2014 Masseto Toscana IGT Magnum (1.5L) Magnum

There are several household names among Italy’s Super Tuscan reds, but only one Italian wine is considered by critics and collectors to equal Right Bank Bordeaux estates Château Petrus and Château Cheval Blanc: That wine is Masseto. Grown at the legendary Ornellaia estate, the soils of Masseto hill consist of rare blue clay—the same as at Petrus—and were planted to Merlot in the 1980s at the direction of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff. With winemaking now overseen by Michel Rolland (Harlan Estate, Valandraud, Château Angélus), Masseto offers Grand Cru Bordeaux power and elegance at a fraction of First Growth prices. 

Decanter calls the 2014 Masseto Toscana IGT “silky but insistent, layer building upon layer,” and “a gorgeous, powerful but extremely balanced expression of the Merlot grape.” Antonio Galloni of Vinous, after recently tasting all 28 vintages, called the 2014 “terrific, even in the company of all the truly great Massetos.” One of the few Italian wines listed on the prestigious Liv-Ex Fine Wine Index, this is a collector’s dream, capped off by 97 points from James Suckling. It will provide pleasure over the next three decades.

Lodovico Antinori found inspiration for his now-famous Ornellaia Super Tuscan in a wine that bucked the standard Sangioveses of Tuscany. That wine, grown in Italy’s coastal Maremma region at his own cousin’s Tenuta San Guido and released to the public for the first time in 1971, was a Bordeaux-style blend called Sassicaia.

Masseto took a major step toward international Merlot primacy in 1991, when the consulting winemaker role passed to Right Bank Bordeaux guru Michel Rolland, and in the 2001 vintage, its status was sealed: Masseto earned perfect scores from both Wine Spectator and James Suckling, who concluded his review by saying: “Enjoy this for the rest of your life.” Now owned by the Frescobaldi family, not much at Masseto has changed. Always composed of 100% Merlot grown in Petrus-like blue clay, Masseto is treated like a priceless Pomerol: It is hand-harvested, sorted and destemmed, then barrel-fermented in 100 percent new oak. After one year, the wine is blended, then goes back into barrique for a second year. After one more year in bottle, Masseto is released. 

In early 2018, Antonio Galloni tasted all 28 vintages of Masseto, and praised the 2014, which he believes has many great years ahead of it: “Masseto has a tremendous track record of aging, especially in cooler years. I think that will be the same here. Its best showing was at a recent complete vertical, where it was terrific, even in the company of all the truly great Massetos.” For collectors, and for those seeking First Growth-level quality and elegance, Masseto is a must-have.