Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Paleo (a pure expression of Cabernet Franc from Coastal Tuscany) is a drop dead gorgeous wine with amazing intensity and purity of aromas. You get it all here: Bright berry notes, drying mineral, exotic spice, cooling acidity and firm, satisfying structure. It’s a rich, velvety and beautiful wine that will award you a memorable drinking experience now or in 10 years time. Cellar Selection
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Paleo Rosso (Cabernet Franc) offers up compelling, nuanced layers of smoke, dark cherries, mocha and grilled herbs in a style that reveals considerable richness and opulence but also quite a bit of verve, minerality and sheer structure. The wine has begun to shut down considerably since it was bottled and will require quite a bit of patience. Still, it is impossible to miss the silkiness of the tannins, the impeccable purity of the finish and the wine’s exceptional overall sense of harmony. This brilliant effort will be a joy to follow over the coming years. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027.
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James Suckling
Walnuts and blueberries with hints of spice. Full body, with very pretty, integrated tannins. Excellent length too. Cabernet Franc. So gorgeous to taste and drink now but better in 2013.
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Wine & Spirits
Le Macchiole grows cabernet franc in five parcels, some dating back to their original planting in 1983. Paleo, made completely from franc, is often the estate’s most compelling wine. This vintage is intense, almost severe in its youthful power. The dark fruit is blanketed by tannins, influenced both by oak and a pomegranate seed, grape tannins. Cellar it to let the extract mellow and the fruit mature.
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.