2019 Scrio

Proprietor Cinzia Merli is relentless in her quest for perfection. That is evident in every decision she makes. The 2022 growing season did not give her and longtime Winemaker Luca Rettondini the most to work with. Warm conditions persisted throughout winter. Intense cold and frost arrived in April, followed by searing heat and drought throughout summer. Harvest began on August 9 with the whites. Rain arrived in mid-August, after which harvest followed for the important reds, starting with Merlot for Messorio. The winemaking team favored short, gentle extractions. As I have noted previously, the new oak imprint in these wines has come down considerably in an approach to emphasize vibrancy. Two thousand-twenty-two is not the best vintage to judge that because the growing season was so extreme, but a recent vertical of Messorio provided a great opportunity to follow that arc of development

This is a stellar set of 2021s from Le Macchiole. What impressed me most this year is how distinctive the three main reds are. In recent years, proprietor Cinzia Merli and her team have introduced numerous refinements in farming, winemaking and élevage that give the wines a bit more nuance and overall freshness than in the past.

One of the keys to the 2021 growing season at Le Macchiole is a healthy amount of rain that fell over the winter months. There were some frost issues in April, but mostly cold weather served to delay fruit set and flowering, pushing timing back to more ‘normal’ parameters that are less common these days. The central part of summer was quite warm, which may explain the intense concentration found in some of the 2021s, most notably Paleo Rosso. Harvest began in late August for the whites and the Merlot for the Bolgheri Rosso, followed by the Merlot for Messorio and then the Syrah. Rain at the end of September pushed the Cabernet Franc harvest back a touch. Overall, the wines are deep and quite intense. I expect they will be even better with more time in bottle.

Proprietor Cinzia Merli, winemaker Luca Rettondini and their team turned out a sublime set of 2020s. Merli describes 2020 as warmer than 2019, especially in July, but with more moderate temperatures beginning in August through the end of harvest. ''in years like these, which are now common, we have learned we have to use a lighter hand in winemaking," Merli told me. "Two thousand-twenty was also the first year we used alternative aging vessels for a small amount of the wine, as we find 100% oak can be too much in a hot year," she added. In tasting, I was deeply impressed with the freshness and vibrancy of the 2020s. Farming and winemaking come down to making the right adjustments in critical times. Le Macchiole certainly seems to have done that in 2020.

I was super-impressed with the 2019s at Le Macchiole. As has been the case for some time, the wines continue to move in a direction that favors energy over opulence. That is most obvious in Scrio, the estate’s pure Syrah. The Cabernet Franc Paleo and Merlot Messorio are very much wines in reserve at this early stage, but they are quite promising.

Despite seriously challenging conditions, Le Macchiole turned out a superb set of reds in 2017. The 100% Cabernet Franc Paleo Rosso once again shows why it is the most distinctive wine in the range, as its personality comes through no matter what.

“It was a very difficult year,” Proprietor Cinzia Merli related in speaking about her 2017s. “Our last significant rain was at the end of May, and that was it. The tannins weren’t perfectly ripe, but if we waited too long, we risked excessively high alcohols. Berries were small, with very little juice. In the cellar we chose to shorter macerations and extract gently. We found the wines need a lot of aeration during vinification.”

Proprietor Cinzia Merli has decided to delay the release of her top wines by a year starting with the 2017s, so I was not able to taste the 2017 Paleo Rosso, Scrio or Messorio. I did have a chance to re-visit the 2016s, and they are every bit as monumental as they were last year. Le Macchiole is one of many estates in Bolgheri that has gradually dialed back on some of the richness that was once so coveted in the region. Yields are a bit less extreme, there is more leaf cover during the summer months and the overall approach in both the vineyard and cellar leans towards preserving freshness in the wines.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Le Macchiole on my most recent vintage. The 2016s in particular are off the charts. They also point very clearly to the more refined aesthetic that informs Cinzia Merli's wines today. A clean, healthy crop allowed for longer macerations. That's a contrast to 2015, where the estate chose to give the wines less time on the skins. In tasting, the differences between the two vintages is striking. The 2016s all show remarkable sweetness and ripeness in their tannin, while the 2015s are going to need time in bottle for some of the more angular contours to soften.

I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Le Macchiole on my most recent vintage. The 2016s in particular are off the charts. They also point very clearly to the more refined aesthetic that informs Cinzia Merli's wines today. A clean, healthy crop allowed for longer macerations. That's a contrast to 2015, where the estate chose to give the wines less time on the skins. In tasting, the differences between the two vintages is striking. The 2016s all show remarkable sweetness and ripeness in their tannin, while the 2015s are going to need time in bottle for some of the more angular contours to soften.

