James Suckling (98)

This is the best Messorio in years with such wonderful richness and race with chewy tannins. Plenty of subtle dark chocolate and berry character. It’s very complex with undertones of rosemary, spices and sea salt. Savory. Super long and powerful. What fruit. Leave it until at least 2016. Not released until 2013.

James Suckling (97)

This wine shows beautiful clarity and class on the nose with roses, tar, currants, green and black olives and plums. It’s exceptionally fine-tannined with such polish and finesse. So sophisticated and intense for this vintage. Long, chewy finish, yet this is mouth-filling and caressing. Pure merlot. Try after 2024.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2003 Scrio (100% Syrah) is another terrific effort from Le Macchiole. Packed with clove, cinnamon, sweet dark fruit, toasted oak and mint notes, it is opulent and concentrated yet light on its feet, boasting extraordinary length and an eternal finish defined by a lingering note of sweetness. It, too, has improved considerably over the last few months and there is plenty of fruit to balance the tannins of the vintage. Simply put, it is a knock-out effort from this very challenging harvest. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015.

Indulge in the renowned Lorenzo Accomasso Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Vigna Rocchette 2014, a celebrated selection hailing from the Piedmont region in Italy. Testament to Accomasso's dogged devotion to traditional viticulture, this Barolo embodies the artisan's touch, with manual harvest and minimal intervention in the winemaking process.

Crafted from the Nebbiolo grape – in the frost-prone vineyards of the Annunziata district in La Morra – this tantalising red matures for 3 years in large Slavonian oak barrels, imbuing every bottle with a profound depth of character. Opening with a full-bodied bouquet of dried rose, forest berries, and scents of undergrowth, it's distinguished by its harmonious balance of acidity and tannins, holding promise for rich maturation.

A nod to the visionary that is Lorenzo Accomasso, the Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata Vigna Rocchette 2014 is a triumph of viticulture tradition, offering a true taste of Piedmont's wine heritage.

Delight in the enchanting Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017, a masterpiece of exquisite Italian wine from the hallowed vineyards of Tuscany. This distinguished wine is the fruit of relentless toil and unfaltering dedication of the craftsmen at Magia, a revered, family-run, boutique winery renowned for producing wines of great character from their awe-inspiring Montalcino estate.

The Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017 is a stunning embodiment of Sangiovese Grosso, matured for 30 months in both Slavonian Oak barrels for a refined finish, it delivers a plush sensation of dark berries, infused with robust earthy undertones tied together with a balanced acidity and impressively long finish.

Magia's relentless devotion to purity and precision, coupled with Montalcino's fruitful terroir, makes the Magia Brunello Montalcino Ciliegio 2017 an impressively structured bottle that serves as an apt representative of its kind. An elegant expression of tradition and homemade artistry, one glass of this extraordinary wine is an experiential journey into the heart of Tuscan wine country.

James Suckling (100)

Amazing aromas of crushed berries, cherries, flowers, black truffles and wet earth, turning to violets and black tea. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, deep and profound with fantastically strong tannins that just melt into the wine. Fantastic length and intensity. Truly great. Drinkable, but better in 2024 and onwards.

James Suckling (98)

Ripe, decadent aromas of blackberries, black truffles and black cherries with hints of violets. Dark, wet earth, too. Full-bodied with a solid core of beautiful, pure fruit and creamy, round and fine tannins. Tight and reserved, but showing wonderful potential. Try after 2025.

Introducing the distinguished Margherita Otto Barolo 2019- a testament to the mastery of exemplary winemaking. This exquisite Barolo, a product of Italy's renowned Piedmont region, is a wine connoisseur's delight. Lovingly nurtured, handpicked Nebbiolo grapes from 40-year-old vines are vinified traditionally at controlled temperatures, with fermentation followed by a long maceration to extract the quintessential complexity and structure.

The wine matures in Slavonian Oak barrels for a minimum of three years, resulting in an elegant and full-bodied wine with an extraordinary longevity. Unmistakable in its ruby red robe, Margherita Otto Barolo 2019's nose unveils engrossing aromas of red berries, violet, and spices, unfolding on the palate with finesse and balanced tannins. Margherita Otto, the producer, is renowned for delivering high calibre, bold wines, illuminating the authenticity and terroir of Piedmont's crown jewel, Barolo. Experience the sublime symphony of tradition and perfection with Margherita Otto Barolo 2019.

