Professional reviews
Robert Parker (95)
The 2021 Masseto is back to being 100% Merlot. Recent past vintages saw a tiny part of Cabernet Franc. That second varietal in the blend represents the proverbial "tax" one must pay in the face of climate change, especially when making wine on the sun-drenched Tuscan Coast. This is a very rich and elaborate expression with the extract, tannic tightness and the hefty 15.5% alcohol content to match. It comes off as quite big-boned or monotone. The wine is redolent of blackberry confit and cooked cherry, with a wide range of sweet oak spices to close. There is dark chocolate with a thin lining of creamy mint filling. Within the context of that fullness and generous fruit weight, Masseto is quite a commitment in terms of price and further cellaring. More bottle aging is an absolute requirement.
James Suckling (98)
Blueberries and black olives with violets and hints of sage, as well as rosemary flowers. Full and powerful with lots of fruit and vanilla on the palate. A rich and flavorful red, yet held together beautifully. Muscular and powerful. Needs five or six years to come together. Give it time.
Jancis Robinson (17.50)
100% Merlot. Winemaker Marco Balsimelli said, ‘I know this vintage well because we started to present this on the market when I arrived in 2023. I love this vintage, one of the best ever. Perfect weather, with a rainy spring and hot summer’.
Deep, glowing crimson. Heady nose – one sniff reminds me of a fine Napa red. Lots of ripe tannins but very sweet fruit before that and just a hint of heat on the end. Not nearly ready. Sufficient acidity but the tannin dominates the wine currently. Very vital wine that softened in the glass. (JR)
Vinous (100)
The 2021 Masseto is a stunner. It also shows how much the estate has evolved in recent years. I was reminded of that recently when I drank the 2001, considered by many observers, including this one, to be one of the greatest wines ever made here. The 2021 represents a move towards a more refined style. There’s less of the bombastic intensity and extraction that were once the norm here. I remember young vintages that were impossible to taste young. The 2021, on the other hand, is an absolute delight. Crushed flowers, spice, blood orange and bright, red-toned fruit all grace the palate. Floral aromatics and saline underpinnings are at times reminiscent of the Cabernet Franc found in the 2019 and 2020, but the 2021 is back to the classic 100% Merlot. Readers will find a Masseto built on linear energy more than volume. The 2021 is quite simply the most exquisite, refined young Masseto I have ever tasted. Aging was 24 months in 100% new French oak.
Jeb Dunnuck (99)
Tasted from barrel, the 2021 Masseto pours a youthful magenta hue and brings forward an inviting bouquet with some blue fruit coming through and more chocolate aromas as well with to me it is fresh with blackberry, and purple violet flowers. It boasts outstanding concentration and depth, with a plush, cushiony texture at this stage, incredible finesse and balance, and a wonderful mineral aroma of wet asphalt coming through. A harmonious wine with well-integrated oak, this may be the best vintage of this cuvée that I have tasted to date.
