Intense aromas of blackberries and black olives, together with hints of rosemary bush and lavender. It unquestionably deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and, I suspect, will have 30 years of longevity, probably longer. This ripe, powerful Masseto clocks in at over %15 alcohol, yet the balance is spot on and it remains light on its feet and graceful, with no sensation of weight or heaviness. These all carry over to the palate, where the wine is full-bodied, has a silky, layered mouthfeel, building, chalky tannins, and a great finish. Giving up loads of redcurrants, sweet tobacco, savory herbs, dusty earth, and chalky mineral notes, as well as some subtle chocolaty oak, it has a wonderful purity and precision in its aromatics and already shows considerable complexity. Reminding me of a great Pomerol in a way, the 2019 Masseto is as always 100% Merlot and is a pure, seamless, just incredibly sexy expression of this terroir, showing the warmer style of the vintage. The wine was then aged for a final 12 months in bottle before being released. Malolactic fermentation began in 100% new oak barriques with all the individual lots kept separate for the first 12 months of ageing before being blended and aged for another 12 months in barrel. It's perhaps a little sombre and not so overtly vibrant right now with stand out dark chocolate, mint and liquorice elements but there is elegance here despite the power and concentration and the wine feels extremely well made. I like the texture here, the wine feels well worked with nothing sticking out. Tannins are mouthcoating but fine, supportive and they have a nice feel giving structure to the overall feel. Lovely fresh acidity fills the mouth, lifting the slightly grippy tannins and ripe cherry and plum fruit. Savoury notes on the nose, woodland fragrances, cedar, tobacco, blackcurrant and violets. The wine's richness translates into density and power to the palate, meanwhile the bouquet reveals fluidity and new sides as the wine opens in the glass.

The 2019 vintage delivers it in spades with lovely concentrated fruit, blackberry, integrated spice, tobacco, crushed slate, pencil shaving and lots of texture and fiber to push a lasting mouthfeel. And managing those two seemingly contrasting elements requires a little bit of magic. The first vintage made entirely in its dedicated state-of-the-art winery (and the first vintage with a 10% dabble of Cabernet Franc added to what has historically aways been a pure expression of Merlot), the Masseto 2019 Masseto has two main themes at heart: concentration and elegance. This bottle opens a new chapter for one of Italy's most celebrated and collected wines.

Though firm and compact, this has plenty of fruit that persists on the vibrant, lingering and complex finish. Tightly wound now, with blackberry, black currant, iron, rosemary, cedar and toasty oak spice aromas and flavors.

Masseto wine price