Le Macchiole’s Merlot Messorio is one of Tuscany’s most sought-after wines. And with good reason. Over the years Messorio has built an extraordinary track record. This incredible tasting with proprietor Cinzia Merli spanned every vintage of Messorio back to the inaugural 1994. I was completely blown away by how well the wines showed. In most vintages Messorio is expressive even when it is young, yet it also has demonstrated the ability to develop spectacularly well in bottle in a distinctly personal, intimate expression of Merlot from Bolgheri. Frankly, after tasting the 1994 and 1995 I found it virtually impossible to move on to the more recent vintages. Not that there was anything wrong with them. Far from it. It’s just that those older wines were at absolutely glorious peaks of expression, while every wine that followed was more about potential.