Jamessuckling.com | JS 95
Published: Oct 5, 2021

Very attractive aromas of currants, spices and sweet tobacco with some graphite and slate. Full-bodied with a rich and rather dense mouth feel, plenty of fruit and a spicy, dark-chocolate aftertaste. A solid and sturdy second wine from Masseto. Try in 2023. 

Masseto.com

Climate and vintage
The 2019 growing season was characterised by a highly variable climate, which alternated periods of cold and rain with long bouts of drought and heat.
After a rather normal winter, budding took place during the first week of April. Cold and rainy conditions throughout April and May considerably slowed down the development of the vegetation, delaying flowering up to 10 days later than usual. In June, the climate suddenly turned hot and dry, with peak temperatures of 37°C reached at the end of the month. All summer long the weather remained hot and sunny, with temperatures 2°C higher than average and 45 consecutive days without rain. In the last week of July, the long period of drought was interrupted by two days of rain, bringing back the temperature to the seasonal norm, with ideal conditions for grape ripening.
After another set of rain showers at the beginning of the month, Merlot harvest began on 5th September with the young vines and went on until 20th September under perfect conditions. Harvest was completed with the Cabernet franc on 1st October.

Vinification and ageing 

The grapes were harvested by hand in 15 kg crates. After destemming and light crushing, the grapes were transferred to concrete tanks by gravity, without any pumping. Every single lot of the vineyard was vinified separately. Fermentation occurred spontaneously with wild yeast at temperatures around 25-28°C, with two to three pump-overs a day and délestages when appropriate. Total time in tanks ranged between 21 to 25 days. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrels, with 50% new oak. After the first 12 month of aging the wine was blended and put back into barrels for a further 3 months before bottling.