2020 Massetino Toscana IGT 750 ml

On a visit to the legendary Ornellaia estate last year, we were awestruck by the Masseto hill, where the vineyards produce some of the most precious and ageworthy wine on the planet. The hill was planted to Merlot in the 1980s at the direction of legendary winemaker André Tchelistcheff, and now, with winemaking overseen by Right Bank Bordeaux guru Michel Rolland, Masseto stands equal to any collectible wine in the world. 

Lodovico Antinori’s inspiration for his first Bordeaux-style wine was his own cousin’s Sassicaia, so he set about creating a competitor that would also consist largely of Cabernet Sauvignon. 

But his property, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, had one anomalous 17-acre section: a hilltop that Tchelistcheff knew wasn’t ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon. Antinori was ambivalent, since Merlot was all but unheard of in Tuscany. Finally, in 1984, he followed Tchelistcheff’s advice, and the Masseto hill was planted—purely to Merlot. 

The second wine to the iconic Masseto, Massetino shares its sibling’s prestige and critical acclaim: Wine Advocate lauded it as “a special treat.” Comprising Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown on the same precious plot of blue clay, the 2020 is impenetrably dark, endlessly complex, and poised to evolve for a decade and a half in the cellar.  

Now owned by the iconic Frescobaldi family, not much at Masseto has changed. Massetino, like Masseto, is treated like a priceless Pomerol: It’s hand-harvested, hand-sorted and destemmed, fermented mostly in concrete tanks, with grapes from a few parcels going into barrel instead, and aged a total of 24 months in 100% new oak. Rich and ripe, it’s a perfect introduction to one of the world’s great terroirs.