The making of a megastar: Masseto

Masseto has spent nearly four decades in the top echelon of the wine world, carving out a space for itself in millionaires’ cellars alongside first-growth Bordeaux and garagiste Pomerol, grand cru Burgundy, top-end Napa Valley Cabernet, and the other great Super Tuscans.

Its success is no mean feat if you consider that, at the time of its launch in the 1980s, the coastal Tuscan region of Bolgheri was better known for the quality of its fruit and vegetables than for its red wines.

Notes and scores for 10 vintages of Masseto (and one of Massetino) are listed below

First there was one

There was one exception, a Bordeaux blend, which had, until that point, been reserved for private consumption: Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia. Owned by Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, uncle of Lodovico Antinori and his older brother, Piero, he had offered the distribution of his wine, to his nephews.

In return, Piero Antinori offered Mario the services of his oenologist, Giacomo Tachis, who honed the wine into a commercially viable wine. The first release was the 1968 vintage in 1971.

Spurred on by this project, as well as the Antinori projects of the 1970s, Tignanello and Solaia, Lodovico strove to create a wine of his own that could compete with Sassicaia on its own terms.

In 1981, he founded Tenuta dell’Ornellaia and released the estate’s maiden 1985 vintage several years later.

While Ornellaia had been a predetermined business decision, the pure-Merlot Masseto was more the result of good fortune combined with sound judgement. The Ornellaia estate was largely planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with some Petit Verdot and Merlot making up the blend.

A small portion of Merlot was planted in 1984 on a hill of Pliocene-era blue clay, the site of an old brick factory, which Lodovico’s Russian-American winemaking consultant, André Tchelistcheff identified as ideal for the cultivation of Merlot.

From Antinori to Frescobaldi via Mondavi

Just two years later, the Merlot grapes grown on the hill were deemed to be of such impressive quality that the decision was made by Lodovico and his Russian-American winemaking consultant, André Tchelistcheff, to bottle a wine separately, labelled as ‘Merlot dell’Ornellaia’.

The following year, 1987, it was simply labelled ‘Masseto’, underlining the faith Lodovico and his team had in this new project. The wine, made in small quantities, not only achieved overnight success but continued to gain plaudits through the 1990s.

In 1999 – in a move which he later went on record as saying was a big mistake – Lodovico Antinori sold a minority stake of Ornellaia to Robert Mondavi, perhaps to raise funds for the Tenuta di Biserno project in Bibbona, which was launched in collaboration with Piero in 2001.

Mondavi purchased the remaining shares in 2002 and subsequently sold half to Antinori’s rivals, the Frescobaldi family.

The Frescobaldis bought the remaining shares in 2005, following the sale of the Robert Mondavi company to Constellation Brands, taking full ownership of the property, and so was complete the transfer of one of Italy’s finest estates from one historic winemaking family to another.

Why Masseto?

It’s the temperature excursions between the heat of the day and the coolness of the evenings – influenced by the proximity to the coast in front and the Metalliferous Hills behind – that make the wines of Bolgheri so exciting.

Wines made here are ripe yet balanced, typically with bright freshness and leafy, balsamic tones despite the summer heat. It’s a haven for Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and more.

Especially important for early-ripening Merlot, the cool evenings and gentle breeze slow down the pace of sugar ripening, while the blue clay found in the Masseto vineyard ‘pushes the moment of maturity later in the season’, according to production director Marco Balsimelli.

This ensures that phenolic ripeness is achieved in harmony with sugar ripeness, producing tannins that are perfectly ripe at the time of picking. The tannins, velvety and at times almost imperceptible, are a key signature of Masseto.

How they manage to stay out of the limelight while giving enough structure to support the wine for decades in the cellar is a beautiful paradox.

But it’s not just terroir that has made Masseto into a megastar; without Lodovico and Tchelistcheff, the star qualities of the wine would never have been recognised in the first place.

And following the Frescobaldi acquisition, it was CEO Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja who masterminded its La Place distribution in 2009. Only the third wine outside of Bordeaux to be distributed in this way, its tiny allocations soon reached every corner of the globe and elevated Masseto to a true luxury brand.

Tasting Masseto

An evening with Frescobaldi president, Lamberto Frescobaldi and production director Marco Balsimelli, overseeing both Ornellaia and Masseto, at Raffles London at The OWO in November 2024 was a rare opportunity to taste several vintages of Masseto side by side.

The current release, the 2021, was sublime, as was the cool 2013 vintage. The 1995 and 1996 were captivating, but for me, the 2006 was impeccable.

It would be extremely difficult to find disappointment in any vintage of Masseto, but 2006 confirms itself as a momentous Italian wine for the 21st century.

Masseto in 10 vintages

(Plus Massetino 2022)

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