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.

2006 began with a rainy winter, followed by hot spring days that resulted in flowering after the first week
of June. From April to August there was almost no rain, and this led the vines to produce slightly smaller
than normal bunches. The summer was also not too hot, and as a result the vines produced a good volume
of grapes with good aromatic potential. Excellent climatic conditions during ripening, coupled with the
reduced size of the grapes, provided an exceptional concentration, with sugars, tannins and acidity all higher than usual. At the beginning of the harvest the grapes were perfect: concentrated and uniformly ripe.
During the harvest, the pickers worked their way through the vineyard four times, beginning on 6th September with the ‘Masseto Alto’ section of the vineyard, and 23rd September with the ‘Masseto Centrale’ section.

TASTING NOTES: A bold and powerful wine in its early years, Masseto 2006 has now shed a lot of its
initial flamboyance and evolves towards an unexpectedly classic and elegant profile. The proverbial power is still there but the wine has developed a seamless integration of all its elements. Opulent, ripe fruit
and Mediterranean herbs melt together in a glorious bouquet. The 2006 Masseto reflects the particular
conditions of the vintage: ripeness, concentration and balance. The intense nose with ripe fruit and jam
reflects the summer sun. On the palate it is powerful, rich, and opulent, with tightly woven, sweet, polished
tannins balanced perfectly by acidity, which leads into a long finish marked by elegance and freshness.


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.