To open a bottle is to unleash a liquid kaleidoscope. A rare combination of sumptuous opulence and polished elegance.
As a tribute to its rugged force, its softness, and the debt it owes to the soil from which it rises, Masseto was named after the rock-hard clusters of blue clay called ‘massi’ that form on the vineyard’s surface.
Growing Conditions
Compared to a rather particular 2014, the 2015 proved to be an almost textbook vintage. After a rainy and mild winter, with just a few days of temperatures below zero, budbreak arrived on time during the first days of April.
Spring was characterized by dry and sunny weather, providing ideal conditions for regular vegetative growth that culminated in a quick and complete flowering at the end of May.
From June on, water stress gradually became evident. July will be remembered as a particularly torrid, dry month, with maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C every single day of the month. The heat, combined with the absence of rains, made us fear a shut-down in the ripening and the need for an early harvest.
Luckily rain fell abundantly around 10th August that not only unblocked the ripening but also brought much cooler temperatures. during the final ripening phase. This cool, yet sunny, weather continued throughout the harvest, allowing us to pick the grapes with great ease, choosing just the right moment to harvest the different vineyard blocks, resulting in a fresh and lively aromatic quality with a perfect degree of phenolic ripeness along with abundant, yet silky and soft, tannins.
Harvest
The harvest began on 29th August with the youngest vines and finished on the 16th September with the last portions of ‘Masseto Centrale’.
Winemaking
The bunches, hand harvested in 15kg crates, were carefully sorted by hand on a double sorting table before and after destemming and then subjected to a gentle crushing. Six different lots were vinified separately.
Fermentation took place in both steel and wood tanks, followed by 15-20 days maceration at a temperature between 25 and 30° C. Afterwards, malolactic fermentation took place in 100% new oak barrique, and the different lots were kept separate for the first 12 months of maturation. The wine was then blended and reintroduced into the barrels for another year, making a total of 24 months. After bottling, the wine was aged for an additional 12 months prior to release.
The regularity of the vintage, along with ideal temperatures during harvest, are re-flected in a classic Masseto, with a perfect balance between a mature, complex, aromatic expression of great freshness and a rare quality of ample, silky and smooth tannins.
Aging
24 months in barrel followed by 12 month in bottle prior to release.
Nose
Rich in aromas with hints of fully ripe red fruit and spicy, balsamic and cocoa notes.
Palate
In the mouth it becomes sensual and rich, with great density and an ample and perfectly smooth tannin. The fruity notes are underlined by the subtle presence of oak terminating in a fresh and vivid finish with pronounced hints of cocoa.
Appearance
Dark and intense in colour.