This is another stellar set of wines from Le Macchiole. Proprietor Cinzia Merli and her winemaker Luca Rettondini continue to make small but noticeable refinements that have brought about greater finesse in the wines. This year I was deeply impressed with the Bolgheri Rosso, which is surely one of the best wines to emerge from Tuscany's challenging 2014 vintage. Sadly, there will be no Scrio in 2014 and only a small amount of Paleo and Messorio. Le Macchiole's three top wines are all outstanding in 2013. The cool, late-ripening vintage resulted in wines with striking aromatics and notable complexity. That said, the recent push towards more elegance increasingly highlights that Paleo and Messorio are on a different level from Scrio.

I don't know too many producers who are more self-critical than Cinzia Merli. During my most recent visit, Merli poured a wide range of her wines with the specific intent of showing certain things she was not totally happy with. Alongside winemaker Luca Rettondini, Merli is charting the future for Le Macchiole with more confidence and conviction than in the past. Some of the recent developments include a greater reliance on larger format barrels and more focus on the quality of vineyards, especially in the Syrah Scrio, the wine in the lineup that has historically aged somewhat inconsistently. Not surprisingly, Merli is moving a significant portion of her Syrah to newly-developed hillside vineyards. The estate's 2012s are quite attractive, even if the lack of depth and overall intensity of the 2011s, wines from a vintage that Merli considers the modern-day reference point for her estate. I also tasted the recently bottled 2013s, wines that reflect a more moderate growing season with no shocks or heat spikes. Despite all of her successes, Merli remains incredibly driven and passionate to the point that it is quite clear that the best is yet to come. In a region that is increasingly dominated by deep-pocketed owners and glamorous wineries, Le Macchiole stands out for decidedly artisan wines that reflect more human values than is often commonly found in this part of Tuscany.

Proprietor Cinzia Merli has done a fabulous job with these new releases. The team, led by winemaker Luca Rettondini and longtime consultant Luca D'Attoma seem to have arrived at true summit of excellence, as readers will amply see when looking at these wines within the context of their respective vintages. More than vintage, though, the themes that define the Macchiole wines today have much more to do with a pretty significant evolution that has been under way for a few years. Specifically, today's wines show a move away from the super-rich style of the past towards an approach that gives more importance to nuance and finesse. The wines are still quite powerful and expressive of their Bolgheri origins, but are also moving into another realm of total class. This is one of the most impressive sets of wines I have ever tasted from Le Macchiole.

Proprietor Cinzia Merli continues to find her voice at Le Macchiole. Her 2010s are superb, but as good as they are, they will be challenged by future vintages. In addition to these wines, I also tasted the just bottled 2011s, which were hard to get a read on, and the 2012s, which were not. Those wines, which I tasted from barrel, are shaping up beautifully. Readers who want to learn more about Le Macchiole's 100% Cabernet Franc might enjoy this video interview with Merli. Notes from a complete vertical of Paleo will follow in a few weeks.

I tasted Le Macchiole's 2009s several times, all with the same results. The 2009 vintage was a difficult one in Maremma because of the hot summer. All of Le Macchiole's top wines are single-varietal bottlings, which means there is not much that can be done in the cellar to adjust blends, something so many other wineries are able to do in challenging vintages. Overall, the 2009s don't reach the heights that are customary at Le Macchiole.

These may very well be the finest wines I have ever tasted from Le Macchiole. There is no question these are the best wines the estate has ever produced relative to the overall quality and potential of the vintage. Over the years this cutting edge estate has been at the forefront of many developments in Maremma and Italy including working with low yields, densely planted vineyards and using small 112 liter barrels for the flagship Merlot, Messorio. Proprietor Cinzia Merli and long-time oenologist Luca d'Attoma have continued to search for ways to improve. These 2008s show the direction of the future. New oak levels are down, the quality of coopers is up and the estate is moving towards larger 500- liter barrels on some of the wines. Le Macchiole has always produced stunning fruit. Now that much of the makeup is beginning to come off the wines it is obvious the estate's potential is limitless. Nowhere is a return to a more classic style in Italy more evident than at Le Macchiole.

