Le Macchiole Messorio 2017

JS 97 / VM 95+ / WA 95 / W&S 96 / Decanter 95 pts

JS: This wine shows beautiful clarity and class on the nose with roses, tar, currants, green and black olives and plums. It’s exceptionally fine-tannined with such polish and finesse. So sophisticated and intense for this vintage. Long, chewy finish, yet this is mouth-filling and caressing. Pure merlot. Try after 2024.

VM: The harvest of Merlot for Messorio in 2017 commenced on 17 August and finished on 7 September, producing around 12,000 bottles. Since 2015 it has been fermented with selected yeasts in concrete vessels at a moderate 26°C then aged in 100% new French oak with a light and progressive toastiness. The result is a slightly herbal Merlot with precise sweet cassis and plum fruit and depth of star anise and leather. Dense on the palate with red fruit flavours, it imposes powerful yet ripe tannins with crisp acidity and balanced alcohol. Drinking Window 2020 – 2040.

WA: A beam of black cherry and blackberry permeates this red, accented by wild rosemary, thyme, iron and oak spice. Beautifully balanced and graceful, this should begin to hit its stride in two to three years, once the oak is absorbed. Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2040. 950 cases made, 90 cases imported.

W&S: The 2017 growing season at this Bolgheri estate was hot and exceptionally dry, with almost no rain from the beginning of May until the end of August. According to proprietor Cinzia Merli, this required a strict selection of the small berries at harvest, with yields coming in about 20 to 25 percent below average. The merlot for Messorio seems to have emerged from this cauldron unscathed, retaining scents of violet and lavender and surprisingly bright acidity that enlivens the rich purple-fruit tones. The tannins, though initially prominent, begin to soften with air as the wine takes on notes of black olive and licorice. This should continue to flesh out with a few years in the cellar.

Decanter: The harvest of Merlot for Messorio in 2017 commenced on 17 August and finished on 7 September, producing around 12,000 bottles. Since 2015 it has been fermented with selected yeasts in concrete vessels at a moderate 26°C then aged in 100% new French oak with a light and progressive toastiness. The result is a slightly herbal Merlot with precise sweet cassis and plum fruit and depth of star anise and leather. Dense on the palate with red fruit flavours, it imposes powerful yet ripe tannins with crisp acidity and balanced alcohol.