THE PRODUCER
From a 6.6 ha vineyard, located around 100 meters above sea level on a hillside
near the small village of Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, comes this 100% Merlot
icon. It was Ornellaia’s consultant winemaker, at the time, Andre Tchelistcheff,
who identified the 6.6 ha plot, on the Ornellaia property, as ideal for Merlot,
mainly because of its clay soils. The plot was planted in 1984 and the first
vintage of Masseto produced in 1987.

The wine was first released in 1988 to a great critical reception. Being 100%
merlot, favourable comparisons were quickly made to the likes of Petrus and Le
Pin. From the start, Masseto was released at a higher price than sister estate
Ornellaia. The 2001 vintage achieved a 100 point score by Wine Spectator.

The vineyards were converted to organic farming in 2012 and the winemaking is
rather traditional with the wine maturing for 24 months in new French oak
barrels, followed by another 12 months of resting in bottle before it is
released onto the market. Originally established by Lodovico Antinori in the
1980s, both Masseto and Ornellaia have been owned by Frescobaldi since 2005.
From 2006 onwards, Masseto has been sold through La Place de Bordeaux.

THE WINE
First made in 1988, this 100% Merlot wine caused many raised eyebrows at first.
Derived from 6.6 hectares of the finest clay soils on the property, Masseto
ferments in concrete and is then aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels.
The 2001 vintage achieved a 100 point score from Wine Spectator and immediately
shot to cult status, a pinnacle at which it has remained since.

INFORMATION
Type:RedVintage:2008Country:ItalyRegion:Tuscany
Sub region:Toscana IGT
Grape:100% MerlotStyle:Bold and StructuredSweetness:DryABV:14%Drinking window:
2018 - 2033Size:750mlFood match:Beef and Venison

CRITICS SCORES
We choose our wines based on a range of criteria(seehow we choose our wines)of
which critic scores is justone. Rather than simply highlight the best score to
promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided
by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do
not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more
weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores
like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a92/100average critic score or
better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a
high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we
offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the
market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and
representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide
to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add
individual critic scores to our website in the future.