Le Macchiole crafted some of the most successful wines in Bolgheri in 2007. Proprietor Cinzia Merli and long-time consulting oenologist Luca D'Attoma continue to make important strides, as the estate seems to be heading for a less obvious, decidedly elegant style than has sometimes been the case in the past. A conversion to biodynamic farming in some of the estate's vineyards and a more enlightened use of French oak are among the recent developments at Le Macchiole.

Like many estates in Bolgheri, Le Macchiole has some beautiful wines that are coming into the market shortly. I visited the estate at the tail end of the 2006 harvest and already the early buzz in the air was palpable.

Le Macchiole's 2005 showed pretty much as they did when they were first released a few years ago. Overall, this is an intermediate vintage for the estate, something that is only reinforced by how much work proprietor Cinzia Merli has done to raise quality since these wines were made. The more time passes, the more I am convinced Paleo Rosso is Le Macchiole's signature wine. Messorio and Scrio are both lower production wines that made an impact when Cinzia Merli and Eugenio Campolmi were getting started and thus achieved a higher positioning in price. The Paleo Rosso took longer to find its identity. Today, this 100% Cabernet Franc is arguably the most exciting wine in the range, yet it is priced below the dual 'flagships.'

Le Macchiole releases its wines later than most estates on the Tuscan coast, so readers will find the 2004s in the market, while the 2005s are due to arrive this Fall. Proprietor Cinzia Merli and long-time oenologist Luca D'Attoma have turned out a glorious set of 2004s. The 2005 vintage proved to be much more challenging as the damp, fresh growing season made it hard to achieve full ripeness. These are pretty wines, but they aren't quite at the level of the estate's finest efforts.

Le Macchiole releases its wines later than most estates on the Tuscan coast, so readers will find the 2004s in the market, while the 2005s are due to arrive this Fall. Proprietor Cinzia Merli and long-time oenologist Luca D'Attoma have turned out a glorious set of 2004s. The 2005 vintage proved to be much more challenging as the damp, fresh growing season made it hard to achieve full ripeness. These are pretty wines, but they aren't quite at the level of the estate's finest efforts.

Proprietor Cinzia Merli has done an outstanding job running her family's small winery after the untimely passing of her husband Eugenio, whose passion and spirit permeates everything about the estate and its vision. Under the direction of brilliant oenologist Luca d'Attoma Le Macchiole continues to make some of Italy's most inspired wines. The estate's philosophy starts with what can only be defined as a near-obsessive attention to detail in the vineyards, many which I was able to see during the 2006 harvest. The original vineyards are planted at 5,000 plants per hectare but newer plots have been planted at a very dense 10,000 plants per hectare. Green harvesting, along with the high density of the vineyards and the naturally poor soils result in small bunches and low yields per plant. Once in the cellar the estate's philosophy is minimalist. The wines see fermentation lasting 20-25 days followed by malo in barrique where the wines complete their aging for 12-18 months. The estate's most famous wine, Messorio, is aged in smaller 112 liter barrels, which were also used for a portion of the 2003 Paleo. A slightly different approach is taken for the Scrio (100% Syrah), parcels of which see micro-fermentation in barrique, a laborious and time-consuming practice. “Syrah is a varietal that naturally tends towards reduction,” says D'Attoma. “We ferment a portion of the fruit in barrique in order to give the fruit more oxygen during vinification. We also use micro-oxygenation in the cellar to give the wine a rounder, softer texture.” “2003 was just a tough vintage,” says D'Attoma. “To be honest it felt more like Australia or Sicily. It was of course very hot, but perhaps even more importantly there was no respite form the heat, and for fruit to mature well some alternation of temperatures is essential. The skins were fairly ripe, but we didn't achieve 100% phenolic ripeness in the seeds and I think that anyone who says they did reach full ripeness is exaggerating. The Cabernet Franc did pretty well but we reached our highest levels of ripeness with the Syrah, which seemed to react best to the heat. We did a fairly drastic selection in the vineyards and then treated the fruit very carefully. We did shorter fermentations and worked at lower temperatures than usual to try to keep some freshness in the wines. In 2003 it was critical to not over-extract, which is what gives some wines in this vintage a bitter taste. This was a year to play defense rather than offense, but you know what they say, defense often wins championships.” “2002 was of course completely different. Because it rained a lot especially during August the skins were very delicate and there was significant risk of rot. We didn't produce our Scrio as the grapes weren't healthy. Overall temperatures were normal during fermentation but we used much less new oak on the wines given the less muscular nature of the vintage.” Merli likes to release her wines with a little additional bottle age on them so readers will find the 2002s and the 2003s on the market. Her decision to lower prices on the 2002s is commendable. Recognizing the lower quality of the vintage she didn't feel it was fair to keep prices in line with past vintages so the 2002 Paleo has been reduced by 30% and the 2002 Messorio by 50%. Merli's views are refreshingly honest and show a level of integrity as well as concern for the consumer that is all too rare these days. She also intends to keep the ex-cellar price of Messorio lower once her newer vineyards enter production and the number of bottles increases. While 2002 and 2003 clearly represent anomalous vintages, the 2004s offer a much more balanced and elegant style. I tasted the wines just after bottling and they are full of promise.

