Massetto

Masseto is a rare, single vineyard wine made entirely from Merlot grapes grown on the vineyard bearing the same name. Located in the vaunted Bolgheri region of Tuscany, Masseto was first released in 1986 and quickly gained a reputation as one of the world's most sought after and extremely allocated wines. Masseto is a modern masterpiece, one of ItalyÕs, and the worldÕs, outstanding wines. It was first created almost 40 years ago by Lodovico Antinori, scion of the eponymous Florentine wine dynasty, younger brother of Piero Antinori, who is head of the Marchesi Antinori empire that produces Tignanello, Solaia, and many other well-known wines. Lodovico Antinori founded the Ornellaia Estate in 1981. In 1986, the grapes from one plot of Merlot, always intended to be a component of OrnellaiaÑa Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Bordeaux blendÑwas bottled separately. This wine was recognized to be of such exceptional quality, and to have such a unique and compelling character, that it was released the following year as its own cuvŽe, Masseto, a word that in Tuscan slang means Òas hard as a rock.Ó This name is a reference to the clay soil that bakes hard in the summer sun, and certainly not to the wine, which, though powerful and structured, is as soft as velvet, as smooth as silk, as supple as a thick Florentine steak served rare, flavorsome and intense, with a few grains of rough salt and a drizzle of intense, throat-tickling, grassy-green olive oil. Aside from Chateau Petrus from Pomerol, France, Masseto stands a one of the best world class Merlots with a good return on investment.