Latest Releases: Masseto 2020

Tuscan wines are the ones to watch when it comes to investment. Italy overall has posted impressive price returns in recent years, with Super Tuscans in poll position. Even following the recent price growth, Super Tuscans are still attractively valued compared to their counterparts in Bordeaux.

Founded by Lodovico Antinori (who created Ornellaia) in 1981, Masseto is known to be a wine that shouldn't exist. Lodovico was dissuaded by locals to undertake the vineyard, however, he followed his guts and created an absolute masterpiece. He looked beyond local winemaking traditions and saw the potential of the land where the unique blue and grey clay soils are well exposed to the sun while cool down by the maritime winds. For three decades, Masseto has raised from its humble beginning to become one of the most sought-after wines on the planet and a true myth for collectors.

Due to global warming, the vinification has evolved throughout the years. Wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, micro plots are fermented separately and maturation in French oak has been extended. The site has also been extended however, the production for Masseto has remained the same at around 30,000 bottles. A second wine, Massetino, has been produced since 2017.
Masseto may have been in the shadow of Ornellaia for some time however, it has now gained the fame it deserves and is the ultimate expression of a single vineyard planted with a single variety. The first vintage was released in 1986 to immediate acclaim and Masseto’s reputation has kept increasing year on year. The 2001 vintage was the first to receive the perfect 100 points sealing the wine’s fate as a collectible.

The 2020 vintage

After a mild and rainy winter, there was a temporary drop in temperatures in March, with a few nights below zero degrees just when the vines began to bud in the last week of the month. Fortunately, the new shoots were still protected by the downy tissue around the bud, which prevented frost damage. The weather was generally warm during the rest of spring, with normal rainfall, ensuring regular vegetative development until blossoming, which took place between the 20th and 25th of May. A passage of heavy rain towards the middle of June was followed by a very long dry period with a substantial absence of rain and scorching temperatures until the end of August. Veraison took place evenly and quickly between the 20th and 25th of July, triggering the ripening of the grapes under a blazing sun. Rain arrived at the end of August, leading to a considerable drop in temperatures, with overnight lows sometimes falling to 13 degrees, creating the ideal conditions for completing the ripening of the Merlot grapes. They were harvested early and quickly in order to preserve their freshness as much as possible, and just in time to avoid a sudden week-long heat wave, in which temperatures soared to 37 degrees. The Merlot harvest was completed on the 14th of September, followed almost immediately by the Cabernet Franc harvest, which ended on the 16th of September.

Masseto 2020

After destemming and gentle crushing, the grapes were transferred to concrete tanks by gravity, without any pumping. Each individual parcel of the vineyard was vinified separately. Fermentation took place spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with pumping over two or three times a day. Malolactic fermentation took place in barriques, with 100% new oak, keeping the various batches separate for the first 12 months of ageing. Subsequently, the wines were blended and returned to barriques for another year, totalling 24 months. After bottling, the Masseto 2020 underwent a further 12 months of bottle ageing before release. Secure your allocation now.

The 2020 Masseto now sees new DNA with a touch of Cabernet Franc added to this celebrated Merlot-based icon wine. This is a vintage of enormous richness and density, and everything about the wine is taken up a notch or two (including the bottle glass weight and the 15% alcohol content). But Axel Heinz and his team are well prepared for the hot vintages like 2020, and changes to farming and canopy management ensure even ripening. This wine is always hard to analyze in its youth. It needs many more years to soften and flesh out. Give it time. 96 points Robert Parker

Very floral and perfumed with red fruits and hints of sandalwood. Medium body, very fresh and fine yet open grained. Crisp and long. Hard not to drink now. But better in three or four years when it comes together. 97% merlot and 3% cabernet franc. Try after 2026. - 95 points James Suckling

Masseto is in a league of its own, but it is also a Super Tuscan which excels as an investment asset. The 2010 vintage has returned about 90% since 2016, 45% for 2015 vintage since 2018 and 50% for the 2016 vintage since 2020

Massetino 2021

Massetino is the second wine of Masseto, which allows people to have a taste of the Masseto’s brilliance. 100% Merlot aged for 24 months in new oak barrel and one year in bottle. Secure your allocation now.

The Masseto 2021 Massetino is mostly Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc for good measure. The wine (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) is very richly concentrated and layered. You see (and taste) the opulent texture of the wine as it slowly coats the glass. Quality fruit is matched by carefully selected oak, and the intensity of both builds on the palate. This vintage is poised for especially long cellar aging. This vintage of Massetino (2021) scores neck-in-neck with the current vintage (2020) of Masseto. - 96 points Robert Parker