Vinous (100)

The 2004 Masseto, one of my personal favorites, is positively stellar. I have always adored the 2004 for its silky tannins, stunning aromatic presence and total finesse, all of which are on display today. Beautifully pure to the long finish and profoundly beautiful in every way, the 2004 has it all. It was a textbook vintage that only presented one real challenge, and that was moderating the naturally high yields that resulted from an unblocking of energy the vines had held in store from the previous year. Where producers moderated yields, the wines are often stunning, as is very much the case here. If forced to choose only one vintage of Masseto I could own or drink it would be the 2004.

Wine Spectator (96)

Smells like chocolate mousse, with crushed raspberry and hints of flowers. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a rich, fruity finish. This is powerful and structured Merlot, with layers and layers of everything. Needs time to come around. Best after 2014. 2,660 cases made. -JS

Wine Advocate (100)

The wine that most delighted me at this historic tasting of Tuscany's most iconic wines was the 2006 Masseto. This is a wine of sheer power, bliss, opulence, infinity and sublime seduction. This Merlot-based masterpiece hits all your senses with the grace of a ballerina and the power of a heavyweight. It is steady on its proverbial feet, but it also glides over the palate with a profound sense of elegance, harmony and rhythm. Among the prized vintages of Masseto, including 2001, 2004 and 2007, this edition is my favorite. The wine delivers an extra sense of tightness or firmness at the back that serves to stitch together its fleshy richness and general sumptuousness. The personality is sunny, expansive, articulate and sophisticated. You'll remember that the 2006 vintage is celebrated for the elegance of its wines. In the coastal Bolgheri appellation, it is also remembered for the power of its wines. You get the best of both worlds with this stunning creation: elegance and power. These traits are particularly well suited to the versatile grape variety at the heart of this Tuscan all-rounder. This is a true Renaissance wine.

James Suckling (99)

Opulent and complex, with dark fruits such as plums and blackberries. Milk chocolate. Dried herbs too. Black olives. Stunning nose. Full bodied, with firm and chewy tannins, but a very creamy texture, and lots of milk chocolate, berry and mineral character. It goes on for minutes. Clear and powerful. Savory and salty. One of the best Massetos ever.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (100)

A wine of extraordinary purity, silkiness and finesse, the 2010 Masseto has it all. The flavors are bright, precise and exceptionally pure, but it is the wine’s total balance that is utterly compelling. What more can I ask from a wine? Absolutely nothing. There is often something magical about cooler, later-ripening vintages at the estate. The interplay of more moderate conditions with the inherent power of these sites can yield wines of profound beauty and brilliance. The 2010 is all that, and more.

James Suckling (100)

Wow. Fabulous aromas of currants, rosemary, mint and orange peel. Perfect nose. Full body with perfectly integrated tannins. It's long and incredible with tangerine, toasted-oak, berry, terracotta and chocolate flavors. It lasts for minutes on the palate. This needs at least five years to soften but so spellbinding now.

James Suckling (99)

Fantastic aromas of lavender, rosemary, violets and currants. Full body, a wonderful concentration of fruit yet tense and taunt energy. The new wood is exposed now but will become integrated and polished. Give it three or four years together. The pure merlot magic is there. The 2011 was a perfect wine, and this is very close indeed. Drink in 2019.

James Suckling (98)

Aromas of blueberries, violets and roses turn to black truffles. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and great length. So gorgeous and persistent. It goes on for minutes.

Wine Advocate (100)

The release of this wine comes at a very happy time for the Masseto brand. The stunning 2015 Masseto is hitting the market just as the final touches are being made to the new Masseto winery. I'm told that Masseto might one day see other wines made under that same roof, so we can't exclude a future enlargement of the Masseto portfolio. The Masseto vineyard now covers seven hectares (divided into three plots), and the vines range from 30 to 40 years old. The wine is absolutely teeming with sensorial spirit that is transmitted through the bounty of the bouquet and the solid tannins of the mouthfeel. Nothing about the wine goes unnoticed or unchecked. Its many working pieces fit together with precision like a well-oiled machine. The 2015 vintage is characterized by a level of sheer exuberance that also defined the 2004 and 2007 vintages. Yet, it also reveals similar power, directness and linearity that we saw in the 2010 vintage. The 2015 Masseto takes the best of all those past vintages and confines those qualities to this single, spectacular bottle.

