2001 Masseto
Buying options
Tasting notes
Clearly shows the ageing capacity of Masseo, as well as the sheer pleasure to be found. So easy to love, brambled, generous, earthy, concentrated, fleshy raspberry and blackberry fruits without excess. Oyster shell and gunsmoke, softening to still-warm embers. Just delicious. This is the moment to share this wine. When you go back to it after an hour in the glass, its nuances are even more evident. Long harvest spread over four weeks, 100% new oak ageing.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling, Wine Spectator
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2001 Masseto is one of the all-time great wines here. Vertical and soaring in its intensity, the 2001 occupies all dimensions, especially texturally, where it is so rich, so heady and so compelling. Next to other wines, or other vintages, the 2001 just has more of everything. I imagine well-stored bottles will drink well for another 15-20 years. The 2001’s reputation as an iconic wine is clearly justified. This magical vintage was marked by cooling temperatures in September that resulted in a drawn out harvest that took four weeks to complete. Note: The bottle in the Nashville tasting was not perfect, so this note corresponds to a more recent and more representative example. I have seen more bottle variation with the 2001 than other vintages.
A landmark vintage that put Ornellaia on the trophy wine map. Thomas Duroux’s first (of three) vintages. Picked by hand and transported in small 15-kg boxes. Once in the cellar, the grapes were sorted by hand before undergoing destemming and gentle pressing. Fermentation took place in 65-hl and 125-hl wooden casks. Average temperature during fermentation was 27–30 °C. Malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques, and aged for 24 months at a controlled temperature. After bottling, the wine remained in the cellars for another 12 months before release. Rich yet fresh. Fully evolved and lovely balance; long. Great undertow. Sweet and inky with a light gamey note. Racy and vivacious. Very dramatic without being too opulent. Just not hot on the end. Axel Heinz sees it as a cross between Châteauneuf and Pomerol. (JR)
The 2001 Masseto is one of the all-time great wines here. Vertical and soaring in its intensity, the 2001 occupies all dimensions, especially texturally, where it is so rich, so heady and so compelling. Next to other wines, or other vintages, the 2001 just has more of everything. I imagine well-stored bottles will drink well for another 15-20 years. The 2001's reputation as an iconic wine is clearly justified. This magical vintage was marked by cooling temperatures in September that resulted in a drawn out harvest that took four weeks to complete. Note: The bottle in the Nashville tasting was not perfect, so this note corresponds to a more recent and more representative example. I have seen more bottle variation with the 2001 than other vintages.
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.