MASSETO
To open a bottle, is to unleash a liquid kaleidoscope. A rare combination of sumptuous opulence and polished elegance.
As a tribute to its rugged force, its softness, and the debt it owes to the soil from which it rises, Masseto was named
after the rock-hard clusters of blue clay called ‘massi’ that form on the vineyard’s surface.

2005
The winter of 2005 was, with the exception of a few bitterly cold days between February and March that
delayed budbreak by a few days, rather mild, and was followed by a spring that quickly became hot and
sunny. As a result, the vines flowered about a week early, around the 20th May. Vegetative vigour and productive potential displayed perfect harmony from the beginning. June and July behaved as expected: heat,
sun, and just a few drops of rain… Perfect for the veraison to occur evenly. The grapes ripened steadily in
August, under constant temperatures that never exceeded the seasonal average (32 °C). A few rains around
August 15 contributed the optimal development of the bunches. At the end of August, the preliminary
analyses revealed extremely high polyphenolic potentials, which are indicative of a great vintage. September provided us with alternating beautiful sunny days and sudden showers. To allow the grapes to ripen
fully and develop optimal concentrations, we harvested late, beginning with the lower part of the Masseto
vineyard on 14th September and finishing up the central part on 30th September.

TASTING NOTES: The fruit of a particularly late harvest, Masseto displays great aromatic maturity,
with fruit and spice joining the usual balsamic and mentholated accents. Ample, rich, and full on the palate, its once potent tannins have mellowed to leave a sense of great vivacity and freshness to counterbalance the richness. The wine is a joy to drink right now but can certainly further improve with more bottle age.


VINIFICATION AND AGEING
The bunches, hand harvested in 15kg crates, were selected by hand on a double sorting table before and after destemming
and then subjected to soft crushing. Fermentation took place in concrete tanks, small portions of vineyards in barrel at
temperatures between 25 and 30°C. Maceration times ranged from 21 to 28 days. Malolacticfermentation began in 100% new oak
barrique barrels, while keeping the various lots separate for the first 12
months of ripening.
Subsequently, the wine was blended and reintroduced once again into the barrels for another year, for a total of 24 months.
As usual, Masseto is given another 12 months in bottle before being released on the market.