Falstaff (100)

Rich ruby. Deep dark nose, concentrated, but also very accessible with blackberry and mulberry fruit and savoury garrigue notes. Multi-layered palate with fine-meshed tannin, compact and juicy, followed by lots of tobacco. It literally dances across the tongue, very long with fine savouriness at the back.

James Suckling (98)

The clarity of the ripe blackcurrants, black cherries and flowers in the nose is entrancing. Lavender, too. It’s full-bodied with firm, silky tannins that run long and straight through the wine, providing brightness and focus. Goes on for minutes. Strength with finesse Drink after 2024, but already wonderful to taste.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (100)

Axel Heinz turning out yet again a wine that is generous and moreish but that goes deeper, offering layers of coffee, smoked herbs, rosemary, saffron, gentle waves of powerful brambled fruits. Mouthwatering, with tension and precision. Finely spun tannin that are elastic in embracing and taming the exuberant fruits yet chewy enough on the finish to show there is plenty of ageing ability ahead. Makes a big impression and yet has that Italian ability to be gulpable at the same time. A more elegant, moreish version of Merlot than you get in the biggest Pomerols, but every bit as beautiful. 11ha.

The Wine Independent (100)

Masseto is Italy's most expensive red wine, currently releasing onto the market with prices between 800-1000 euros per bottle. From the start it has been a 100% Merlot wine but for the first time in 2019 we see the inclusion of 10% Cabernet Franc. In my view this is a very intelligent move and a good response to climate change; Cabernet Franc has a natural home in Bolgheri and it is a later ripening variety. When it ripens well, it can add great depth of fragrance and flavor to a wine. The 2019 is deeply colored and dark purple in tone with an intriguing perfumed, violet note on the nose and lots of spice, red fruits, and black raspberry on the palate. The tannins are very fine and tightly knit and there is a lovely harmony and freshness to this wine with bright acidity providing a fresh finish. There is also a lick of creamy oak on the finish, but all very subtly done. The Masseto 2019 has a perfect texture and weight. It is concentrated but supremely elegant at the same time. For Axel Heinz, Director of Winemaking: “The 2019s are in a sweet spot at the moment.” I think I have to agree! Drink 2024 -2045.

Decanter (100)

Intense and full on the nose, fragrant with ripe black fruit, floral aspects and soft spicing. Round and full on the palate, it's rich and muscular yet tight and neatly coiled with a liquorice, graphite, pepper, cinnamon and clove tang that gives this immediate but enjoyable spice. Feels well worked, juicy with high acidity that lifts the palate and gives freshness and brightness alongside really quite mouthwatering strawberry and raspberry fruit with such captivating dried floral and bitter orange rind aspects. Tannins are super fine and so well integrated yet this maintains a grip and hold from the very beginning through to a long and sustained finish. Nuanced and complex, still packing a punch in terms of power, but this feels sophisticated, suave, purposeful and controlled. Not elegant, this is more of a caged animal with it's full potential yet to be unveiled, but it is classy. A truly delicious wine with so much purity and sense of place. Malolactic fermentation in 100% new barroques, with each batch kept separate for the first 12 months of ageing before being blended and returned to barriques for another year, totalling 24 months. The wine was then aged for a further 12 months in bottle before being released. Winemaker Eleonora Marconi.

Wine Advocate (95)

Here's our new little super star from the Tuscan Coast. The 2018 Massetino is Merlot with a dash of Cabernet Franc that makes all the difference in terms of the wine's aromatic precision and its overall staying power. Dark fruit and dried blackberry are followed by exotic spice and campfire ash. The aromas are fluid and relaxed, flowing seamlessly in unison and grace. If you love Masseto, you can't miss the Massetino. This wine offers a whole new take on the world-famous Merlot, and if we are to be honest, it paints a path to where future vintages of Masseto are going as an expression of a vineyard and territory rather than just a strict read of one grape.