This estate's wines have become cult items over the years, selling at astronomical prices, and it's to owner Cinzia Merli Campolmi's credit that the wines from the weaker '02 vintage were sold at much lower prices (down 50% for the Paleo, 30% for Messorio and Scrio). That said, these '02s are some of the very best made by anyone in Italy that year, and they are sure to entice many consumers who are looking for relative bargains. According to Campolmi, the estate is proud of its new Bolgheri Rosso-a blend of 40% merlot, 30% sangiovese and 30% cabernet franc-which will replace the old Le Macchiole bottling (which was not made in '03). "Our goal was to make a lighter, easier-drinking wine than Le Macchiole, which was too similar to our other wines," she told me. "After ten years spent studying our vineyards, we're confident that we've identified those parcels that usually give slightly less concentrated grapes." No new oak will be used, and the wine will spend only 8 or 9 months in barrel, rather than the 15 previously used for the Macchiole. As Campolmi releases her wines one year later than most other producers on the Tuscan coast, to allow for some bottle age, the '03 wines will be shipped to the U.S. this fall.

This wine was tasted over dinner in December of 2006.

This wine was tasted over dinner in December of 2006.

Owner Cinzia Campolmi and consultant Luca d'Attoma do not aspire to make highly extracted wines, feeling that this would blur the distinction between their output and the many internationally styled wines available elsewhere. The newer plantings at this property are at very high vine density, low-yielding clones have been introduced, and intense green harvesting has become the norm. Campolmi told me during my recent visit that cabernet sauvignon is being phased out in favor of cabernet franc. In fact, the well-regarded Paleo, which until now was a blend of the two cabernets, has been made with a steadily growing percentage of cabernet franc and in the 2001 vintage (not yet bottled at the time of my visit) reached 100% franc. As with the other estates in the Bolgheri area where I was able to taste barrel samples of the 2001 harvest, it appears that in terms of complexity and elegance 2001 will emerge as the best vintage of Paleo among the trio of harvests that began with 1999. Campolmi attributes this to the cabernet franc, which seems especially attuned to the soils and exposure of this estate.

Owner Cinzia Campolmi and consultant Luca d'Attoma do not aspire to make highly extracted wines, feeling that this would blur the distinction between their output and the many internationally styled wines available elsewhere. The newer plantings at this property are at very high vine density, low-yielding clones have been introduced, and intense green harvesting has become the norm. Campolmi told me during my recent visit that cabernet sauvignon is being phased out in favor of cabernet franc. In fact, the well-regarded Paleo, which until now was a blend of the two cabernets, has been made with a steadily growing percentage of cabernet franc and in the 2001 vintage (not yet bottled at the time of my visit) reached 100% franc. As with the other estates in the Bolgheri area where I was able to taste barrel samples of the 2001 harvest, it appears that in terms of complexity and elegance 2001 will emerge as the best vintage of Paleo among the trio of harvests that began with 1999. Campolmi attributes this to the cabernet franc, which seems especially attuned to the soils and exposure of this estate.

The best medium-sized property in Bolgheri and, in the 1990s, a model of consistency, with a bevy of fine wines. Over the period, Paleo Rosso has been the number one Bordeaux blend of the zone. The estate offers a full gamut of bottlings (perhaps excessively so: does a producer of this size need two varietal wines in addition to a Bordeaux blend?), and every wine is a good one in its category-a sure sign of serious people.

The best medium-sized property in Bolgheri and, in the 1990s, a model of consistency, with a bevy of fine wines. Over the period, Paleo Rosso has been the number one Bordeaux blend of the zone. The estate offers a full gamut of bottlings (perhaps excessively so: does a producer of this size need two varietal wines in addition to a Bordeaux blend?), and every wine is a good one in its category-a sure sign of serious people.