Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Masseto 2020

WEINWISSER: "Der großartige Masseto 2020 besteht aus 85 % Merlot und 15 % Cabernet Franc mit 15 Vol.- %, ausgebaut in 100 % neuen Barriques. Nach dem ersten Jahr separierten Ausbaus der einzelnen Partien wurde der Blend erstellt, der danach ein weiteres Jahr im Holz reifte. Dunkle, transparente Farbe. Generös gereift, schokoladig süß und tiefgründig, präsentiert sich die komplexe, finessenreiche Nase mit feinem Holz darin. Ganz dicht und schmelzig, zeigt er sich auf der Zunge extrem fein und balanciert, mit groß angelegter, weit gefasster Struktur. Dabei trägt er viel Energie und Lebendigkeit in sich, seine dichten, schmelzigen Gerbstoffe sind sehr feinkörnig und klar arrangiert. Ein toller, kerniger Masseto mit viel Fleisch und Fülle, sehr stimmig, perfekt balanciert und lang. Dabei bleibt er immer frisch, mit außergewöhnlicher Präsenz und großartiger Tiefe, die er auch dem Cabernet Franc zu verdanken hat. Nobler Schliff, beeindruckende Perfektion."

DECANTER: "Intense and full on the nose, fragrant with ripe black fruit, floral aspects and soft spicing. Round and full on the palate, it's rich and muscular yet tight and neatly coiled with a liquorice, graphite, pepper, cinnamon and clove tang that gives this immediate but enjoyable spice. Feels well worked, juicy with high acidity that lifts the palate and gives freshness and brightness alongside really quite mouthwatering strawberry and raspberry fruit with such captivating dried floral and bitter orange rind aspects. Tannins are super fine and so well integrated yet this maintains a grip and hold from the very beginning through to a long and sustained finish. Nuanced and complex, still packing a punch in terms of power, but this feels sophisticated, suave, purposeful and controlled. Not elegant, this is more of a caged animal with it's full potential yet to be unveiled, but it is classy. A truly delicious wine with so much purity and sense of place. Malolactic fermentation in 100% new barroques, with each batch kept separate for the first 12 months of ageing before being blended and returned to barriques for another year, totalling 24 months. The wine was then aged for a further 12 months in bottle before being released. Winemaker Gaia Cinnirella."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Intense aromas of ripe herbs, plums, green coffee beans, and hazelnuts. Turns to crushed berries and orange peel. Full-bodied with superb concentration and fine, velvety tannins that run the length of the wine. It's big but agile and gorgeous. Merlot. What a wine! Best after 2030."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Tasted from barrel, the 2020 Masseto is incredibly expressive out of the gate, with a sweet perfume of candied plum, boysenberry, crushed flowers, mocha, sweet earth, and fresh sage. The palate is full-bodied and decadent, with a velvety texture and notes of black plum, fresh leather, and scorched mineral earth. It delivers great finesse and polish that features opulence without having weight. I look forward to tasting this next year from bottle."

FALSTAFF: "Sattes, tiefdunkles Rubin mit feinem Violettschimmer. Intensive und dichte Nase, eröffnet mit Noten nach kaltem Rauch, dann viel dunkle Ribisel, Brombeere und Grafit. Stoffig und dicht in Ansatz und Verlauf, öffnet sich mit dicht verwobenem Tannin, feine Würze, wirkt sehr kompakt, im Finale leicht erdige Komponenten."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Complex, with a luscious texture and saturated plum, blackberry, black olive, iron, tobacco and toasty spice aromas and flavors, this red features a full, rich timbre. Offers a lively, well-integrated structure, with a long aftertaste of fruit and spices and a pleasant chalky feel. Merlot. Best from 2025 through 2043."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Masseto now sees new DNA with a touch of Cabernet Franc added to this celebrated Merlot-based icon wine. This is a vintage of enormous richness and density, and everything about the wine is taken up a notch or two (including the bottle glass weight and the 15% alcohol content). But Axel Heinz and his team are well prepared for the hot vintages like 2020, and changes to farming and canopy management ensure even ripening. This wine is always hard to analyze in its youth. It needs many more years to soften and flesh out. Give it time."