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Uutiset
MASSETO 2015 RELEASED
Released in two tranches and priced at €345 and then €365 a bottle, the new vintage is 16.9% more expensive than the 2014 was when first offered.
That level should give it a market price of £4,900 per dozen, an increase of over 17% on the 2014.
Critical opinion is sparse so far though US taster Antonio Galloni was entranced, calling it “simply extraordinary,” and with, “a level of pure sensuality and allure none of those vintages [2004, 2006, 2010 and 2013] had when young”.
He awarded it 99 points.
A number of back vintages in the market are available at a similar price to the 2015 as it currently stands but few come close to the score it has, as buyers may very well take note.
Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Masseto was born ‘almost by chance’ in 1986 when it was decided to vinify the Merlot from the Masseto vineyard alone as it ‘promised well’. This small, exceptional and legendary cru has soon become a collector’s item sold in auctions all over the world. The first vintage was called very simply ‘Merlot’ but, from 1987, it has taken on the name of its vineyard ‘Masseto’.
The Masseto vineyard is a unique place. Blessed with the generosity of a Mediterranean climate, this small vineyard enjoys breath-taking views, which stretch to the Tuscan coast, and a mosaic of different soils including an exceptional presence of grey clay. The gentle breezes coming off the sea during the war summer months, the intensity of the sunlight and the specificity of the unique soils, allow the vines to develop and ripen gradually and contribute to granting Masseto its enchanting combination of freshness and ripeness.
The wine is the synthesis of its singular 7 hectare vineyard formed of three types of soil. At the top of the hill, at around 120 metres above sea level, the loosest ground is made up of clay and sand with numerous pebbles and, this contributes to the elegant nature of the wine. In the sloping part of the vineyard (with about a 10% gradient), grey clay predominates and gives the wine its structural backbone. Lastly, the lower rows grow on less clayey soil which lends the wine its fullness, warmth and generosity.
The bunches, hand harvested in 15kg crates, were carefully sorted by hand on a double sorting table before and after destemming and then subjected to a gentle crushing. Six different lots were vinified separately. Fermentation took place in both steel and wood tanks, followed by 15-20 days maceration at a temperature between 25 and 30° C. Afterwards, malolactic fermentation took place in 100% new oak barrique, and the different lots were kept separate for the first 12 months of maturation. The wine was then blended and reintroduced into the barrels for another year, making a total of 24 months. After bottling, the wine was aged for an additional 12 months prior to release.
Tenuta dell'Ornellaia makes outstanding wines even in poor vintages - better than any other. In the capable hands of winemaker Thomas Duroux and consultant Michel Rolland, the estate continues its long-standing, stellar record of world-class wine production. Even the estate's "second" wines demonstrate high quality grape growing and flawless production methods. Located in Tuscany's tiny coastal DOC of Bolgheri, the estate was one of the first to plant vines in the area. With producers like Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia, Antinori, Grattamacco, and Le Macchiole among others, Bolgheri is the hotbed of winemaking momentum in Toscana.
With the same name as the winery, a reference to the grove of flowering ash trees surrounding it, Ornellaia is the estate's principal wine. The 63 acres of predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with small plantings of Cabernet Franc vines, lie on elevated parcels composed of clay, gravel, and loam soils. The clones of diverse origins yield a rich palette of nuances. All grapes are destemmed, gently pressed, and introduced into either wooden or stainless steel fermentation vessels. Maceration takes place over a period of 25-32 days at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, during which time the wine completes its alcoholic fermentation. The juice remains unblended until the wines have spent approximately one year in small French barriques. The final cuvee is assembled to evoke the vinous finess of the Cabernet highlighted by ripe, aromatic notes of Merlot in an elegant yet firm style balancing fruit, acidity, oak, and tannic backbone.
The estate's Le Volte is a blend of Tuscan Sangiovese with Bordeaux's Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that can be considered a "Young Ornellaia." They also produce Le Serre Nuove, the "second Ornellaia," and Masseto, one Bolgheri's greatest wines!
Wine Information
Compared to a rather particular 2014, the 2015 proved to be an almost ‘text book’ vintage. After a rainy and mild winter, with just a few days of temperatures below zero, budbreak arrived on time during the first days of April. Spring was characterized by dry and sunny weather, providing ideal conditions for regular vegetative growth that culminated in a quick and complete flowering at the end of May. From June on, water stress gradually became evident. July will be remembered as a particularly torrid, dry month, with maximum temperatures exceeding 30°C every single day of the month. The heat, combined with the absence of rains, made us fear a shut-down in the ripening and the need for an early harvest. Luckily rain fell abundantly around 10 August that not only unblocked the ripening but also brought much cooler temperatures during the final ripening phase. This cool, yet sunny, weather continued throughout the harvest, allowing us to pick the grapes with great ease, choosing just the right moment to harvest the different vineyard blocks, resulting in a fresh and lively aromatic quality with a perfect degree of phenolic ripeness along with abundant, yet silky and soft, tannins. The harvest began on 29 August with the youngest vines and finished on the 16 September with the last portions of “Masseto Centrale”.
Vuosikerta 2015
BAROLO 2015
2015 vintage climate trend: 2015 began with a winter characterized by abundant snowfalls which allowed an excellent water supply to the land.
This factor combined with a spring with mild temperatures since the month of February allowed for an anticipation of the vegetative cycle which was then maintained in the continuation of the vintage.
The season continued with a succession of rainfall between the end of May and the first ten days of June. From June to July the rains were absent and temperatures stabilized at above average maximum values but without water stress. The climatic conditions recorded at the beginning of summer laid the foundations for an advance in the ripening of the grapes of about ten days compared to the previous year but in line with a vintage that we can define as ‘normal’.
Wines Barolo 2015 vintage: Nebbiolo ripened perfectly, albeit slightly earlier than the average of recent years, with an excellent accumulation of polyphenols. The sugar content stands at average potential values of around 14 – 14.5% vol while the acidity is ideal for Nebbiolo (6.5 g / l).
The Barolo wines of the 2015 vintage are important, elegant and long-lived, there are all the prerequisites for a great vintage, to be remembered, like few others in history. Fully among the best vintages of Barolo.
BARBARESCO 2015
A cold and snowy winter welcomed a warm and dry spring. which allowed an even budding. Summer saw warm days with some rainfall followed by a very dry end of the season. The beginning of fall was dry and cool creating optimal conditions for the phenolic ripening for the Nebbiolo grapes. The warm and dry weather during harvest ensured the grapes were evenly ripe and perfectly healthy.
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2015
Climate trend: The winter was sparsely rainy and with low temperatures in January / February. Spring precipitation in the seasonal average allowed to create water reserves to overcome the hot months of July / August. The month of September was mild, with good temperature variations between day and night, favoring the perfect ripening of the grapes.
Brunello di Montalcino wines of the 2015 vintage: Deep wines endowed with great extract, lively and intense colors and vigorous tannins of good maturity. Important alcoholic components, in rare cases also in evidence. Crisp, intense and penetrating fruity aromas. An exceptional vintage of Brunello di Montalcino: great character and excellent evolutionary potential, deservedly among the best vintages of Brunello di Montalcino.
