Messorio is a wine produced following a hot and dry growing season throughout the Bolgheri region. Such years typically accelerate the ripening of Merlot and give the fruit notes a more intense flavor. At the Le Macchiole winery, the grapes were carefully selected to preserve freshness even in wines that tend toward a jammy flavor. This restrained approach to winemaking is clearly reflected in this wine. Compared to cooler vintages, such as 2016, one can expect Messorio to be richer and more powerful. It is characterized by aromas of ripe black berries and a robust structure. Lovers of full-bodied wines will be pleased. And those who are willing to wait patiently for it to mature will be even more satisfied.
Robert Parker (97)
The last wine tasted during my visit was the magnificent Le Macchiole 2022 Messorio made with 100% Merlot. "It is important to build this wine step by step," says proprietor Cinzia Merli of the blending process that sees grapes blended from various sites with different soils and exposures. Production is 9,500 bottles. The wine reveals a wide span of fruit flavors that include dark cherry on one side of the spectrum and fragrant pomegranate on the other. In 2022, the fruit came off the vines earlier than normal so that the crunchiness of those berry flavors would remain intact. Messorio covers the palate with soft richness and pretty tannins. Hints of spice and crushed stone appear on the long finish.
Winespectator (95)
Purity is the hallmark of this vibrant, black cherry–, blackberry- and violet-flavored red. Solidly built, with refined tannins that will require time to integrate, yet overall this is balanced and elegant. Graphite and wild herb accents emerge on the long aftertaste. Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2040.
James Suckling (95)
A dark and restrained wine with mint, balsamic, cassis and graphite aromas. The full-bodied palate is smooth and velvety, with crisp acidity, extracted yet ripe tannins and flavors of dark fruit and sweet tobacco. Juicy despite its concentration. Best in four or five years.
Vinous (94)
The 2022 Messorio is the wine at Le Macchiole that shows the estate’s move in recent years towards a style that emphasizes subtlety and nuance more than power. Blood orange, rose petal, cinnamon, kirsch and red cherry fruit open first. Time in the glass releases the wine’s aromatics nicely. The 2022 is an especially perfumed, mid-weight Messorio. I can’t wait to see how it develops with a few years in bottle. The 2022 was raised in new, low-toast barriques, wood uprights and ceramic amphora.
Jeb Dunnuck (96)
The 2022 Messorio pours a youthful magenta color and is smoky and seductive on the nose, with inviting smoky aromatics of camphor, plum, pine, and forest earth. Full-bodied but with a defined structure, it’s noble on the palate, with a snappy freshness of acidity and a sanguine note through the mid-palate and finish. It’s going to benefit from more time in a bottle, with its nervous energy being more forward at this tasting. Drink 2026-2046.
Falstaff (97)
Clear, powerful ruby colour. Opens with pronounced spice notes of cedar wood, cardamom and cigars, then plump berry fruit and some plum. Powerful and mouth-filling, at the same time very well-developed fruit, opens with grippy tannins, slightly drying on the finish.
