Robert Parker, tasting note published in October 19th 2019
Masseto has hit a home run in a row. This is the first time an Italian wine has scored 100 points in successive vintages. Masseto 2016 is a storm of emotions, but it manages to control them perfectly. Like the Masseto 2015 that preceded it, this vintage is an irreproachable wine of the highest quality. It represents an encore performance, continuing the string of successes that has put Italy at the forefront of the wine world. The first thing you notice is the thickness and concentration of the fruit, which has an immediate impact on all the senses, in terms of appearance, aroma and mouthfeel. The power and richness of this emblematic vintage of revolutionary Italian Merlot cannot be overstated. Despite its considerable mass, this Masseto remains delicate and graceful. The perspective improves as the wine opens up in the glass, revealing deeper layers that were not immediately apparent on the first nose: black fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and black cherry. The fruit has great firmness and laser-like concentration. I tasted the 2016 and 2015 vintages together for comparison when I scored this wine, then tasted this 2016 edition on its own about a month later to confirm my impressions. These vintages are identical twins, two perfect wines.
To open a bottle is to release a liquid kaleidoscope. A rare combination of sumptuous opulence and polished elegance. In tribute to its robust strength, its smoothness and the debt it owes to the soil from which it springs, Masseto is named after the blue clay rock clusters called “massi” that form on the surface of the vineyard. A general consensus has emerged, not only among critics but also among collectors, that Masseto is the greatest expression of Merlot to be found in Italy – arguably the most desirable and prestigious. The arrival of super consultant Michel Rolland sealed its fate and Masseto was quickly dubbed ‘the Pétrus of Italy’, thanks to its breathtaking quality and Rolland’s roots in Pomerol.
Aged for two full years in 50% new oak, the fruit has more than enough structure and intensity to easily accommodate and integrate this level. In such a hot climate, the main concern for the Masseto team is high sugar levels, extreme ripeness which in turn leads to excessively high alcohol. This is a balancing act of the highest order, but one in which the current vigneron Axel Heinz walks perfectly through each vintage.
The small vineyard produces only 35,000 bottles
Awards
100/100 James Suckling; 100/100 Robert Parker; 100/100 Jeb Dunnuck
