Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A crazy good wine that flirts with perfection, the 100% Merlot 2013 Messorio comes from two vineyards, the Puntone vineyard planted in 1993 and the Vignone vineyard planted in 1999. Aged 20 months in 70% new barrels, it knocks it out of the park with its plum and black cherry fruit and background oak, chocolate, smoke, and mineral bouquet. A sensational wine in every way, with a huge, concentrated, viscous texture, building tannin, and no weight, it's going to stand toe to toe with the best Merlots in the world. Drink this beauty anytime over the coming two decades.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Messorio is a truly divine creation that puts Merlot on a well-deserved pedestal. This is a complete wine that accurately doses out its intensity and persistence with stopwatch precision. Dark fruit, blackberry, spice, leather, tar and tobacco are folded together into a homogeneous whole. The wine is supported by finely integrated tannins with lovely dark fruit flavors and beautifully plush textural richness. Thanks to the vintage warmth, the 2013 vintage is similar to 2011. But this current release presents a more delineated sense of freshness that holds it firmly stitched together. The finish is succulent and beautifully layered. Some 10,500 bottles were produced. This is a stunning wine that will not fade for decades to come.
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Wine & Spirits
Cinzia Merli’s 2013 Messorio offers a thrilling combination of power, concentration and agility. “Unapologetic” was one taster’s reaction to the intensity of the wine’s lush fruit and vibrant spices. It rested for 20 months in French oak barriques (75 percent new), and opens with scents of toasted vanilla, dark chocolate and cardamom. The fruit flavors of black plum and forest berries are lusciously ripe, so dense that the acidity is hard to detect, yet it’s evident in the wine’s energetic freshness. Tight tannins feel cool and polished, supporting the rich fruit and spice flavors over several days as the wine takes on a wet-rock minerality that augments the firm structure. This is world-class merlot, with a long and layered finish that signals the potential for many years of positive development in the cellar.
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James Suckling
Beautiful richness and balance to this red with very velvety tannins and fresh acidity. Love the intensity and silkiness. Plus the flavor of chocolate, black olive and dark fruits is captivating. Pure merlot. Better in 2019.
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Wine Spectator
An impressive array of plum, cherry, vanilla, toast and stone flavors are the hallmarks of this powerful yet polished red, showing excellent concentration and purity matched to freshness and length. There is a sense of youthful harmony that should improve as this mellows with time. Merlot. Best from 2020 through 2038.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from 100% Merlot grapes, this boasts ripe red berry, cassis, espresso, vanilla and chopped mint aromas. The densely concentrated palate doles out ripe cassis, licorice, tobacco and sage flavors, blanketed in velvety tannins. Drink through 2022.
Long before it was fashionable, Eugenio Campolmi saw the potential of his homeland, buying his first vineyard in Bolgheri in 1975 baptised "Le Macchiole". In 1987, he hired famed oenologist Vittorio Fiore as a consultant before the later was joined by Luca d'Attoma for years later. In contrast to his renowned neighbors who focused on Bordeaux blends, Campolmi focused on achieving the purest expression of individual varieties, crafting distinct wines of unprecedented quality. Soon Le Macchiole joined Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Guado al Tasso as one of the most prestigious estates in Bolgheri. Following Eugenio's death in 2002, his wife Cinzia Merli, who shares her husband's passion, took over at the estate. Working with Luca D'Attoma, she has carried on her husband's legacy by continuing to make great Tuscan wines.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.