Tenuta dell´Ornellaia - Masseto 2021

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "The 2021 Masseto is breathtaking. An absolute masterpiece that presents itself without a single moment that is not perfection. The nose is simply gorgeous, a cascade of rose, violet, lavender, macerated strawberry, semi-sweet molten chocolate, and wild herbs. A cashmere texture on the palate leads to soft-spoken power that impresses with it's effortless ability to hold freshness in harmony with the full 15.5% abv. Loads of dark berries and warmed spices linger on the finish. For a young Masseto, it is drinking remarkably well, with the intensity and precision to hold and improve for decades."

DECANTER: "2021 was a hot vintage, but you can feel plenty of freshness in this wine. It has a lovely perfume of crushed hedgerow berries and some herbal notes, while in the mouth it's intense, ferrous and stony, with soft, silky tannins, some creamy cherry on the mid-palate, and intense acidity which keeps things moving. The textural detail is sublime and the verticality and fruit sapidity on display here is nothing short of breathtaking. ‘For me, it's one of the best vintages in the history of Masseto‘, states production director, Marco Balsimelli."

FALSTAFF: "Leuchtendes, intensives Rubin mit Violettschimmer. Sehr ansprechende und reichhaltige Nase nach Cassis, Brombeere, dazu dunkler Tabak und Graphit. Dichtmaschiges, sehr konzentriertes Tannin, baut sich mächtig auf, viel dunkle Beerenfrucht, salzig und mit großer Länge im Finale."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Plum and blackberry flavors are wrapped in an embrace of toasty oak, with vanilla, resin and iron accents. Dense tannins coat the gums, while bright acidity keeps this focused and drives the spice-infused aftertaste. Fluid and long, this silky red ultimately is all about finesse. A superb success in a great vintage. Merlot. Best from 2027 through 2047. 440 cases imported."

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "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."