Le Macchiole

Le Macchiole

Le Macchiole is a relatively small estate (24 Ha), in the Bolgheri area of Tuscany, Italy. The domaine was established in 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and Cinzia Merli. Before 1983, the grandfather and father of Eugenio were already producing wines, but mainly for their own consumption.

The name “Le Macchiole” means “The place where it was in the beginning”. They are well known for their single-variety wines, made particularly from Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. They released their first vintage in 1987. Especially in the early years of the estate, Eugenio and Cinzia produced wines from various grapes, especially Bordeaux blends, but since the mid 1990’s, they specialized in producing different wines made from only one grape variety.

Unfortunately, Eugenio passed away in 2002 when he was only 40 years old. Today “Le Macchiole” is being run by Cinzia, his widow. The first wine she produces (since 1994) is “Messorio”, a 100% Merlot aged for up to 20 months in barriques and the bottled without filtration. It is definitely one of the top Merlots produced in Italy and may be compared with the best Merlots produced in Bordeaux. Total production is about 9000 bottles every year.

“Paleo Rosso” is a wine made entirely from the Cabernet Franc grape, but in the early years the wine also contained Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Sangiovese. First released in 1989, this wine also receives extensive barrel aging (18 months) and belongs to the very best examples of Cabernet Franc in the world! Total production: 25000 - 30000 bottles.

“Scrio” is the last single variety wine, made from 100% Syrah and capable to compete with the great wines from the Rhône Valley in France. Its first vintage was 1994 and unfortunately, the production is very small (6500 bottles only). They also produce an entry-level red wine “Le Macchiole Bolgehri Rosso” and a white wine “Paleo Bianco” a blend from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.