One of Italy’s great modern classics, Masseto is an extraordinary single-vineyard Merlot from Bolgheri in coastal Tuscany. Made by Tenuta dell'Ornellaia, it's sourced from the estate’s distinctive blue clay soils, and combines power, elegance and precision in a wine of rare concentration and long ageing capacity. 97/100 - Currently on the market, the 2022 Masseto is 100% Merlot grown on the estate’s distinctive blue clay soils. The wine immediately impresses with freshness, brightness and clarity. It shows firm but integrated tannins with a subtle salty note attributed to sodium-rich clays. According to proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi, the magic of Masseto lies in its ability to stretch and consolidate across the palate, wrapping itself seamlessly in a kind of symbiosis that feels both expansive and complete. His point comes alive in this edition. Crafted for collectors, this vintage is intense and full yet never tiring, remaining solar and generous. The élevage is deliberately restrained with reduced wood influence despite the use of four coopers, including tonnelleries Taransaud and Baron, and 80% new oak, allowing the Merlot to remain dulcet and precise. - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate 95/100 - The 2022 Masseto is soft, open-knit and relatively easygoing. The mid-weight structure of the year is very much in evidence in a wine that speaks more to finesse than power. Dark red cherry, plum, new leather, licorice and incense gradually open over time, supported by fine, silky tannins that wrap it all together in style. Masseto is typically much more potent in the early going, in 2022 the more refined style that has begun to emerge here along with the style of the year yield a Masseto that is quite elegant. Its balance is beyond reproach, especially in the integration of something that usually requires at least a few years in bottle. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
