Masseto

Originally part of the Ornellaia estate, the Masseto vineyard was planted in 1984 following the advice from the legendary Russian-American winemaker and consultant for Ornellaia André Tchelistcheff (known for his pioneering work in Napa Valley through the ’60s and ’70s).

Tasked with looking for sites to plant Cabernet for Ornellaia, he instantly identified the blue clay soils on the Masseto hill as ideal for Merlot. Merlot had never really been planted in Bolgheri and Lodovico Antinori (the original owner of the property) was hesitant at first.

Nevertheless, he followed Tchelistcheff’s advice – and from the first vintage in 1987, Masseto earned a reputation for its quality and unique identity, separate to that of the Cabernet-based Ornellaia. The name comes from “masso”, the Italian for rock, after the boulder-like clumps of clay that dot the vineyard’s surface.

The Super Tuscan’s place was cemented in history when the 2001 vintage was given 100 points by the Wine Spectator.

The Antinoris sold the property (including sister winery Ornellaia) to Mondavi and then to the current owners Frescobaldi. The Frescobaldis have now separated Ornellaia and Masseto entirely, building Masseto its own dedicated winery, in use from the 2019 vintage.

Today this Super Tuscan is one of the world’s most famous expressions of Merlot, celebrated for its immense capacity for ageing, elegance and freshness, often considered “the Pétrus of Italy”.

The marine influence is key to the success of the Masseto site, with cool sea breezes and a magnified intensity of light, especially towards the end of day.

The vineyard’s blue clay soils – having similar properties to the (different) blue clay of Pomerol – provide the perfect balance of heat intensity by day and cooling influences at night to produce a wine with both power and elegance.

The clay soils have good water-holding capacity, reducing vigour in wetter conditions, and providing a slow supply of water in drier weather. They also have a high salt content which restricts vigour. The fluctuation between hot days and cool nights preserves acidity, while giving the wines great concentration and ripeness.

The seven-hectare vineyard is made up of three parcels: Masseto Centrale (the original site located on blue clay) provides power, density and concentration of tannins; Masseto Alto produces more structure, rigidity and linearity; while the most recently planted site lower down the slope has a simpler, lighter profile that can soften the potentially angular wines from the main site. The three parcels complement each other to produce wines of balance and consistency. Since 2012, the vineyards have been farmed organically.

Originally the wines were made at Ornellaia, where André Tchelistcheff was the winemaking consultant (until 1989), then Michel Rolland (who was hired in 1991). The two estates have always shared a winemaker – with Hungarian Tibor Gál was the property’s first, succeeded by Thomas Duroux (now of Ch. Palmer), who in 2005 passed the baton to Axel Heinz, who stayed almost two decades. Marco Balsimelli took over as Production Director in 2024.

Each parcel is fermented separately with maceration on the skins for 15 to 20 days at up to 30°C. The wine spends two years in 100% new French oak, with an additional year in bottle prior to release.

From the 2017 vintage, the estate introduced a second wine, Massetino, which is aged in 50% new French oak for 12 months, and an additional year in bottle prior to release.