Masseto Bundle 750 ml

On our last visit to the legendary Ornellaia estate, we were awestruck by the Masseto hill, where 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 was ideal not for Cabernet Sauvignon, but for Merlot. Antinori was ambivalent, since the grape was all but unheard of in Tuscany. Finally, in 1984, he followed Tchelistcheff’s advice, and the Masseto hill was planted—purely to Merlot. 

Early vintages of Masseto won devoted fans and collectors. In 1991, the consulting winemaker role passed to Rolland, and the 2001 vintage 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, little has changed at Masseto. Historically composed of 100% Merlot—but now containing a small portion of Cabernet Franc—this wine is on par with the great First Growths. Massetino, the second wine, is equally stunning, and would be the crowning bottle at nearly any other estate on the planet.

No matter the year, Masseto produces cellar-defining masterpieces. Any lover of red wine should be incredibly proud to have these wines in their collection.