La Massa Giorgio Primo Super Tuscan Duo
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Description
- La Massa 2006 Giorgio Primo
- La Massa 2007 Giorgio Primo
2006 CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
"The 2006 Giorgio Primo is a totally different animal. It is a powerful, rich and intense wine loaded with dark fruit, earthiness, tobacco, tar and smoke, all of which come to life on a structured frame. Despite its size, the wine reveals tons of clarity and precision, all it needs is a few years to come together. In 2006 Giorgio Primo is 30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2021"
94 Points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
"Offers blackberry, toasty oak and milk chocolate aromas. Full-bodied, soft and velvety, with a long, rich finish. Concentrated and pretty. Layered and serious. Best after 2011."
94 Points
Wine Spectator
"Giorgio Primo is among the best blended red wines from central Italy. It''s a super Tuscan expression of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet and Petit Verdot that delivers layer after layer of impressive richness, elegance and persistency. The aromas recall blackberry, ripe cherry, leather, tobacco, chocolate and espresso and thanks to the extraordinary quality of the mouthfeel, these flavors last seemingly forever on the palate."
94 Points
Wine Enthusiast
2007 CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
"Dark and brooding, with intense aromas of lead pencil, blackberry, black cherry and licorice. Full-bodied, with velvety, polished tannins, followed by vanilla, berry and currant on the finish. Powerful and complex. Built like a brick house. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Best after 2013. 1,750 cases made."
97 Points
#27 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2009
Wine Spectator
"The 2007 Giorgio Primo is 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot aged in 100% new oak with frequent batonnage. It is a big, rich wine loaded with vibrant dark fruit, violets, graphite and minerals, all of which come together in a richly-textured, sensual style. The wine possesses great balance and is very promising at this stage. This is a very Bordeaux-like Giorgio Primo."
94 Points
Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
Professional Ratings
- Wine Spectator
- Wine Enthusiast
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
After being inspired in Bordeaux, Giampaolo Motta left his family's leather business behind in Naples and headed north to work in Chianti where he learned the art of winemaking. Working in Chianti and then in Bordeaux, he developed the practices and philosophy that he would come to embody at La Massa, where Giampaolo owns 27ha of vineyards in the Conca d'Oro (trans. The Golden Basin) of Panzano in Chianti. Acquiring this ancient, hilly property in 1991, with its vineyards that have been farmed since the 15th century, Giampaolo gained a reputation with the release of his first vintage of Giorgio Primo, one year later. Proceeding to produce two Chianti Classico wines until he decided to declassify in 2002, Giampaolo immediately gained and maintained a following.
In 1998, Giampaolo released La Massa, another Chianti Classico wine that he declassified in 2002. Wanting the freedom to produce high quality wines that didn't require specific percentages of Sangiovese, Giampaolo decided to produce IGT wines that were driven by La Massa's terrior. Nowadays, Giorgio Primo is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and La Massa consists of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and some Merlot or Alicante B.
On the heels of receiving spectacular scores from the Wine Advocate, in 2008 Giampaolo hired his good friend of 15 years, Stephane Derenoncourt, one of the most renowned winemakers in Bordeaux, to advise on vineyard management and in the cellar. Working together with great respect for the earth and the fruit, Giampaolo and Stephane practice "logical" agriculture, releasing Derenoncourt's first vintage in 2009. "We employ sustainable methods in growing grapes: no artificial fertilizers, but rather green manure. No herbicides, we use 'sexual confusion' as a pesticide, and very little spraying for peronospora," says Giampaolo. In the winery, they use natural yeasts, "since we have a high grape quality, very little sulfur for hygienic purposes of cleaning barriques and very little at bottling for conservation. We have kept the ecological equilibrium of La Massa intact."