Massetino 2021 (OWC)

Description

By The Drink Business in 2023 (CH98)

This is a super Tuscan in the sense that it’s super and it’s Tuscan – but it is no powerhouse. A wine of grace, elegance and finesse. Even at this nascent stage, it’s quite simply ethereal. The minerality is again very evident – crushed rock, manganese and iron oxides. And it’s fabulously pure-fruited with lovely plump crunchy raspberries. The Cabernet Franc brings further freshness and a lovely leafiness to the aromatics and a coolness to the palate. The tannins are graciously grippy, accentuating the leafy Cabernet notes that seem to build as the wine is slowly sculpted and chiselled in the mouth. Wow. This works so well. A truly fabulous wine and something of a revelation.

By Wine Advocate in 2023 (WA96)

The Masseto 2021 Massetino is mostly Merlot with a touch of Cabernet Franc for good measure. The wine (packaged in a heavy glass bottle) is very richly concentrated and layered. You see (and taste) the opulent texture of the wine as it slowly coats the glass. Quality fruit is matched by carefully selected oak, and the intensity of both builds on the palate. This vintage is poised for especially long cellar aging. This vintage of Massetino (2021) scores neck-in-neck with the current vintage (2020) of Masseto.

By Vinous in 2023 (AG94)

The 2021 Massetino is a supremely elegant and gracious wine. Silky tannins caress a core of blackberry, espresso, mocha, licorice, cloves and lavender. All the elements are so nicely balanced in this super-appealing, racy second wine from Masseto,

By Decanter in 2023 (D93)

Dried herbs and dried flowers on the nose with quite dominant oaky scents. Ripe black fruit and abundant tannins, not so rich or fleshy but massy in the mouth, wide, giving a large structure which supports the expression. This is smooth and bright with grip and intensity but you can really feel the alcohol here and it detracts from any kind of delicate nuance with toasted spices, coffee, dark chocolate and cedar at the fore. Heady and overt, powerful, though sleek and layered, the tannins are great and the fruit feels both cool and ripe but there’s an underlying sense of heat from start to finish. Malolactic fermentation in French barriques (50% new) then 12 months ageing after which the 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc was blended and returned to barriques for three months before bottling.