The first wine produced from the Masseto vineyard was that of the 1986 harvest. It was simply called “Merlot”. The name Masseto appeared on the label with the 1987 harvest. Masseto is a wine with a great and complex personality in which the remarkable structure is always combined with a beautiful elegance. Each vintage has its own identity and represents, for the pleasure of its enthusiasts, the incredible possibilities of interpretation that climate variations can offer: the noble opulence of 2001, the dense tannic structure of 1998, or the great elegance of 2007... Thus each Masseto vintage is unique, and, at the same time, one with the others. It therefore represents a single testimony of the special alliance between terroir, climate and human talent that defines Masseto, and together it demonstrates the timeless value of this wine.

Climate and vintage

After a very late 2010, the 2011 vintage was characterized by a hot and dry climate leading to an earlier harvest than normal.
The rainy winter was followed by a warmer than usual spring which brought forward the vegetative cycle of the vineyard by as much as 10 days. Budding was particularly fast and uniform, always a very favorable condition for a great vintage, and the growth of the vines was slowed by the cooler conditions in June and July. The rains that arrived at the right time after flowering and at veraison allowed excellent development of the bunches, perfect conditions for aromatic development, but even more so for the accumulation of exceptional polyphenolic potential. A peak of heat at the end of August further accelerated ripening, leading to the earliest harvest in the history of Masseto, and bringing perfectly ripe and balanced grapes to the cellar without traces of excessive ripeness.
Denomination: IGT Toscana