2000 Masseto
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Tasting notes
The 2000 Masseto is an excellent choice for drinking now and over the next decade or so. Plum, blackberry jam, chocolate, licorice and spice infuse the 2000 with striking layers of nuance to play off its exotic, unctuous feel. Stylistically, the 2000 is very much on the extroverted side of things, although it does not have the spherical build of the very best Massetos. The growing season was marked by mostly warm, dry weather and an slightly early harvest that started at the end of August and wrapped up around the middle of September.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
The Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
I was thrilled to finally taste a good bottle of the 2000 Masseto after having quite a bit of bad luck. The 2000 won't set the world on fire, but the best bottles are quite harmonious, and even better, they won't require the cellaring needed age more recent vintages.
In a large tasting such as this one, there are bound to be positive and negative surprises. The 2000 Masseto is the one wine that is quite disappointing. The aromas and flavors are quite soft and forward, with oxidative tones that have begun to creep in. There is no upside from cellaring bottles further. I tasted four bottles, and they were all similarly evolved, which was a big surprise given the way every other wine in this tasting showed.
Readers looking for a more mature Masseto might want to consider the 2000. It presents a more evolved set of earth, tobacco and roasted coffee bean aromas and flavors along with ripe dark fruit. Although it displays plenty of concentration and length on the palate its slightly coarse tannins are those of a merely good, but not great vintage. 91/Anticipated maturity: 2007-2017.
About the producer
Established in the 1980s by Lodovico Antinori on the advice of André Tchelistcheff, Masseto was one of Tuscany’s first pure Merlot wines. Sibling to Ornellaia, the Super Tuscan is often considered the Pétrus of Italy – offering powerful, perfumed wines that are highly sought-after by collectors.