Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This extraordinary wine put Cabernet Franc on the map in Bolgheri. The 2010 reveals an exquisite bouquet of black currants, crushed blue flower, leather and baking spices. The smooth palate delivers mouthwatering blackberries, black cherry, white pepper, thyme and licorice alongside an age-worthy structure boasting firm but elegant tannins and fresh acidity. It's already gorgeous with intriguing depth but it will age and develop beautifully. Drink 2015–2040.
Editors' Choice -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Paleo Rosso is the most impressive wine of the tasting and easily cements this wine's reputation as coastal Tuscany's finest Cabernet Franc. The complexity is mesmerizing, as the wine playfully offers aromas of black fruit, salvia, rosemary, chocolate and spice in quick succession. It still tastes tight and nervous, so give it the time required to soften. Anticipated maturity: 2016-2030.
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James Suckling
A solid wine with blueberry, blackberry and wild-cherry character. Full body with chewy tannins. So much mineral, chalk and cedar character, with gorgeous fruit. Pure cabernet franc, showing how fabulously the varietal works in Bolgheri. Needs two to four years of bottle age.
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Wine & Spirits
With the gentle caress of cabernet franc, Paleo Rosso is the most elegant of Le Macchiole’s reds. Its scent of fresh currants layered with herbs follows a narrow path, a tight formation that drives through spicy cedar notes of wood aging and tannins as fruity and fragrant as blackberry seeds. The flavor is bright and remarkably long without any excess weight.
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Wine Spectator
Perfumed, offering sandalwood, floral and sweet wood smoke aromas that augment the blackberry and spice flavors. Dense and muscular, with stiff tannins and ample sweet fruit. Fine length. Cabernet Franc. Best from 2016 through 2025.
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.