Vineyards Magazine

A harmonious take on the graceful force of the fruit Massetino 2019, now in its third vintage, born from the selection made for Masseto, with which it shares an underlying identity. Released to market on tiptoes in 2019, this second wine immediately revealed itself as the utmost interpretation of the terroir with a well-defined identity.

Vaunting a harmonious character while remaining profound and powerful, like the land where it comes from, Massetino is a Merlot blend that incorporates a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. “Massetino comes from the careful selection of the estate’s vineyards, which is carried out during the blending stage,”explains Estate Director Axel Heinz. “Our consideration was that the selection of wines that did not end up becoming Masseto could have their own life. A new wine is always a new challenge.”

Massetino 2019 displays the typical traits of a vintage with variable weather conditions, which saw cold, wet spells alternate with long, hot and dry stages. The vine growth was delayed, but it was followed by a hot, sunny summer with next to no rainfall. The precipitation at the end of the summer enabled the Merlot to be harvested at the beginning of September and Cabernet Franc in early October, with a seasonal finish that provided the right conditions for ripening.

The cellar philosophy is to reduce intervention to a bare minimum. The exceptional concentration of the grapes requires no sophisticated winemaking mechanisms; just simple measures. In Massetino, delicate infusion is discerned instead of aggressive extraction. In so doing, the wine displays richness without being heavy. In the cellar, everything has been researched for this very reason: from moving the grapes without using pumps, but by gravity alone, to using vats designed to elicit delicate extraction.

Every parcel of the vineyard is vinified separately with a spontaneous fermentation. The malolactic fermentation takes place in 50% new barriques for 12 months. Lastly, the base wines are blended before being aged for another 3 months in barriques.

“Massetino 2019 appears dark and youthful, with perfectly ripe black fruit aromas underlined by notes of new seasoned oak and liquorice. The wine is rich and bodied on the palate, with a refined velvety structure balanced by a frame of refreshing acidity and bold tannins,” describes Axel Heinz, Estate Director.