![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() They believed that they had the expertise and the generations of experience necessary with which to make truly excellent, world class wines, and set about doing just that. This led to several wineries in the beautiful and highly fertile region of Tuscany making the bold move to work outside of the law, which they saw as responsible for the drop in quality in Tuscan wines. This was brought about partly due to lack of regulation in certain regions, and too much regulation in others. That isn't to say that Merlot is only for beginners, though, as this grape is also one of the key varietals for producing some of the most highly respected, complex and perfectly balanced wines in the world.įor several decades in the mid to late twentieth century, Italy's reputation for quality wines took a fairly serious blow. This essentially means that they are extremely drinkable, full of lovely jammy fruit flavors and rich, pleasing aromas. Single variety Merlot wines are especially popular with companies wishing to target newcomers to the world of red wine, due to the fact that as Merlot has a low tannin content, and relatively little malic acid, the wines it produces are fleshy, well rounded and firmly in the 'medium body' category. Ask any winery anywhere between France and Argentina, and they'll tell you it is due to the grapes reliability, fantastic range of flavors and unique properties. Today, Merlot is generally believed to be one of the most popular and widely planted grape varietals in the world, with expert estimates putting it just behind Cabernet Sauvignon in the top three most planted vines. This 2017 vintage will be released in October 2020. In fact, I went back to taste the wine 12 hours later, and they had already softened considerably. You feel the oak tannins on the finish with toast and vanilla that will certainly shed as the wine ages. Those distinctive notes of macchia mediterranea (wild bush) that I always associate with Masseto are less present in this vintage. 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. Perhaps, what this vintage lacks is that profound varietal character that we saw in recent vintages like 20. 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). It is powerful, but that's always the case with Masseto (this vintage records a 15.5% alcohol content). 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. ![]() The wine then goes into bottle for 12 months before its release. 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. This wine was made in the old winery (the existing Ornellaia winery). The center of the vineyard now is home to the new Masseto winery and an adjacent tasting room built into a pre-existing farmhouse. That ideal position opens the vineyards to soft breezes, proximity to the sea, long daylight hours and cool diurnal shifts from the protective wall of low mountains at the back. The vines are planted at an altitude of 80 to 100 meters above sea level in blue clay soils that are unique to Bolgheri. This special site is located at the base of the mountains that rise gently from the Tyrrhenian Sea, with the picturesque silhouette of the Castiglioncello castle at the top. The Masseto vineyard is a triangular-shaped plot tucked in at the back of the same property that houses the Ornellaia vineyards and winery. The Masseto 2017 Masseto puts on another exhilarating, knock-out performance for the third year in a row. ![]()
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