Ornellaia Masseto 2022

Masseto is produced by the Frescobaldi family in DOC Bolgheri Superiore, on slopes near the Tyrrhenian Sea in coastal Tuscany. The wine is a single-vineyard Merlot, planted on a distinctive band of blue clay that holds water through the dry summer and keeps the vines fed during ripening. That clay, combined with the warming influence of the nearby sea and steady coastal breezes, gives fruit that ripens fully while keeping freshness, which is unusual for Merlot at this level of intensity. Yields are low and the fruit is concentrated. Ageing lasts twenty-four months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange across the wood firms the tannins, adds spice and builds the wine's long-term structure. At 15 percent the wine is full and powerful. It shows a deep, dense red. The nose is rich, with ripe plum and dark cherry over cocoa, sweet oak spice and a tobacco and earth note. The palate is full and structured, with ripe, velvety tannin, good acidity and a long, layered finish. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant well ahead. It suits roast and grilled red meat.