Massetino 2019

The wine in this vintage

Massetino is the second wine of Masseto: a Merlot from the same Bolgheri hill clays, conceived as a more approachable expression of the estate's style. 2019 was a beautifully balanced year in Tuscany, with a cool spring, a warm but measured summer and even ripening that produced harmonious, long-lived wines. Massetino 2019 captures that grace with ripe black fruit, plum, cocoa, sweet spice and a balsamic note over dense, velvety tannins. Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast both scored it 96 points. It is already very appealing, but its structure allows it to be cellared for several more years while it gains further finesse.

The producer · Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Founded in 1981 by Lodovico Antinori in Bolgheri, on the Livorno coast, Tenuta dell'Ornellaia became within a few decades one of the international symbols of Italian wine. The first vintage of Ornellaia was 1985; since 2005 the estate has been wholly owned by the Frescobaldi family, who have consolidated its style and global reputation. The vineyards spread across the hills and plain of Bolgheri, on a patchwork of alluvial, sandy and clay soils tempered by Tyrrhenian breezes and day-night temperature swings. Ornellaia is a blend of Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, marrying Mediterranean generosity with classic structure. Alongside it, Masseto, a pure Merlot from the hill of the same name with its Pliocene blue clays, is now run as a separate entity and complemented by Massetino, introduced with the 2017 vintage. Since 2009 the Vendemmia d'Artista project has paired each vintage with a contemporary artwork.

Critics' scores

• 96 Robert Parker
• 96 Wine Enthusiast
• 94 Antonio Galloni
• 93 Wine Spectator
• 16/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia

Region

Toscana

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2019

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

94.8/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0680319