Masseto, Toscana 2022

This vintage of the 2022 Masseto is 100% Merlot. The nose is pronounced, leading with its mineral aromas of crushed dark stones. It smells like dissolved minerals, delicate peppery accents, black plum, red apples, lavender perfume, and sage. The aromatics are quite profound in this vintage, and on the palate, it’s full-bodied and more structured, with ripe tannins and a good deal of depth and richness, with the minerality shining through. Long on the palate, it’s generous all the way through, and while it feels approachable upfront, more structure comes through on the finish. Allow it some time in cellar and drink 2028-2058.

The summer was so arid in 2022 that the vines shut down and ripening was halted until mid-August rains arrived. This helped to preserve acidity in the grapes, giving sensational freshness to balance the rich and finely structured palate. Masseto 2022, then, combines the best of both worlds: fruit ripeness and concentration, and freshness and poise. It's not as immediately seductive as the 2021, but there is so much potential in this long-lived vintage. Scents of cool, damp earth, dark hedgerow berries, Mediterranean scrub, and cocoa and wood give a sense of what is to come once time has untangled everything. Zingy, crunchy acidity steals the show early on, segueing into a mouthful of succulent yet dense dark berries and spice imbued with plenty of energy. Then some balsamic herbs and floral notes lighten the palate, before a touch of salinity and some bitter herbs emerge on the finish, with a refrain of bright cherry. Something special.

A solid and structured red with blackcurrant, chocolate and walnut aromas and underlying toasted wood. Medium- to full-bodied with chewy tannins and a chewy, savory finish. Hints of coconut and toasted oak. It’s muscular and toned. It needs time to soften. Best after 2028.

Cocoa bean, campfire, creamy raspberry fruits, fragrant and concentrated, plenty of grilled coffee beans and orange peel, complex, concentrated, nuanced, great quality. 24 months ageing in 100% new oak, then 12 months in bottle before release. Eleonora Marconi winemaker, Marco Balsimelli production director at this wonderful 11ha property owned by the Frescobaldi family.

Currently on the market, the 2022 Masseto is 100% Merlot grown on the estate’s distinctive blue clay soils. The wine immediately impresses with freshness, brightness and clarity. It shows firm but integrated tannins with a subtle salty note attributed to sodium-rich clays. According to proprietor Lamberto Frescobaldi, the magic of Masseto lies in its ability to stretch and consolidate across the palate, wrapping itself seamlessly in a kind of symbiosis that feels both expansive and complete. His point comes alive in this edition. Crafted for collectors, this vintage is intense and full yet never tiring, remaining solar and generous. The élevage is deliberately restrained with reduced wood influence despite the use of four coopers, including tonnelleries Taransaud and Baron, and 80% new oak, allowing the Merlot to remain dulcet and precise.

The 2022 Masseto is elegant and polished, just as it was when I first tasted it a few months ago. Bright red-toned fruit, blood orange, spice, menthol and cinnamon all meld together nicely in the glass. The lighter style of the year is evident, but there are no hard edges or awkward contours. The 2022 is a super-refined Masseto.