ten square mile area where the variety virtually did not exist 15 years ago. The volume, richness, and sumptuousness are almost beyond description, as are the length and density of the flow and finish, but there is an underlying vein of purity and freshness which help maintain an impeccable balance. Drink: 2006-2025.
Type: |
Red |
Country: |
Italy |
Region: |
Tuscany |
Appellation: |
Toscana IGT |
Producer: |
Tenuta Dell’Ornellaia |
Grapes/Blend: |
Merlot |
ABV: |
14.5% |
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