2014 Masseto

This wine was tasted as part of a complete retrospective I co-hosted with Masseto winemaker Axel Heinz, singer/songwriter Martina McBride and her husband, producer John McBride that was auctioned off at the Nashville Wine Auction to fund cancer research and treatment.

First made in 1986 as Il Merlot dell’Ornellaia, Masseto has gone on to become one of the most highly sought-after wines in the world. Masseto emerges principally from three Merlot vineyards: ‘Masseto Alto, Masseto Centrale and Masseto Junior.’ The wine sees 3-4 weeks on the skins, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel. The lots are aged separately for 12 months in 100% new oak, blended and then the wine is aged for another 12 months in wood. Earlier vintages saw shorter macerations and less time in oak, broadly speaking. Production is around 32,000 bottles. Readers who want to learn more about the history of Masseto might enjoy this article from some years back.

Readers who can get their hands on the 2015 Masseto won't want to hesitate, as it is a spectacular wine. The 2015 reminds me of the 2004 in its silkiness, but it has a little more mid-palate richness. In many ways, the 2015 Masseto is the embodiment of a growing season that was brutally hot from July 1 to August 15, and then unseasonably cool through to the end of harvest. In the glass, the 2015 has the soft curves of a warm year, but the mid-weight structure, aromatic lift and super-ripe tannins of a late harvest, which is a pretty appealing combination in my book. So is the wine. The 2014, from a vintage most winemakers would like to forget, is a difficult wine that needs time to come together. As I have written before, if forced to choose between an unseasonably hot year or cold year, I will always take the latter. Masseto in particular has proven it can age exquisitely even in cooler vintages.